Erica Lenti was the Spring 2015 editor of the RRJ. Bring back the (pay) wall
Last month, The New York Times announced cutbacks, buyouts and possible layoffs, proving that even it isn’t immune to the collapse of journalism as we know it. Most shocking was the reader outcry after executive editor Bill Keller broke the news. “There is a solution to layoffs – start charging for on-line content, I’d pay…seriously. […]
Let’s hope no one notices this pay wall here
Given the state of the news industry, what with print on the brink of death and all, we should probably figure out how to make money online. An article appeared on poynter.org last Friday, saying that between five and 15 publishers will soon start restricting website access to customers, integrating Journalism Online‘s paid content model. […]
Investigative news project to launch in Colorado
Denver television station KBDI is launching a non-profit investigative news unit due to the reduction of significant investigative journalism. The operation, called Colorado Public News, will launch online (a beta version is already up) and later expand to a weekly half-hour program. KBDI hasn’t set a target launch date, but it hopes to raise $400,000 to […]
”Weasel words. Pin down your source on this”
The Toronto Star has more than layoff issues these days. This morning an unknown Star editor sent Torontoist a copy edited version of publisher John Cruickshank’s memo, headlined, “Why the Star needs its own editors.” The red pen is merciless, but that the memo fails to follow the Star‘s own style guide—well, maybe the paper […]
Nature of the (media) beast
An RCMP officer’s libel lawsuit against CBC is just one of the unfortunate consequences that come with running a breaking story. Const. Kwesi Millington, the officer whose Taser use led to Robert Dziekanski’s death, claims CBC “defamed him” and caused him “serious embarrassment and distress” with its coverage of the event, according to a story […]
The oxymoronic Star
Leave now or be fired later—this is the decision facing Toronto Star employees. The Star is gearing up for what publisher John Cruickshank says will be “the biggest restructuring of the Star‘s workforce in history.” Employees of the paper can take voluntary severance packages or risk being laid off later. The voluntary separation package comes […]
Writers’ coalition launches new website
In September, a coalition of writers’ groups started a boycott of Transcontinental Media in response to Transcon’s release of a new “Author Master Agreement,” a lifetime contract that strips writers of almost all conceivable rights with little or no increase in pay. The coalition’s been pretty quiet since then, but now they’ve launched a website, […]
Look elsewhere
What are you doing when you graduate? Taking some time to see the world? Perhaps a few months teaching English in China or Guatemala? NGO work? Communications? How many of you will be hitting the pavement, dropping off CVs and practicing your interview skills? Or at least calling the guys you interned for last summer? […]
Post-traumatic stress
The National Post printed a virile editorial this weekend, addressing the various media outlets and news reports speculating its death last week. Characterizing the reports as a collective “barrage,” “firestorm,” and “frenzy” of celebrations on their supposed death, the editorial attempts to set the record straight, or at least provide the necessary contexts to the […]
On the Record
It's easy to gripe about the quality of music journalism, but is it better than we sometimes think? Our reporters hit the Canadian Music Week festival to see how journalists and musicians feel
By Ann Ruppenstein. Camera by Jennifer Fong
