J-Source

Are conflicts of interest passé?

Belinda Alzner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:18:50 +0000

Does anyone care about conflicts of interest any more? Or, perhaps more accurately: Is the transparency in disclosing potential conflicts of interest more important than avoiding conflicts completely?

That’s the question Simon Houpt, senior media writer for The Globe and Mail has tackled here. Citing cases of a Silicon Valley start-up that receives money from companies it covers, Houpt writes:

The Vancouver Sun turns 100

Belinda Alzner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:05:46 +0000

On April 12, 1912, the first issue of The Vancouver Sun was printed. Now, 100 years later, they are poised to throw a centennial party for the newspaper.

Saturday’s edition of The Sun will celebrate the history of the paper, and contain a full-page Sun-themed crossword, behind-the-scenes newsroom stories, historic front pages, memorable photos and a look at legendary Sun employees.

Bell Media cuts staff at Ottawa news outlets: The Ottawa Citizen

Belinda Alzner — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:54:09 +0000

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that news outlets including CTV Ottawa have learned of staff cuts today.

Check out the story here for updates as they come in.

Why journalists should break news on Twitter

Belinda Alzner — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:05:20 +0000

The guidance for journalists not to break news on Twitter is based on a flawed understanding of today's media ecosystem, says University of British Columbia associate professor Alfred Hermida. Twitter is going to continue to be a news-breaker, so why resist it?

CBC Hamilton digital service gets a home

Belinda Alzner — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:35:24 +0000

CBC has announced that its new Hamilton digital service will be located right downtown on James St., in the former home of the Dominion Furniture store.

Hamilton is already home to a dedicated local newspaper in The Hamilton Spectator and television station in CHCH. The CBC venture will be web-based and will launch this spring.

Revisiting journo-themed Valentines

Belinda Alzner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:18:11 +0000

In case you missed them in years past, these journo-themed Valentines from Mediabistro are sure to warm the heart of even the most cynical and nostalgic reporter.

Whether you swap newspaper sections with your partner over morning coffee or elbow them out of the way to scrum the mayor, it’s nice to show them some appreciation on Feb. 14. In case you missed them in years past, these journo-themed Valentines from Mediabistro are sure to warm the heart of even the most cynical and nostalgic reporter.

We’re only human: The case for altruism and advocacy journalism

Belinda Alzner — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:01:24 +0000

Feature 1

Journalists are trained to be observers; to not get personally invested in their stories. But what if, faced with extreme circumstances, you overstep your boundaries as a reporter and lend a helping hand to those less fortunate? Rhiannon Russell explains why journalists sometimes feel compelled to do more than just write stories and why this advocacy journalism doesn’t always mean sacrificing objectivity.

Criminal libel probe of N.B. blogger questioned

Dean Jobb — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:48:51 +0000

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has asked Fredericton police for an explanation of why a local blogger, Charles LeBlanc, is being investigated under the little-used law of criminal libel. In a Feb. 1 letter, the group seeks an explanation of why LeBlanc, "apparently a vocal critic of the police force," had his computer seized during a search of his home. The group points out that courts in at least three provinces -- Ontario, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador -- have struck down the Criminal Code's libel provisions as a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

Read the CBC report, which includes the text of the letter.

More headlines for Sun TV

Patricia Elliott — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:38:31 +0000

If Sun TV execs care about Canadian broadcasting standards, they might be relieved by a supportive CBSC ruling on the infamous Margie Gillis interview – although some argue the council didn’t apply the right code.

First-ever UNESCO community media chair named

Patricia Elliott — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:17:21 +0000

AMARC - Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Dean, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad has been chosen to be the first ever UNESCO Chair on Community Media. The four-year appointmnent will serve as a knowledge and resource centre for the study and promotion of community media, including such things as community radio, participatory video, and other citizen-driven initiatives with media and communication technologies.

AMARC - Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Dean, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad has been chosen to be the first ever UNESCO Chair on Community Media. An agreement to this effect has been signed by the Director-General, UNESCO and the Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad.

Final call for CAJ Awards applications

Belinda Alzner — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:54:48 +0000

Applications for the Canadian Association of Journalists awards that will be presented at the CAJ gala in April will be closing Feb. 8.

Did the CBSC use the right code in Sun News Network decision?

Belinda Alzner — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:30:09 +0000

Was the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics the most appropriate to use in evaluating Sun News' Krista Erickson's interview last summer with contemporary dancer Margie Gillis? Marc-François Bernier isn't so sure, and asks whether the Council's decision would have been different if a more journalism-specific code of ethics had been used.

Marc-François Bernier, the Canada research Chair in journalism ethics, has pointed out in an article on J-Source’s French-language counterpart, ProjetJ, that while the Canadian Broadcast Standards’ Council cleared Sun News’ Krista Erickson under the

Sun News’ Krista Erickson wasn’t out of line in Margie Gillis interview: CBSC

Belinda Alzner — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:44:17 +0000

Feature 3

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council received 6,676 complaints after Krista Erickson interviewed contemporary dancer Margie Gillis on a segment of Canada Live on Sun News Network on June 1, 2011, but after review, has concluded that the broadcast did not violate provisions under the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Code of Ethics.

In case you missed it, or have forgotten the interview in question, here it is:

Job posting: Assistant professor in journalism at Mount Royal University

Belinda Alzner — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:08:13 +0000

Mount Royal University is hiring an assistant professor in journalism. Application deadline is Feb. 24.

