Standing on the Shoulders of a Giant
The uncompromising legacy of George Bain, Canada's first national affairs columnist
Updated: January 5, 2011 1:12a.m. By 1973, George Bain was restless. He’d been writing The Globe and Mail’s Ottawa column since 1964, and though he’d covered a fascinating, occasionally tumultuous, time in Canada’s political life—including the 1967 Centennial, Trudeaumania and the War Measures Act—he was up for a new challenge. Globe editor Richard “Dic” J. Doyle didn’t want […]
140 Characters in Search of a Story
Social media are reshaping political coverage in Ottawa. For better and for worse
Kady O’Malley needs a BlackBerry. Brow furrowed, she hurries into a large West Block room with rectangular windows and a view of a statue of Queen Victoria. She’s supposed to live-blog a government operations committee meeting, but a botched software update has thrown a wrench into the works. Fellow reporter David Akin gallantly offers his […]
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 12 – Suicide
Journalists have maintained a long-standing silence on suicide. Psychiatrists, police and editors cite the contagion effect—the theory is that extensive coverage of one suicide triggers other suicides, spreading like a virus
Liam Casey argues for the end to the newsroom silence on suicide in the upcoming issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, which launches today at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto.
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 11 – Chris Jones
Chris Jones rarely uses metaphors or allegories or any frivolous literary devices. He's fixated on details because all that matters are the words and getting them right. Matthew Scianitti goes behind the stories and speaks with Esquire’s writer-at-large in this exclusive interview. Jones talks about his dislike of Tiger Woods, his admiration of Ricky Williams and The Truth, his desire to win awards, his unforgettable profile of Roger Ebert and his hope that his stories have an emotional payoff
Look for Scianitti’s profile of Jones in the Winter 2011 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, launching on December 14 at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto.
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 10 – G20
Last June, when world leaders met in Toronto for their fourth G20 summit, so did protestors. With both citizen journalists and mainstream outlets covering the chaos on the streets, police—who arrested hundreds of people—had difficulty separating the professionals from the amateurs. Once the weekend was over, and the fences came down, the debate over who exactly should be called a journalist began.
Think you know who the “real” journalists are? You may want to think again after reading Michelle Medford’s feature in the Ryerson Review of Journalism, launching December 14 at the Cadillac Lounge.
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 9 – Local News Package
The way people consume news has evolved over the past decade. The Ryerson Review of Journalism investigates the local news landscape in a special five-part investigation.
Matt Galloway is the new host of CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning after Andy Barrie helped take the show to number one in the ratings during his 15-year stay. Television stations, such as Toronto’s Citytv and London’s A, attempt to deliver strong local newscasts during trying times. Swerve, a weekly insert in the Calgary Herald, […]
Days of the RRJ: Day 8 – Long-form Journalism
Literary journalism occupies a precarious place within Canada today. While this country was once home to many publications printing pieces exceeding 5,000 words, those days are over. As the genre’s journalists struggle to adapt to these new realities, many are turning to non-fiction books as a refuge.
Here, journalist and author Patricia Pearson provides insight into the current climate for this type of writing. Will books stifle or shelter long-form? Find out in Davidson-Ladly’s feature in the Ryerson Review of Journalism, launching on December 14 at the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto. Photography by Liem Vu and Michelle Medford.
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 7 – George Bain
George Bain pioneered the modern political column in Canada for The Globe and Mail in the late 1950s. His contribution to Canadian journalism led to him being named to the Order of Canada in 2001. Bain was also difficult to deal with, holding his peers and editors to the same exacting standards he maintained throughout his life. In his final book, Gotcha! How the Media Distort the News, Bain turns a characteristically uncompromising eye to his own kind: journalists.
Read Iain Alec Bain’s examination of George Bain’s career in the upcoming issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, which launches December 14 at the Cadillac Lounge. Until then, Iain Alec Bain’s podcast brings you a taste of the unrelenting George Bain. Iain Alec Bain is not related to George Bain.
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 6 – OpenFile
OpenFile is a new local news site that puts readers on the assignment desk. Neither citizen journalism nor top-down news model, OpenFile—which launched in Toronto in May—asks readers to suggest the stories they think need exposure. Topics, often accompanied by multimedia elements, have been as big as the municipal election and as small as a neighbourhood corner store closing. And while the site is not yet a household name, it has recently expanded to Vancouver and Ottawa.
Wendy Gillis spoke to Nick Taylor-Vaisey, the editor of Ottawa’s OpenFile and Karen Pinchin, the editor of Vancouver’s OpenFile, to see how the early days of hyperlocal, collaborative reporting have gone. Join the neighbourhood conversation with Gillis’s feature on Toronto’s OpenFile in the Ryerson Review of Journalism, which launches on December 14 at the Cadillac […]
12 Days of the RRJ: Day 5 – Gazeta Gazeta
In Canada’s Polish-language press, Gazeta Gazeta is king. For 22 years, it has been a forerunner among Polish papers, providing news about Canada that helps immigrants adapt to their new homes and striving to leave the prejudices of the old world behind. Now, with its newest baby, Polonium, it is embarking on uncharted terrain in Canada’s ethnic media landscape. The portal is setting its sights on attracting second and third generations by providing news about Poland in English.
The challenge? Getting these increasingly assimiliated, hyphenated Canadians interested in news about their ancestral homeland. If it does well, Polonium could provide a model for ethnic media in Canada. But, can it succeed? Zobaczymy (We shall see). Find out in Elaine Zlotkowski’s profile of the new portal in the Winter 2011 issue of the Ryerson […]
