Globe piles on CBC

Today’s Globe has not one, not two but three stories on CBC’s recent apology for its blogger Heather Mallick’ comments on Gov. Sarah Palin. There’s something about CBC screwups (as if they’re the only media, MSM or otherwise, to ever screw up) that causes the rest of the media world to turn into a pack [...]

New media catches up to candidates in Canada

Interesting take by Prof. Michael Geist on the number of candidates from all federal parties who have resigned/been compelled to resign because of what they blogged or said on the web (didn’t anybody Google these guys?) Anyway, a little philosophical consideration on the brutally high standards said by having our words exist in cyber space [...]

Protection of sources case goes to Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case between media and police involving protection of media source. It relates to a brown envelope containing contentious information about Shawinigate (does every scandal, real or perceived, have to end in -gate?) Police want the envelope to investigate who leaked it; the media, recipients of the leak, [...]

CanWest apologizes to Tim’s

If you missed Global National yesterday, you can click on to Canada.com to read the formal apology CanWest made to Tim Horton’s regarding coverage last year on Tim’s putting up a franchise in Kandahar for the Canadian troops. (I suspect the $100 million lawsuit against CanWest, Standard and others had something to do with it; [...]

Military mum during election campaign

CP and some media outlets are decrying what they view as an attempt to keep Afghanistan out of the federal election. It’s pretty usual, however, for civil servants of all types to keep their heads down during a campaign; some provinces, like Saskatchewan, have legislation that dictates what kind of communications can be done during [...]

Newspapers fighting proposed Yahoo/Google deal

The World Association of Newspapers is urging Ottawa, and other national governments, to nix an ad deal between Yahoo and Google, citing competition concerns (more accurately, it might take ad money away from newspapers.)
National Post, 16 September 2008

Fake news shows cause dumber youth?

Well, maybe. A recent US study shows that the Daily/Colbert shows have the highest “news” ratings among the coveted 18 – 31 year old demographic in the States. Trouble is, they’re actually comedy shows with a distinct liberal bias, and viewers of the shows apparently have a lower political IQ than users of more traditional [...]

Libel suit against Globe and Mail, Jan Wong to continue

A while back then Globe reporter Jan Wong worked as a maid/cleaner to do a five part series on the life of a maid/cleaner (in short, don’t be one.) Now, a lawsuit is proceeding from one of the families where she worked. What’s interesting about this case is that the family wasn’t identified by name, [...]

U.S. newspaper editors befuddled by new technology

A Pew survey of 250 newspaper editors shows that only five per cent can foresee how the web/new media will affect their newspapers over the next five years. And there’s a fifty/fifty split as to whether the new media is or is not a threat to traditional newspapers. Frankly, the papers can’t seem to even [...]

UBC to track social media coverage of Canada federal election

UBC School of Journalism, based on US models, has started a tracking site to see how social media respond to the Canadian federal election. Given that all parties and their supporters will be actively seeking social media coverage, could be quite a loud debate. I’ll wait until after the election on both sides of the [...]