Last Gasp
When done well, the intricate craft of obit writing reveals more life than death
“But the world, it seems, is full of secret obituary readers who are gradually coming out of their closets. Mention at any dinner party that you are an obituary writer and someone always admits to turning to the obituary page first. And they are, er, dying for more.” ~ Tim Bullamore, Freelance writer from Bath, […]
A Day in the Life
Style writer Tralee Pearce's not so glamorous life
Tralee Pearce has a flair for uncovering the latest trends. She also enjoys writing about the fun things in life, which is the core of The Globe and Mail’s Saturday Style section. From gazing at intricately designed jewellery at Cartier Boutique to schmoozing with socialites and fashionistas in Rosedale, she admits her life is a […]
A Stoppage in Play-by-Play
Hockey journalists scramble to cover a non-existent season
For the past few months, Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun sports reporter, sat at home every evening and rolled dice. Recording the results, he marked them next to a fake National Hockey League (NHL) schedule. Five minutes later, he had the day’s standings, and player statistics, which took half a page in the next day’s edition. […]
Bigot or Champion of Truth?
Vice founder Gavin McInnes on his notorious do's and don'ts and more
To look at him, you wouldn’t know Gavin McInnes is the wealthy head of a “multinational brand.” You might mistake him for an average thirtysomething, though – one whose earlier indiscretions are responsible for a few too many trips to the tattoo parlour. Last year, at a book reading in Chicago, he appeared on stage […]
Three for the Price of One
How new techniques combine the best of print, broadcast and online journalism
A piano plays softly as images of the wrecked plane fade in and out. A man’s voice solemnly describes an encounter with a young boy who asks why his daddy’s plane is in so many pieces. The photos fade into a picture of a serene sky with a distant lighthouse—the piano keeps playing. Click An […]
Maisonneuve Earns Respect
Growing pains, magazine awards, circulation growth? All in a year's work for Montreal's favourite underdog
It’s a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon in late September 2004. At Queen’s Park in downtown Toronto, Word on the Street is in high gear. Every year, on the last Sunday of September, Canadian publishers gather at various locations across the country. These simultaneous, one-day literary festivals promote their books, magazines, and journals. On the […]
Our worst enemy?
A second look at Al-Jazeera finds the network less baiting
The morning of Yasser Arafat’s funeral last November, Don Imus, host of Imus in the Morning said, “They’re [Palestinians] eating dirt and that fat pig wife [Suha Arafat] of his is living in Paris.” His guest, sports anchor Sid Rosenberg, added, “They’re all brainwashed, though. That’s what it is. And they’re stupid to begin with, but they’re brainwashed now. […]
Weighty Words
How journalists misuse "jihad" and other contentious words
“Terrorist.” The first time I remember hearing the word, I was 12. It was 1995, and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City had just been bombed. For many years after, whenever I heard the word terrorist, I pictured a shady white man in a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses. Following the tragedy of […]