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor in Journalism

Competition Number:     D6390VH
Position Type:          Tenure Track
Department:             Faculty of Communication Studies
Competition Closes:     February 24th, 2012

Description:

Good reads: License plate recognition technology and your privacy

Belinda Alzner — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:46:13 +0000

Feature 4

Rob Wipond has written a dizzying account trying to get to the bottom of privacy issues surrounding ALPR technology for the Feb 2012 issue of Victoria-based magazine FOCUS.

If you’ve ever attended court to get legal custody of your child, had a mental health problem attended to by police, or been accused of breaking a municipal bylaw, you have something in common with car thieves and child kidnappers in Victoria B.C.: Information about you that Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and the RCMP collects is stored in a giant database for two or more years – just in case.

CRTC postpones CBC license renewal hearings again, this time 'until further notice'

Belinda Alzner — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:07:41 +0000

In light of the upcoming federal budget, the CRTC has postponed hearings surrounding CBC’s license renewal until further notice.

Five questions for Calgary Herald's digital engagement editor Tom Babin

Belinda Alzner — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:46:35 +0000

Feature 2

The Calgary Herald is creating a giant digital rolodex with its new Be a Source program. We asked digital engagement editor Tom Babin to tell us about the new program that turns its readers into sources and how it can help journalists.

The Calgary Herald is creating a giant Rolodex for its newsroom with its new Be a Source program. We asked digital engagement editor Tom Babin to tell us about the new program (launched last week) that turns its readers into sources and how it can help journalists.

Hacker-assisted reporting: can it be ethical?

Cecil Rosner — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:51:15 +0000

Feature 4

If you hear the word ‘hacker’ and all you can think is News of the World scandal, stop cringing. Cecil Rosner explains how working with hackers who mine for publicly available data can be beneficial to not-so-tech-savvy journalists.

If you hear the word ‘hacker’ and all you can think is News of the World scandal, stop cringing. Cecil Rosner explains how working with hackers who mine for publicly available data can be beneficial to not-so-tech-savvy journalists.

I have taken the controversial step of mentioning the words “hacking,” “reporting” and “ethical” all in the same sentence. Now I’ll need the rest of this post to convince you I haven’t lost all vestiges of integrity.

Michelle Siu wins Tom Hanson photojournalism award

Belinda Alzner — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:28:42 +0000

Michelle Siu, a freelance photographer based in Toronto, will be joining the Canadian Press on a paid six-week internship this summer after being announced as the winner of the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award.

Ezra Levant takes on Jennifer Ditchburn over new Canadians story

Belinda Alzner — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:32:04 +0000

Ezra Levant and Jennifer Ditchburn had a bit of a spat on Twitter yesterday after it was reported by Toronto Sun's David Akin that the Sun News producer who proposed "faking" a citizenship ceremony last October now works for CBC, where Ditchburn occassionally appears as a panelist.

While Quebecor declined to comment in a story yesterday that stated federal bureaucrats had posed as “new Canadians” during a reaffirmation ceremony broadcast by its own Sun TV, it was only a matter of time before someone at the news organization spoke up.

Journalism and Communication Rights In Canada: An Interview With Jeremy Shtern

Lisa Lynch — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:02:48 +0000

Marc Raboy and Jeremy Shtern’s collection Media Divides: Communication Rights and the Right to Communicate in Canada is a series of essays by Canadian media and communications scholars on the past, present and future of Canadian communication rights. Expanding the notion of ‘the right to communicate’ beyond a conversation about freedom of expression, the authors in this book tackle topics as various as copyright, privacy, Internet infrastructure and access, and the political economy of media. The book’s overarching goal is both to assess and propose remediation for some of the serious problems plaguing the Canadian communications landscape. Because good journalism is fundamental to Canadian communication rights, Researching Journalism editor Lisa Lynch interviewed Jeremy Shtern about the process of editing Media Divides and what the book suggests about the role of journalists in ensuring communication rights for Canadians.

Federal bureaucrats posed as new Canadians in Sun TV ceremony

Belinda Alzner — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:33:45 +0000

The Canadian Press has reported that at least six federal bureaucrats stood in as “new Canadians” in a citizenship reaffirmation ceremony at Sun TV studios last October.

Video: Wilf Dinnick talks J-Source Award win

Belinda Alzner — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:51:04 +0000

In this interview, Wilf Dinnick, CEO of OpenFile and recipient of the J-Source Canadian Newsperson of the Year award, talks about what the win means for him, his team and investors in local collaborative news.

J-Source’s Belinda Alzner and Rhiannon Russell went out out to OpenFile headquarters in Toronto to talk with Wilf Dinnick about being recognized as J-Source's Newsperson of the Year. In this interview, Dinnick talks about what the award means for him, his team and investors in local collaborative news.

Canadian newspapers and infographics: Too scared to try?

Belinda Alzner — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:47:02 +0000

Around the world, newspapers are boldly experimenting with online infographics -- and they're making money. So why aren't papers in Canada following suit? Claire Prime looks into this in the latest issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism.

Embracing the deadbeat: The final word on a life lived

Belinda Alzner — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:59:43 +0000

When it comes to writing obituaries, your story is the last word on a person’s life. Don Gibb gives advice on how to write these sensitive stories in a way that gets everything right while humanizing, remembering and celebrating a person's life the way they deserve. With an introduction from Media magazine editor Dave McKie.