The Fraser Institute has gone from being regarded by journalists and editors “with suspicion and derision” to its current lofty status “as a go-to source for every major media outlet in Canada,” wrote Geoff Turner in the online magazine The Tyee, in an examination of the think tank’s public relations success –as opposed to the…
Foreign affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe wrote an eulogy to the Far Eastern Economic Review, or simply “FEER,” which Dow Jones announced it will close, after gutting it several years previously. “Asia is sadly lacking in authoritative, incisive and independent media, and last week it was announced that it will lose the one publication which for…
It’s been almost a month since Ontario’s former Attorney General, Michael Bryant, was charged with dangerous driving, and, criminal negligence causing the death of a cyclist, Darcy Allan Sheppard. The fact that Bryant hired a public relations firm which then launched a social media campaign, mostly on Twitter (@Bryantfacts), launched a debate about his ability…
David Olive’s new model for newspapers: “shrink the newsprint product to a 32-page broadsheet or tabloid featuring only staff-written feature-length content and the best material available from other publications worldwide.” Shunt all generic news to the Web. Harness newspapers to explain the meaning of the news. Simple, right? Nothing’s that simple — as Olive discusses…
New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt examined the case of Times’ reporter Stephen Farrell’s kidnapping in Afghanistan — and his rescue by British soldiers which led to the deaths of interpreter/journalist Sultan Munadi, a British soldier and several Afghan civilians and Taliban. Hoyt refrained from portraying the case in black and white. His conclusion…
A paper by John Kelly, published online by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, asks, “Is journalism a profession or a trade?” Kelly acknowledges, “It’s a question that has probably only ever interested journalists. It’s also a question that, as the 20th century gave way to the 21st, seemed to…
Canadian-born journalist John T. Elson has died, age 78. He will be remembered by most, perhaps, for his 1966 cover piece for Time, “Is God Dead,” a massive research and writing effort which remains a landmark piece of journalism. “The story brought a brimstone of controversy, but given the depth of the reporting, few could…
Someone dubbed “Neocynic” is out to embarrass the Globe and Mail for its priorities. The commenter is repeatedly posting sarcastic comments saying that 12 staffers are covering the Toronto International Film Festival — and acerbically asking how many are covering the Afghanistan war. The comments are under unrelated news stories, like this. Oddly, none of…
OK, it’s time to abolish that meaningless term “news media.” I’ve long advocated that we differentiate between different kinds of media, from “junk media” to “quality media” — just as we differentiate kinds of food, from “junk food” to healthy nutrition. It’s time to get serious about this. Why? A new Pew Research Center report…
Beautiful tributes have been pouring in for Margaret Philp, a Globe and Mail reporter for more than 20 years who died last week at 43. Her family has planned a memorial service for Sunday Sept 27 at 1 pm at the Ward’s Island Club House in Toronto. Dan Westell, who worked at the Globe from…