Idea: Journalism is a convenience store
I like to imagine different metaphors for journalism. Consider that the press is a giant inertia machine, for example.1 I …
critical media
Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint
I like Maclean’s about as much as I like the National Post. They’re rightwing, partisan, and legacy. On my view …
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Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)
If news orgs are serious about being good partners in mitigating misinformation, they need to link meaningfully to relevant references and especially science-based organizations…
The dominant press is a giant inertia machine
But here’s an old idea: what if dominant journalism, by and large and in the long run, is actually a drag on progress? What if dominant journalism, and by that I mean the mainstream press, is actually a conservative force? On this view, it’s a drag on change…
Canadian journalism fails at nuance when it comes to jihad
On my view the news media in Canada have, by and large and in the long run, misrepresented the concept of jihad. They have positioned jihad as a form of villainy. In so doing they have portrayed Islam as a peril…
Some notes on why jihad is good
If you read Canadian journalists on the topic, you might not understand that jihad has some very nice meanings. Most Canadian journalists seem to commonly misrepresent the concept. It’s not just them, mind you. There’s lots of misrepresentation of jihad to go around…
Ads versus articles in the Saturday BC Edition of the Globe and Mail, A Section
Here’s the A Section of the Globe and Mail. It’s the BC edition for June 2nd, 2018. There are 19 …
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Anadrome, semordnilap and levidrome: a whimsical example of problematic information
How a heartwarming news story about an interesting linguistic phenomenon widely mislead people that there are no words to describe that spell different words when they’re reversed…
More nuanced theories of journalism needed
A good theory of journalism helps us understand what media are not journalistic. And, equally important, a theory helps us understand what unconventional kinds of media are journalistic…
A newspaper is an index
What does an Auto Trader, a phone book, a card catalog, a post office, a mall map, Google and a newspaper all have in common…
Salvaging trust: confronting journalism’s deep wrongs
News orgs make a big deal about fixing typos and issuing corrections. But what if there’s a much deeper trust problem…
Racist trope: fatwa as act of villainy
I’ve become numb to racism in legacy media in Canada. But to see Canadaland unthinkingly repeat a racist trope angers …
Journalism techniques for avoiding criticism
There is a kind of journalist that pretends their work is beyond criticism. It’s an art form. Here’s a rough taxonomy of techniques..
My friend is voting for Donald Trump, because reasons
So much media that passes as journalism isn’t, and this election has demonstrated the power of television and “news” in a remarkable and nauseating way…
Media should always link to press releases
Canadian journalists and other forms of media types rely on press releases written by public relations pros and the problem can be easily fixed by…
That time Colby Cosh called Stephen Marche a cunt: casual misogyny among Canadian journalists
In which Colby Cosh calls Stephen Marche a cunt, and then Jonathan Kay and Stephen Marche and Andrew Coyne totally miss the point …
The absence of hyperlinks in journalism, part two
A further reflection on the absence of hyperlinks in certain mainstream forms of journalism, and what this says about modern editors and journalists …
Andrew Coyne: instance of racism #3
This is my third exploration of racism in the writings of Andrew Coyne, while writing for Postmedia News. Today’s argument will focus on the discourse of denial…
Andrew Coyne: instance of racism #2
This is my second exploration of racism in the writings of Andrew Coyne with Postmedia News. This argument will refer to three articles written by Coyne in January…
Andrew Coyne: instance of racism #1
This is my first argument toward the conclusion that journalist Andrew Coyne made claims that were racist. The remarks by Coyne that I will focus on for today’s argument were…
The social relevance of journalism
There is an old idea that journalism has an important role in democracy. I kind of believe this. But the problem is that the view of journalism subscribed to by the old guard, is shrinking the role of journalism in our democracies…
Dinosaur journalists and Idle No More
I challenge white journalists to tell us how much they think they know about about the history and relationship between settlers and Indigenous people. Judging by their recent strong opinions about First Nations governance, Indigenous land rights, the Idle No More movement, Attawapiskat, and Chief Spence, they are all experts…
Understanding bias
I see bias everywhere. Yes we all struggle with our biases. I wish the reporters, editors and owners at the …
The veil is “hideous”, “odious”
This is my sixth post in my series on Dan Gardner’s article about the Muslim veil. I want to reflect on the language of hate, and on having successful public disagreement via Twitter…