Archive
20 Apr

Access to Information blind to geography: be persistent

QUESTION: As it turns out I am following up on a story that I wrote after the last federal election. Now that expenses from the election have been filed with […]

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17 Feb

Transparency online: dont make invisible edits

Question: I am responsible for a small community newspaper’s web site. My boss, the editor, and I have been arguing about protocols for correcting web versions of stories. Let’s say […]

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27 Jan

Traumatized by reporting: Get help now

Question: My colleague is covering a graphic rape/murder trial and has started showing signs of extreme emotional stress. This person has expressed suicidal thoughts, but is determined to continue covering […]

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24 Jan

Crisis in Ottawa? Talk to backbenchers

Question: How should reporters cover a political crisis like the recent one on Parliament Hill?Answer by Jeff Sallot The first thing to remember is that a Canadian political crisis is […]

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8 Jan

Lunch with sources: who pays?

Question: If you have regular sources with whom you meet for lunch, who pays? What about eating off the sandwich tray at press conferences? How much of a stickler should […]

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17 Oct

Pushing the boundaries in small communities

Question: I’m covering a story that involves some degree of finesse. It includes an investigation by Ontario’s Child Advocate into the suicide of a teenager, who was in care.This was […]

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23 Sep

Staying a step ahead of campaign spin doctors

Question: What are the best tricks for sidestepping political spin and getting at the real stories during an election campaign?Answer by Robert BenzieThe most effective way to innoculate yourself from […]

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8 Sep

Talking to politicos: a misstep can be easy

Question: When is it advisable, if ever, to feed a question to an opposition MLA or MP to ask the government? How much information-sharing should there be between reporters and […]

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2 Jul

Facts wrong? Blame yourself, not sources

QUESTION: When is it alright, if ever, to reveal a confidential source? What if the source has knowingly fed you incorrect information, perhaps to discredit someone?Answer by Harvey Cashore It […]

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16 May

Cleaning up quotes

QUESTION: You return to the office after a news conference or interview and take a look or listen to sections you think are most important to your story. You realize […]

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