Katie Couric’s and my Careers
I just finished Katie Couric’s 2021 autobiography, Going There. And I was amazed at how many similar experiences we had in broadcasting and journalism.
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journalism
Life Got Lifey This Week
I almost didn’t post a blog today. I had several ideas, all of them bad. And it’s the idea that’s the most difficult part of being a writer. Once an experienced writer gets a great idea, the words spill out like too much water overflowing a cup.
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Book Review – The Trauma Beat by Tamara Cherry
As a news anchor (and previously an occasional reporter), I always tried to keep in mind that the subjects of news stories were real people. They were only human, and might be living their worst day as their name – or the name of a loved one – made the news.
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My Top Pro Tip for More Powerful Writing
Something I’ve learned about writing is, it’s better to use specifics than generalities. And that being vague is the worst of all writing sins.
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Sentiment and Sensibility
It’s not really possible for journalists to be unbiased. Everyone has a bias. The goal for journalists is to overcome their bias for their work. They can do it. And I’ll show you how.
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Rhetorical Questions
When did being progressive become a bad thing? …
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Love’s Labour’s Lost
It’s possible that I’m falling out of love with my first love: media. Okay, you got me. My first love was Donny Osmond but that was unrequited so it doesn’t count. Media has mostly loved me back even when I thought I was unlovable. Media has kept me guessing, engaged, interested and energized. And it’s not even media’s fault that my feelings are changing. It’s the fault of its wild child, social media. …
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Kinder and Gentler
It was tempting to write a scathing column about the coming end of Our London and other newspapers. …
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Our London No Longer
“Increased geographic synergies”. Just typing that bullshit sentence makes my blood pressure spike. Yesterday, Torstar and Postmedia swapped nearly two-dozen newspapers for the sole purpose of shutting them down, and reducing competition. Hundreds of people will lose their jobs, including my friends at Our London, for whom I write a biweekly column. They have about six weeks left before the padlock goes on the door. …
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The Reality of Fake News
A couple of weeks ago, The Toronto Star’s Public Editor nailed it in an editorial on an issue that’s been bugging me but I didn’t quite click the Lego pieces together as well as she did. The gist is this: there’s a misunderstanding about what fake news is. …
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Review: Secret Life, The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation
Journalists discuss ethics. A lot. We notice when someone’s lost their integrity and we constantly ask ourselves and each other if we as individuals and as a group, are maintaining our own. …
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A Difficult Truth
A couple of years ago, I was hired by a local First Nations group to speak to their chiefs about media relations. They were finding it difficult to talk to reporters and to get stories reported accurately, and wanted some tips. I came away from that session with a tough realization: I had taken on a mild form of racism through osmosis in my years in media, and didn’t even know it. Â …
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You Know You’re a Journalist When…
…you have a bunch of mugshots of wanted criminals on your computer! …
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What’s Next
My journalist friend Dan, who teaches part-time at Western University, tells his students something very wise. He says, I can’t teach you how to use what’s next in journalism, because it hasn’t been invented yet. …
Ethics Shmethics
Behaving in an ethical manner should not have to be declared as a condition of employment. It comes from within, this knowing of the difference between right and wrong, although organized religion has done a bang-up job of trying to tie it to their ideologies. A child knows the difference. Adult broadcasters know the difference. Some of them just choose to ignore it. …
Rolling Stone’s Mea Culpa
A story in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone (Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is on the cover) painted a horrible picture of rape culture at the University of Virginia, and other US colleges and universities. …
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My Pals at My Aircheck
It’s been several years now since I started writing a monthly column for Myaircheck.com. Â …
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Western Student Gets Me
I hear from students on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes I can tell that a broadcasting pal has mentioned my name in the college or university class they teach because I’ll get a little trickle of emails all at once. I take them seriously and try to be thoughtful in my responses. …
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