By Alfred Hermida for The Conversation The playwright Arthur Miller mused in 1961: “A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.” The assertion seems oddly quaint now – at a time when the US elected a president who was continually at odds with the press. Donald Trump intentionally positioned himself as an outsider…
By Kathy English for the Toronto Star “We, the media, were also on the ballot.” – NBC anchor Lester Holt. “To put it bluntly, the media missed the story. Make no mistake. This is an epic fail.” – Margaret Sullivan, Media columnist, Washington Post Mostly, I #blame my profession, media. We must undertake a harsh,…
The following memo was sent to Toronto Star staff on Nov. 18, 2016 from Michael Cooke, editor, and Irene Gentle, managing editor. Colleagues, I am very happy to announce some further changes in the newsroom. Patrick Ho will bring his digital-first style and strong talent for rewrite and coaching newer reporters to a new breaking…
By Teresa Scassa The Federal Court has just released a decision in a case that raised issues of fair dealing and copyright abuse. Blacklock’s, an Ottawa-based online news agency, had argued that officials at the Department of Finance breached its copyright in news articles when these articles were circulated internally. The decision is an important confirmation of…
By Dale Eisler, Senior Policy Fellow, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy In the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that if the choice were government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, he would choose the latter. Today, almost two-and-half centuries later, Jefferson’s observation might actually be tested. The great disrupting influence of digital…
Here’s our regular update on the moves, hires and promotions in Canadian journalism for November 3 to November 16.
By Jasmine Bala for the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre When Indigenous people share their stories with journalists, it is a part of the reconciliation process and not about assigning blame, the executive director of APTN said during a recent panel discussion about news coverage of Indigenous communities. Karyn Pugliese, a member of the Algonquin First Nation of…
By H.G. Watson, Associate Editor Vice, a media company known for its untraditional approach to journalism, has started a new program that is, in some ways, wholly traditional—a half hour news program. Vice News Tonight premiered on HBO on and Viceland in Canada on Oct. 10. The show is a mix of the short documentaries…
The following memo was sent to Toronto Star staff on Nov. 14, 2016, from Irene Gentle, managing editor. Colleagues; As we continue to reshape our newsroom to adapt to internal and industry changes and double down on the important, ambitious journalism the Star demands, I’m excited to announce a number of changes in our managers’…
By Mitchell Thompson Criminal libel laws in Canada’s Criminal Code are being used increasingly to suppress speech that is critical of public officials and employees, Ryerson journalism professor Lisa Taylor said. Speaking at Ryerson University on Nov. 1, 2016, alongside Osgoode Hall law professor Jamie Cameron and Ryerson journalism professor James Turk, Taylor said criminal…