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One of the most potent threats to investigative journalism comes from the legal departments of big corporations, writes Cecil Rosner. Here’s a great example and the lessons for journalists.

Canwest’s application for creditor protection ends old rumours and starts new ones. Is this the beginning of a much anticipated conglomerate break-up, or will the chain simply change hands? In a Globe and Mail online Q and A, Carleton University’s Chris Waddell talks about what the restructuring might look like. ‘Canwest did not intend to…

A Czech entrepreneur is developing a chain of Starbuck-like news cafes where news is being distributed and journalists are interacting with readers. The storefronts are quickly becoming a centre of community life, with meetings, concerts, dance lessons and other events organized for local residents. “PPF Media has been getting a lot of international attention lately…

Great column on the loss of local newspapers and the ways in which this damages communities and society. “If you think your local newspaper is bad, I’m here to tell you that life without one is worse. “

The Toronto Star and CBC radio 3 recently launched new websites heavily influenced by social media and customized interactivity. The new Toronto Star site provides four different views of the news: standard, visual, timeline and grid. While not a completely customizable interface, it offers more than others. But it fails to recognize new forms of…

Great column about a closed conference where the future of news was discussed. “One of the favorite parlor games in the blogosphere these days is to bash newspapers. We are often compared to tyrannosarus rex — desperately clinging to our newsprint while we slip into the La Brea Tar Pits.” Lots of talk about hyperlocal…

The closure of a local television station in Brandon, Man., continues to demonstrate the lack of vision by business-types high up in news organizations. On the surface, it is hard to argue saving an unprofitable enterprise. No one is saying that here. However, the opportunity to innovate and convert the rich resources at the station…

There is a good article in Inside Higher Ed regarding the Renaissance of local news coverage. It focuses on the recent partnership between business and journalism schools to offer hyperlocal news to communities. The growing trend of hyperlocal news, a form of highly localized community news and information, is particularly significant. As news organizations search…

It is interesting to note over the past week, the Toronto Star is featuring “exclusive” stories, along with investigative and enterprise stories, on the front page of their print edition. The editors are also profiling follow-up stories to previous investigative stories, ensuring audiences are aware of the impact of the initial work. While some might…