Davide Mastracci

Journalists must use the right words when reporting on sexual violence

Journalists must use the right words when reporting on sexual violence

Femifesto, a feminist organization, has put together a must-read guide for journalists on how to report on sexual violence

Femifesto, a feminist organization based in Toronto that aims to fight rape culture and replace it with consent culture, has released a guide for journalists on how to report on sexual violence. The organization has put together the guide, “Use the Right Words,” because, “Mainstream media has the power to shape conversations about violence in our […]

 Davide Mastracci

The future of the Review: Your suggestions wanted

The future of the Review: Your suggestions wanted

From Ivor Shapiro, chair, Ryerson School of Journalism, to readers of the Ryerson Review of Journalism

Dear readers, As the publisher of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, I am writing to ask you to contribute to the current rethinking of the Review’s operational plan and editorial mission. You may be aware that this spring, I began asking colleagues, students and others to join in a consideration of the Review’s options. While […]

 Davide Mastracci

The Unbearable Whiteness of Canadian Columnists

The Unbearable Whiteness of Canadian Columnists

Old white men are dominating opinion pages in newspapers across the country, but a shift toward a more diverse roster may be easier said than done

As the editorial pages editor at the Ottawa Citizen, Kate Heartfield oversaw 11 columnists until she resigned on November 18. Only one of those columnists isn’t white. The absence of opinion writers of colour means the paper may become a publication just for white people, admits Heartfield, who worries about the relevance of the conversation […]

 Davide Mastracci

Editorial endorsement dispute continues as Financial Post editor criticizes John Honderich

Editorial endorsement dispute continues as Financial Post editor criticizes John Honderich

The ongoing feud continued today with an article by Post columnist Terrence Corcoran calling for the Toronto Star to “step off its high horse”

It’s been nearly a month since the federal election, and journalists are still feuding over editorial endorsements. To recap, Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey forced all of the chain’s papers to endorse the Conservative Party of Canada. Former National Post editorials and comment editor Andrew Coyne wrote a column endorsing another party and resigned from his position as […]

 Davide Mastracci

Friday’s attacks were not the deadliest violence in France since the Second World War

Friday’s attacks were not the deadliest violence in France since the Second World War

Journalists must be careful to avoid phrasing that distorts the truth and ignores history

Paris was hit by a series of simultaneous and organized acts of violence late Friday night, with over 129 casualties as a result of the attacks thus far. The event has received a wide range of press coverage, and many myths have been spread in the scramble to understand what happened, as BuzzFeed helpfully notes. […]

 Davide Mastracci

Headlines on the suicide bombing in Beirut are dehumanizing

Headlines on the suicide bombing in Beirut are dehumanizing

The New York Times has since corrected its headline, but some Canadian publications haven't

At least 43 people were killed by a double suicide bombing in a residential area of Beirut yesterday, an attack for which ISIL has since claimed responsibility. The New York Times initially reported the story with this headline, causing an uproar on Twitter. Reuters also ran with a similar headline. ISIS blows up crowd of […]

 Davide Mastracci

The McGill Daily acknowledges its location on unceded indigenous territory

The McGill Daily acknowledges its location on unceded indigenous territory

Student newspapers often lead the way in crafting ethical journalism

The McGill Daily, a student newspaper at McGill University, has taken a commendable step toward acknowledging the role journalism institutions in Canada have played in perpetuating discrimination against indigenous people. A land acknowledgement, reading “The McGill Daily is located on unceded Kanien’Keha:Ka territory” is prominently displayed on the top-left corner of the Daily’s homepage, under the […]

 Davide Mastracci

Scaachi Koul faced some legitimate criticism that shouldn’t be ignored

Scaachi Koul faced some legitimate criticism that shouldn’t be ignored

Fatima Syed's blog post lacks the level of nuance needed when discussing race and representation

My fellow blog editor Fatima Syed wrote an important blog post yesterday responding to the Twitter debate regarding BuzzFeed Canada senior writer Scaachi Koul’s appearance on The National. I agree with the main argument put across in Syed’s post: we need to fight for newsroom diversity in order to allow more women of colour to […]

 Davide Mastracci

Canadian journalists must support Vice’s fight against the RCMP

Canadian journalists must support Vice’s fight against the RCMP

An attack on VICE’s right to freedom of the press is an attack on the right to freedom of the press for all

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers entered Vice Canada’s offices in Toronto and Montreal in February. The officers served Vice with a production order–similar to a search warrant–demanding “any notes and all records of communication” between Vice reporter Ben Makuch and an ISIL militant. Makuch interviewed the Canadian ISIL militant, Farah Mohamed Shirdon, through Kik Messenger […]

 Davide Mastracci

Thank you, Andrew Coyne

Thank you, Andrew Coyne

Coyne is a good example of what privileged journalists should do: use their status to push back against the status quo when necessary

Andrew Coyne resigned as the editor of the Editorials and Comment section of the National Post today, and journalists should be thankful he did. The resignation comes after Postmedia executives prevented Coyne from writing a column dissenting from the National Post’s endorsement of the Conservative Party of Canada because it would “confuse readers and embarrass […]