Archive
14 Feb

How I got the story: Jennifer Ditchburn on the fake new Canadians story

<p><em>This article was <a href="http://www.hilltimes.com/news/news/2012/02/06/cp-reporter-who-broke-%E2%80%98fake%E2%80%99-new-canadians-oath-story-saw-sun-tv-ceremony-it/29491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">originally published</a> by </em>The Hill Times<em> on Feb. 6, 2012. Re-published with permission from writer <strong>Bea  Vongdouangchanh</strong>.</em></p><p> </p>

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13 Feb

Twitter is great until it isn’t: The New York Times

<p>Another interesting take on newsroom Twitter policies (<a href="http://j-source.ca/article/why-journalists-should-break-news-twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a topic that J-Source looked at last week</a>) comes from David Carr’s Sunday <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/business/media/twitter-is-all-in-good-fun-until-it-isnt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">column for <em>The New York Times</em></a>.</p>

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10 Feb

Are conflicts of interest passé?

<p>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?</p><p>That’s the question Simon Houpt, senior media writer for <em>The Globe and Mail</em> has <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/does-anyone-care-about-conflicts-of-interest-any-more/article545411/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tackled here</a>. Citing cases of a Silicon Valley start-up that receives money from companies it covers, Houpt writes:</p>

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9 Feb

Why journalists should break news on Twitter

<p><em>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 <strong>Alfred Hermida</strong>. Twitter is going to continue to be a news-breaker, so why resist it?</em></p><p> </p>

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8 Feb

Revisiting journo-themed Valentines

<p>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 <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/happy-v-day-valentines-for-journalists-part-iii_b2444" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journo-themed Valentines from Mediabistro</a> are sure to warm the heart of even the most cynical and nostalgic reporter.</p>

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8 Feb

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

<p><em>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? <strong>Rhiannon Russell</strong> explains why journalists sometimes feel compelled to do more than just write stories and why this advocacy doesn’t mean sacrificing credibility.</em></p><p> </p>

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7 Feb

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

<p>Marc-François Bernier, the Canada research Chair in journalism ethics, has pointed out in <a href="http://projetj.ca/article/pour-blanchir-sun-news-le-ccnr-t-il-utilise-le-bon-code-de-deontologie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an article</a> on J-Source’s French-language counterpart, <a href="http://projetj.ca/article/pour-blanchir-sun-news-le-ccnr-t-il-utilise-le-bon-code-de-deontologie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ProjetJ</a>, that while the Canadian Broadcast Standards’ Council cleared Sun News’ Krista Erickson under the <a href="http://www.cbsc.ca/english/codes/cabethics.php#Clause6" target="_b

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6 Feb

Good reads: License plate recognition technology and your privacy

<p>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.</p>

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6 Feb

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

<p><em>The </em>Calgary Herald<em> is creating a giant Rolodex for its newsroom with its new <a href="http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2012/01/31/be-a-source-for-the-calgary-herald-and-help-make-our-journalism-better/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Be a Source</a> program. We asked digital engagement editor <strong>Tom Babin</strong> to tell us about the new program (launched last week) that turns its readers into sources and how it can help journalists.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p>

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3 Feb

Ezra Levant takes on Jennifer Ditchburn over new Canadians story

<p>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.</p>

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