A note pad and a pencil – tools of our trade – adorned journalist Michelle Lang’s casket on Friday on the Kandahar Airfield as it was carried to the aircraft to return to Canada. The Calgary Herald reporter was killed Wednesday when a landmine exploded under the light armoured vehicle that she was riding in, along with…
Le journalisme est en pleine effervescence depuis des années. On parle de changements majeurs, de virage, de mutation, de crise et même de révolution. Les « tisserands du 4e pouvoir » sont en pleine tourmente. Le débat baigne notamment dans un maelstrom métajournalistique confondant. Dans ce tourbillon de leitmotivs émergent des tendances qui, même si…
[Note: This post has been updated] Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang, 34, and four Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Wednesday, CBC News reports. Lang grew up in Vancouver and had also worked in Regina and Moose Jaw. She won a National Newspaper Award in 2008 for best beat reporting. Lang is the first Canadian…
CommentaryThe new defence of responsible communication is good news for the media, but Ryerson University’s Jeffrey A. Dvorkin doubts it will usher in a new wave investigative journalism. As layoffs continue and newsrooms are pared down to the editorial bone, the ability of news organizations to engage in deep, contextual investigative journalism is far from…
New defences to libel actions don’t come along every day, so what exactly does the pair of Supreme Court of Canada rulings handed down December 22 mean for journalists? An expanded definition of “public interest,” a list of the steps journalists should take to produce a solid, libel-proof story, and good news for bloggers. Dean…
Do you know someone who is an inspiration to working journalists, educators and audiences? This new award will recognize a person or organization that has had a positive impact on the quality of journalism in Canada in 2009. Nominate your choice now.
The Seattle Times‘s Ron Judd is not impressed with the media strategy of the organizing committee of the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics, VANOC. “The organization seems hellbent on turning its media relations into a virtual-reality experience,” Judd writes in a satirical response to the pre-packaged end-of-the-year video release by committee head John Furlong. The piece…
NewsThe Supreme Court of Canada has created a new libel defence – the defence of responsible communication on matters of public interest. In a landmark ruling that orders new trials in libel actions against two Ontario newspapers, the court introduced the British defence of responsible journalism with a new name and some made-in-Canada modifications. The…
Few legal judgements make for inspiring reading — but the new libel defence outlined in the Supreme Court of Canada ruling Grant v. Torstar Corp., 2009 SCC 61 is one of them. The Dec. 22 decision lays out the criteria under which journalists can use the defence of “responsible communication” against libel suits. It’s a…
New York Times science and environment reporter Andrew Revkin is “switching gears for the second half of my professional life.” Revkin wrote in the Times that he’s not abandoning journalism — “I’ll be continuing to blog, write and work with video. And I’ll certainly keep contributing to this remarkable newspaper…” — but is rather taking…