The complainant, Jenni Byrne of Bayfield Strategy, Inc., wrote on behalf of her client, Fortress Developments. She stated that one of the reporters involved in ongoing coverage of Fortress was biased and sensationalistic in her reporting. She complained that there was no follow-up on a story regarding class-action suits against Fortress. The complaint against the…
With a significant portion of the audience arriving at news sites via social media and search, the imminent death of the homepage is a common refrain. One senior digital manager told me he was expecting the “death of the homepage revolution” to hit his market at some point, but it hadn’t yet. He might be…
A foundation for resiliency needs to be built up before journalists are in the field. Continue Reading Why trauma and mental health must be discussed in journalism schools
The complainant, Jackie Thipthorpe, objected to a story about visitors at a veterinary school open house. The research project featured involved a cow with a fistula which enabled participants to reach into its stomach. She questioned the judgment of reporting the story in the first place, and its lack of criticism of the treatment of…
Earlier this week, I received a complaint about a Globe investigation into a fake news site. The writer, who is a Canadian professor, called the article “fake news.” The Globe story labelled “Media and ‘Fake News’” had the headline “NATO research centre sets sights on Canadian website over pro-Russia disinformation”. The article, by chief political…
As 2018 dawns, it’s clear that Canada’s news media are in danger of lurching into the abyss unless Ottawa takes action soon. Enforcing our country’s anti-trust laws to stop the corporate consolidation and cutbacks in local news coverage would help to stanch the bleeding in the short term, but Canada’s Competition Bureau has recently shown little…
The complainant, Mary Spensley, disputed the accuracy of a story about an LGBTQ teaching tool created by the Alberta Teachers’ Association. She was also concerned that hostile politicians were using the information to attack the toolkit. The CBC News stories were accurate, and journalists cannot refrain from reporting controversy because of the way it might…
Astrology is not science, so why do serious news organizations still publish daily horoscopes? Continue Reading Toronto Star Public Editor: What’s written in the stars?
It turns out that newspapers in the 1830s had extensive government support. Continue Reading The news industry has always needed government support: A look back to the 1800s
The complainant, Lara Dutton, objected to a CBC online writer expressing opinion while using the @CBCToronto twitter account. She wanted to know what the consequences were for the employee. There was a violation of policy and CBC management dealt with it appropriately. COMPLAINT You complained about a tweet posted by a CBC News employee, Lucas…