Par Josée Guillemette et Jérôme Soucy, étudiants à l'Université Laval La grippe H1N1 sévit. Trente-trois mineurs sont emprisonnés sous terre au Chili. Lindsay Lohan est incarcérée. Toutes ces nouvelles ont été grandement médiatisées au Québec. Il est toutefois possible de douter de leur valeur informative. Pour plusieurs, ces nouvelles ont été surmédiatisées.
An article in the Montreal Gazette condemns journalism for failing to show assertions by a British doctor that vaccinations could cause autism. Freelancer Neil Cameron notes: “The widespread fears about vaccination were created not only by Wakefield, by the grapevine fears of anxious parents, and by additional confused leadership by some celebrity nincompoops, but by…
Un an après le séisme qui a secoué Haïti, l’attention médiatique consacrée au sort des Haïtiens a beaucoup diminué. Pourtant, la catastrophe a attiré une multitude de journalistes de partout dans le monde, prêts à capter l’ampleur du drame. À l’heure de la reconstruction, les journalistes semblent moins intéressés par Haïti, se déplaçant moins sur…
What is “responsible” journalism? Celebrating the first anniversary of an epochal Canadian libel judgment that will see this question litigated for years to come, a group of graduate students has launched a wiki to help journalists themselves define their profession’s best practices. Ryerson professors Brian MacLeod Rogers and Ivor Shapiro explain.
Here’s another good article that perhaps we should all print and keep handy for the next time we find ourselves covering unspeakable tragedy. With thanks to Jane Hawkes of the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma for pointing me to it.
Interesting piece in the New York Times about how the media was quick to blame the shootings in Arizona on politics, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin and ramped-up rhetoric. I’m not sure I agree; it’s all too easy to just blame unexplainable situations on mental illnesses, but the point is one we should be considering.
Last year, the number of access to information requests journalists made to government dropped 23 per cent. Maybe it has something to do with the sad fact that Canada ranks last in FOI effectiveness. At the federal level, blocking requests has become a matter of course. In 2008, Canadian Press reported the trend had reached…
Vancouver Province reporter Elaine O’Connor has been ordered by the B.C. Supreme Court to reveal her source on a story about a former Liberal MP. Province editor-in-chief Wayne Moriarty said they’ll appeal.
If you watch the news, you’ve probably seen a “look live”. That news-speak term means a reporter who appears to be live in the field, but was taped doing the introduction to their story, or sometimes their throw back to the newsroom or a different type of seemingly live hit, well before the show is…
Coming up with New Year’s resolutions for journalists isn’t difficult. After all, the basic principles are clear cut. However, sticking to simple principles requires perseverance, integrity and commitment year round. Below is a list of suggested New Year’s resolutions, with links to thought-provoking articles. Readers are invited to add their own resolutions and links in…