What is the value of good writing, of authentic high quality journalism?
By Ben Bull
Sep. 28, 2007
Ever wondered if your newspaper is biased? In this era of mega-corporations and newspaper conglomerates, how do we know if we are getting a true representation of the facts, as opposed to what the owners want us to hear?
Well, I had a few interesting insights into this during a journalism seminar I attended last week. The reporter, an ex-Vancouver Sun employee, explained to us two ways in which newspaper stories can be shaped.
Step 1 – Dump the bureaus you don't support. Conrad Black took over the Vancouver Sun during the instructor's stay. During his reign the paper allegedly lost their entire Environment bureau simply because Black "did not support the cause."
Step 2 – Put your weakest reporters in the key posts. After Black arrived, the Business and Labour dispute features were assigned to generalist (a.k.a 'General Assignment') reporters with little or no insight into the nuances of the issues they were covering.
Clever, eh?
The reporter went on to explain that at no point during her tenure was there any attempt to influence the actual reporting that was carried out. The bias - if that is what we can call it - was created "in other ways" (see above).
Asked if advertisers today influence the content of our daily news, the reply was, "Probably."
"Beyond the manipulation of the special sections our articles are routinely whittled down due to the last minute requests of advertisers requiring more space," the reporter explained.
I'd love to get an inside view of a newsroom. The CBC sitcom, 'The Newsroom', was purportedly an almost-accurate portrayal of the lunatic world of TV news. As for what really goes on behind the scenes in our daily broadsheets and tabloids, we can only wonder.
On a side note, another journalistic issue arose during the seminar: Pay. How much are journalists paid? we wanted to know. Well, apparently, in Hamilton a junior reporter gets about $40,000, a senior staffer in TO - $70,000. A feature-length article will get you anywhere between $300 and $400 dollars.
So - what do these numbers say to you?
As the seminar host noted at the end of the lecture, "Nobody is in this for the money."
All of which makes me wonder why we undervalue our reporters so much. What is the value of good writing, of authentic high quality journalism? We are very fortunate in Hamilton and Toronto to be treated to such a wide array of quality reporting.
The only thing I wonder, when I look at what these journalists could be earning over on the 'dark side' of PR, and Governmental communications, is why they even bother.
By Genghis
Posted 10/21/2007 6:44:33 PM
Media Bias???
Dont be absurd.The Toronto Star's unparalleled coverage of the Afghan Poll on page E4 next to the "articles wanted" indicates they are not afraid to report the truth no matter how much it hurts.
NewsfeedsISSN: 1715-1554
'Benign Neutrality' is What's Wrong (Jul. 22, 2008) -
Ahhh, things have become a whole lot clearer today after reading a letter to the editor in today's Spectator by John Dolbec of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
The most telling comment i
The City as Dynamic System (Jul. 18, 2008) - I wrote yesterday about the complex and often counterintuitive properties of networks, and the role that simplistic "common sense" thinking can play in leading people to false conclusions about ho
Heat Alert 'Trigger' Too High (Jul. 17, 2008) - Toronto has issued an extreme heat alert - that city's highest warning level to inform and protect vulnerable residents from the dangers of extreme heat. The high humidex is supposed to last u
Passport to Hamilton (Jul. 17, 2008) -
A great new initiative developed by Environment Hamilton and the HSR will be unveiled at a public launch this Friday, July 18th at 10:00 am at Williams Coffee Pub on the waterfront.
Passport
Beyond 'Common Sense': How Traffic Networks Work (Jul. 16, 2008) - With all the talk recently about the Downtown Transportation Master Plan and some councillors' objections to spending money to convert downtown streets to two-way, it seems instructive to stud
Free HSR Fares Not The Way To Go (Jul. 16, 2008) -
Councillor Sam Merulla's recent suggestion that public transit in Hamilton ought to be free would risk making transit an economically and politically unsustainable venture for the city.
T
PRINT EDITION
By Maestro*F
Posted 10/8/2007 8:43:10 AM
We wondered whether the Spectator's less than enthusiastic response to the prospect of a CBC Radio One station serving Hamilton was a result of the Spec being owned by a media conglomerate for whom the CBC is a competitor for market share.
(Permalink)