As an obituary writer I have come to accept that most people recoil when they hear what I do for a living, as though I have something catching. I have become accustomed to the arched eyebrow the nervous laugh, the disparaging comments about the Siberia of Journalism and even the jokes: How’s life on the…
The number of beat reporters covering religion for secular publications has declined over the years and too often, stories on religion are covered with an anti-religious bias. While stories on religion in secular papers inform the masses on this age-old subject, niche reporting tackles stories the mainstream media often miss.
A full day conference on the future of obituaries, how writers handle suicide, and the the myths about obituary writing. Speakers: SPOW president Andy Meacham, Toronto Star columnist Catherine Porter and Sandra Martin, senior feature writer at The Globe and Mail and author of Working the Dead Beat.
It can’t do any good to lose the number and quality of people on the Globe list, writes former Globe staffer Dan Westell. But the media owners are desperate to find a way to make money in a digital world, and cutting costs – although not a viable long-term strategy – might provide the breathing…
In her new book, University of Alberta professor Patricia Demers examines the legacy of Miriam Green Ellis, an all-but-forgotten agricultural reporter from the Prairies who refused to be confined to the "women's pages." J-Source Agricultural Editor Mary Baxter writes Demers should be lauded for her eye-opening book.
The abrupt closing of CityNews Channel on May 30 came at an inopportune time for news consumers in the Greater Toronto Area, because it happened while appetite for local news coverage is stronger than usual, writes Centennial College broadcast journalism professor Ellin Bessner.
Canada’s famous abortion doctor, who died last week, was a masterful subject for journalists, his biographer recalls. Catherine Dunphy argues although he was womanizer who loved many, the most important love affair in his life was between him and media.
Last week, J-Source published an op-ed from Melanie Coulson who said the National Newspaper Awards need to make some changes to reflect journalism in the digital era. In this letter to the editor, Scott White, the chair of the NNAs board of governors, responds to that column, arguing the program has never been afraid to…