Rebecca Melnyk was the Head of Research for the Spring 2014 issue of Ryerson Review of Journalism. Stories in the ashes: covering disaster in Lac-Mégantic
After a train exploded in a tiny Quebec town, some reporters stuck around and showed us the power of narrative journalism.
By Rebecca Melnyk Inside his west-end Toronto apartment, Justin Giovannetti was cocooned in blankets, sick in bed with a bad cold on his day off. His cellphone rang. Dennis Choquette, his editor at The Globe and Mail, wanted him in the office. Giovannetti rolled off his mattress, slipped into his least flattering clothes and schlepped in […]
Spring 2014: From the Ashes
In the Spring 2014 issue, Rebecca Melnyk explores disaster coverage, looking at the case of Lac-Mégantic.
Are letters to the editor still worth reading?
Although readers once cherished getting their words published in their favourite newspaper, the page’s migration online means more content and less substance
When Bob Dylan brought his Christian gospel tour to Toronto’s Massey Hall in 1980, he didn’t play his popular songs from before 1979. The ensuing controversy carried over to newspapers, where Toronto Sun reader Douglas Greenwood wrote a letter to the editor, reminding people of Dylan’s Jewish heritage. Some of Greenwood’s comments, such as, “If he is […]
