This is a joint byline for the Ryerson Review of Journalism. All content is produced by students in their final year of the graduate or undergraduate program at the Ryerson School of Journalism. Scribble Scramble
The life and times of an unregenerate freelancer
The first piece I published in Toronto Life appeared in October, 1973. Actually, it was the first piece I’d published anywhere, except for a precious little effort in Performing Arts in Canada, which examined wrestling as a clue to society’s ills, and another that wound up hacked to bits in Maclean’s, one of whose editors […]
Out on a Limb
Peter C. Newman's tall tree tale
Every so often even the best writers become too enchanted with a story. They are captivated, and perhaps a wish not to disturb the tale causes them to overlook any faults that might be found by less involved observers. In his book, Company of Adventurers, Peter C. Newman is at times a very enchanted writer. […]
News on a Platter
A Toronto Agency is getting fat on clipbook journalism
“A special cleanser, such as Olay beauty bar, will gently cleanse and soften your skin, leaving it looking healthy and radiant.” “Generally speaking, all-season tires, such as the Michelin XA4, are so good that they meet the needs of 90 per cent of Canadian motorists, says Michelin.” These sentences are taken from a file of […]
Harpurs’s Progress
The spiritual pilgrimage of a religion reporter
Dr. David Suzuki is leading a panel discussion in the auditorium at the Ontario Science Centre after showing a 30-minute segment from his celebrated series, A Planet for the Taking. The crowd, spilling out into the lobby, fidgets whenever Suzuki, the star attraction, deflects their attention to other panelists, among them Tom Harpur, syndicated columnist […]
Out of Whack
On the subject of journalism, The Canadian Encyclopedia sacrifices depth for accessibility
When The Canadian Encyclopedia was published last fall, newspapers across the country clamored to praise it. Superlatives leapt from their pages like so many tiny maple leaves fluttering in the wind: the encyclopedia promised Canadiana from A to Z and it delivered, they said, so why not wave the flag a little? It’s “the finest […]
The Laird of Harrowsmith
James Lawrence turns pastoral mythology into publishing success—and adds rural America to his domain
It’s 12:30 on a Thursday afternoon in a large Victorian farm house in the village of Camden East, about 40 kilometres northwest of Kingston. The staffers of Harrowsmith and Equinox magazines have filtered down from their offices in the building’s upper floors and are queued up in the communal kitchen, trying to get a glimpse […]
The Right Staff
In the battle far station identification, Toronto' s local newscasts depend on image and personality
She is attractive, young and engaging, her slightly bouffant hairstyle and classic pearls a touch old fashioned. He is suave and handsome, well groomed and polished, his bright silk tie complementing his jacket puff. They could be the perfect couple on the perfect evening, and in a sense they are. She’s Gail Smith, he’s Tom […]
Requiem for a Magazine
The late editor of Quest on his loss and ours
When a corporation goes broke, it declares bankruptcy. Or goes under. Or is “forced to shut its doors.” But when the same thing suddenly happens to a magazine (and the event is usually sudden), people use the words “died” or “was killed.” Which is an odd use of the terms. The people who describe the […]
The Grange Ordeal
One hundred and ninety one days of personal and professional dilemmas
Last January 3, a swarm of reporters scrambled up and down the ski slopes of Banff, Alberta, in pursuit of two Toronto newlyweds. Mr. Justice Samuel G.M. Grange had just delivered his long-awaited report on his inquiry into the 1980 and ’81 baby deaths at the Hospital for Sick Children, one of the most controversial […]
Leaps and Boundaries
Private property versus the public's right to know: should reporters be forgiven their trespasses?
Bob Barnes stood near Runway 06-R, at what was then known as Toronto International Airport, and watched the DC-3 descend. It was June 22, 1983-the second day of summer-and, though not yet nine in the morning, already hot. Barnes and his maintenance crew had been grading a road near the runway when they stopped to […]
