Anti-vaxxers are up in arms about negative media coverage of their cause. Considering the timing, this is a little surprising: measles, a potentially life-threatening disease especially for unvaccinated babies or people with suppressed immune systems, is on the rise, thanks to anti-vaccination scare tactics. Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, anti-vaxxers continue to perpetuate the…
Ottawa is poised to provide almost $600 million in financial assistance to Canada’s news media. Will it do the right thing and restrict the incentives to Canadian-owned companies? Continue Reading How to fix Canada’s biggest media problem in one easy step
By Cristina Sanza, Concordia University; Brittney Borowiec, McMaster University; David Secko, Concordia University; Farah Qaiser, University of Toronto; Fernanda de Araujo Ferreira, Harvard University; Heather MacGregor, University of Toronto; Michael Bramadat-Willcock, Concordia University, and Pouria Nazemi, Concordia University Eat blueberries for the antioxidants. Exercise daily at a moderate intensity for optimal heart health. Get the vaccine…
A new report proves that humanitarian crises are going underreported in English, French and German media across the world. Here’s why we need to rethink how we approach these stories Continue Reading Suffering outside the headlines
Rather than bolstering the corporations that have decimated Canada’s media ecosystem, the federal tax incentive package should be used to fund journalists’ work Continue Reading Bail out the journalists, not their bosses
When Maria Ressa learned, via Twitter, that she was among the group of journalists Time magazine recognized as “Person of the Year” — “Guardians” in the “war on truth” — her immediate thought was sobering, indeed. Continue Reading Toronto Star public editor: Filipino journalist Maria Ressa’s powerful defence of truth is truly inspiring
Why the controversy surrounding Jill Abramson’s newly released book puts the spotlight squarely on the valuable research department Continue Reading The missing fact-checker: Merchants of Truth’s Achilles heel
With the current pervasive use of online media for personal and academic reasons, it’s necessary for students to have skills to confidently filter and decipher what they’re reading. Continue Reading How analyzing patterns helps students spot deceptive media
Maite Taboada, Simon Fraser University and Fatemeh Torabi Asr, Simon Fraser University “I believe that all voices are equal and deserving of equal respect.” That’s what Siri responds when asked if she is a feminist. We share Siri’s sentiment. That’s why, using computational linguistics — the technology behind voice-activated assistants — we’ve created the Gender…
Living in the eye of a global media storm of coverage of an alleged serial killer for the past year, Karen Fraser has learned more than she ever could have imagined about today’s journalists and how they work. Continue Reading Toronto Star Public Editor: Lessons from the eye of a global media storm