Cohen was in the middle of the original Wikileaks storm, so his piece is definitely worth a read. I’ll be writing more on the Assange case this week. A different take, from James Goodale a lawyer who worked on the New York Times’ fight to print the Pentagon Papers. Cohen believes Assange is reckless. Goodale … Read moreNick Cohen and James Goodale on Julian Assange
This is the third in a series about Canadaland I got my first newspaper job when I was 20, working as a summer student at the Hamilton Spectator. Later, I was a student reporter at the Globe and Mail and the London Free Press. It was tough to break into journalism back then. I went … Read moreCanadaland is a great place to flee: Can Jaren Kerr survive the curse of Canadaland and Jesse Brown?
Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe (Penguin, $37 hard cover) is an intriguing book about a good idea that turned out to be bad, something that was useful when it was small but is now a menace because of its size and power. Facebook started as a way for people to meet and keep … Read moreHas Facebook ruined the world? (book review)
The press gallery function is more than a commercial news reporting service. It is an integral part of our work; a service which Parliament must safeguard for the Canadian public who are entitled as of right to the fullest information of activities here. –House of Commons Speaker James Jerome, 1976 [1] Introduction The Parliamentary … Read moreWho Gets to Cover Parliament and the Legislatures? A Legal Analysis
Actually, that’s likely not true. The Ottawa bureau chief of the Globe and Mail and your dog may not have an anonymous source relationship. But these days, you never know. Anonymous sources are all the rage now. And Fife is very good at what he does. As for your dog, you’ve seen what she’ll do … Read moreBe Careful… Your Dog May be on Bob Fife’s Speed Dial, Ready to Spill About You
Yes, it’s a very snappy headline. Lawyers should have flashbacks to law school and the Carbolic Smoke Ball case. Journalists and other people who read this might wonder why I would risk my money. Because there is no risk. I’ve been following the back and forth between Canadaland and the WE organization since last fall … Read moreDissecting the Shame Wizard Part II: I will give $10,000 to anyone who can prove that Canadaland isn’t simply false news
This is the first of a three-part assessment of Canadaland.) Jesse Brown, in his March 17, 2019, podcast of Canadaland spent much of the hour pressing the NewsMedia Council to remove a member paper for irresponsible reporting. Brown was right: the Toronto Sun’s reporting on migrants living in a Toronto hotel was biased and full … Read moreJesse Brown and Canadaland should be removed from the NewsMedia Council
For decades, rich and famous people who felt they’d been wronged by the media tried to have their libel cases heard in Canada because our courts were so plaintiff-friendly. Journalists, whether they wrote about rock stars or their local town council, lived with libel chill: being hit with long, expensive lawsuits that were usually dropped … Read moreYou can’t always say that on TV… Updated, with analysis of Ontario anti-SLAPP law
“Journalists are just a bunch of pimps,” a stranger in an Ottawa coffee shop told me this week. He then launched into lecture on the worthlessness of media. He didn’t read their work or listen to them. But Jody Wilson Raybould is a martyr, he said, and Jane Philpott was brave to quit the federal … Read moreJournalism is a noble craft. But most journalists can do better.
