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Globe public editor: Time to find a different word to describe Bernardo’s victims

A reader wondered: “Why does The Globe persist in using the sexist … and outdated term ‘schoolgirls’ in reference to the victims of Paul Bernardo? Public editor Sylvia Stead writes it may…
Tech review: Editorially makes online editing and collaboration easier

Officially launched on September 10, Editorially is the latest web-based platform to hit the collaborative writing and editing game. Developed by a team of experts, its ambition is “making it as easy…
Globe public editor: Nairobi map unfairly suggested a terrorist community

Especially during times of ethnic tensions, it is much more important to tread carefully and not make connections that aren’t proven or even real, writes The Globe and Mail's public editor Sylvia…
Book Review: Amanda Lindhout’s A House in the Sky came at too high a cost

Stephen Puddicombe, a veteran CBC reporter with 15 years of experience working as a conflict zone reporter, says Lindhout’s book about her kidnapping in Somalia concerns him. He worries about the future of…
Ombudsman: No bias against pit bull in CBC Calgary stories

A complainant said a CBC News story from Calgary unfairly singled out the pit bull to sensationalize the story and that the media has created the bias against these dogs. But CBC…
CBC ombudsman: A closer look at “fair dealing” is needed

Tyler Olsen, a photographer for the Chilliwack Times in British Columbia, had questions about CBC’s use of a photograph from his paper when they were covering a news story. He acknowledged it…
Star public editor: Reporters struggle to pry records out of court clerks

Kathy English, the Toronto Star's public editor, questions why journalists are being blocked in obtaining information that would have been readily available to them had they been in public court to witness the…
Ombudsman: CBC got it right covering local demonstration about Egypt

A complainant accused CBC of siding with the supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in its coverage of demonstrations in Toronto. During the height of the unrest in Egypt, she thought…
CBC ombudsman: No bias in headline about Justin Trudeau’s speaking fees

The complainant, Jon Melanson, thought the wording of a headline indicated CBC was taking the side of the Liberal party. CBC's ombudsman Esther Enkin responds that while it may have not been…
Globe public editor: With just a few words, photo cutlines have enormous impact

If done well, a photo caption can elevate the story, writes the Globe and Mail's public editor Sylvia Stead. A bad cutline, by contrast, will tell the reader something that they can…