When a story is breaking, don’t trust the media
During the attack and manhunt in Parliament and around downtown Ottawa yesterday, there was a flood of journalists, citizens, police and politicians trying to keep to country informed. From approximately 10 a.m. onwards, your newsfeeds were likely filled with commentary and updates on the situation. When the whole nation is watching a story unfold, […]
Hot but bothered
Canadians are as kinky as anybody. So why is sex coverage here so damned boring?
By Kate Hefford “This is a good brand,” says sex blogger Erika Szabo, motioning toward a pair of $50 underwear. They’re silky smooth, dusty blue boxer briefs with an exaggerated bulge. We glance over electrosex gear, sex toys that apply electric stimulation to the genitals. We’re in Priape, a sex shop and gay haven in Toronto’s […]
A dull read
Sharp's John McGouran and Michael La Fave say they want to produce a magazine of GQ and Esquire quality, but is it really more than a catalogue of pricey boy toys?
By Karizza Sanchez It’s the September launch party for Sharp magazine’s Book for Men, a hardcover offshoot filled with glossy images of luxurious cars, men’s fashion, and exotic destinations. The ballroom at the new Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Toronto is crowded, lit with purple lights, and filled with loud music playing—a little reminiscent of a nightclub. The male guests […]
Willfully blind
A closer look at the Margaret Wente plagiarism scandal and what it says about The Globe and Mail's institutional arrogance.
By Brittany Devenyi, Gianluca Inglesi, and Rhiannon Russell The morning of Monday, September 17, 2012, reader Carol Wainio sent a 2,135-word email to Globe and Mail editor-in-chief John Stackhouse. It detailed multiple instances in a 2009 column by Margaret Wente, “Enviro-romanticism Is Hurting Africa,” of what Wainio called “very significant overlap” with stories from sources as disparate as Food Chemical News and The […]
When readers attack
Why are online comments so extremely loud and incredibly verbose, and what can be done about it?
By Davida Ander “What’s your problem?” “Isn’t it obvious? He’s an unemployed welfare bum.” “Grow up.” “Once you are done you may fornicate yourself.” “You just antagonize people to get people to react, dude. It’s what you do! You have serious issues!” “I win every time due to your lack of brains, slightly amusing on […]
#IdleNoMore
Our reporter's 53-day notebook of how journalists covered the biggest transnational Aboriginal movement this country has ever seen.
By Rhiannon Russell Waubgeshig Rice pulls his van over and darts onto the street, video camera hoisted on his shoulder. Dressed in a CBC/Radio-Canada coat and heavy-duty boots, he’s covering the second national day of action for Idle No More, an indigenous rights movement. It’s a miserable day for a protest: below zero, snow swirling in […]
Tart and soul
How the left-leaning, scotch-drinking, bullshit-detecting, high-school-dropping, joke-Googling, single-mom-ing, storytelling, serial tweeting, cheese-puff-cooking Tabatha Southey became one of our leading political humourists.
By Loren Hendin Tabatha Southey hadn’t expected to hear anything back. She’d sent three children’s stories to a publisher, but, six months later, nothing. Oh, well, she’d sent them only at the urging of a friend anyway. She had been driving with writer and editor Jane L. Thompson, two toddlers, and a baby buckled up in […]
Second Life
Traditional media are scrambling to create online communities. A report on who’s doing it right—and who’s doing it wrong
Hi Gloggers. I’m your scarey moderator Bil asking what frightens you.” It’s a November evening in the newsroom as Global News writer and producer Bill Marshall’s index fingers stammer out his greeting. He knows he’s a crappy typist and freely admits it’s been his biggest challenge since he started moderating the live-blog that runs alongside […]
Monitoring the Media
After some static The Media File is coming through loud and clear
Vince Carlin sat in Studio T, deep in the heart of the CBC radio building in Toronto, smiling patiently. Across the table, Trent Frayne, sports columnist for The Globe and Mail, and Brian Williams, sports anchorman for CBC, exchanged one-liners while fidgeting with their headsets. In the background, the voice of Edmonton Journal sports columnist […]
