Journalism is the business of influence
Good journalists do what they do because they care. They have interests. The organizations that employ journalists also are guided …
discourse
Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulation
Misinformation is a big deal. Hate online is a big deal. And as the public catches up to their reach …
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 …
Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint Read more »
The look, and the social nature of knowledge
When I was growing up I was bad with context. Super bad. My young logic-oriented self just did not understand …
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…
The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep
I campaigned during the first and second referendums we had here in BC regarding proportional representation. We won the first …
The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep Read more »
Tsleil-Waututh Nation versus Bill Morneau, the duty to consult, and the public interest
Say it with me. The duty to consult Indigenous people does not conflict with the public interest…
Trinity Western University continues to defend anti-gay community covenant
The Supreme Court of Canada, happily, was not moved by Trinity Western University’s claims that they weren’t hurting gay folks. And the Supreme Court was not moved by the claims by TWU that they…
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…
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…
Nine animals that we should be trophy hunting instead of grizzly bears
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of how to help stop the commercial trophy hunting of bears in BC, which is ongoing and totally unethical. But I’m pretty smart, so I put this problem in my mind-vice and I’m a genius…
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..
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 …
Why Queen’s Park Today might not be journalism (yet)
Some thoughts regarding what counts as journalism particularly as it relates to Queen’s Park Today, and subscription news that arrives by email…
“Today in Three Panels” by Dean Mang-Wooley
In which I talk to Dean, an illustrator, and the creator of Today in Three Panels, and we discuss the thin membrane between private and public moments…
No one has a right to not be offended
When critically considering a given piece of journalism, we might ask ourselves, was it informative? was it engaging? was it helpful? So it’s rather sad that others, when faced with criticism, are inclined to ask simply, was it legal?
Cognitive bias and the backwards bicycle test
The backwards bicycle is a hilarious and damning insight into the challenges of understanding and resisting deeply ingrained ways of thinking and doing…
Yes, journalists are* responsible for their headlines
Unfortunately, headlines are, often enough, hyperbolic, clickbaity, misleading, having secondary content, racist, priming, inappropriate or ill-judged. Engaged readers will complain to the author. The author, enraged with righteous indignation, will bark, “I didn’t write the headline…
What are your priors?
Maybe Bayes theorem can help right wing commentators better understand, and respect, the language of privilege …