Anti-disinformation campaign hard to swallow when the problem is homegrown
OTTAWA—Canadian military officials are constantly warning civilians to be on their guard against the ongoing disinformation campaign being waged by meddlesome foreign state actors. There is no specific objective sought by these sowers of “fake news,” we are told, but rather their intent is to cause Canadians to lose their trust in official organizations—such as […]
Chinese ambassador turns down invite to appear at Canada-China Relations Committee
As the Special House Committee on Canada-China Relations continues studying the maimed relationship between Ottawa and Beijing, Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu declined an offer to showcase the Chinese government’s perspective, the committee announced. The committee noted in a Nov. 13 press release that it was “disappointed” that Mr. Cong declined the invitation. “The Special Committee […]
The civilizing effect (touch wood) of lockdown on social media
For all the incalculable personal tragedy and economic disruption the COVID-19 pandemic has produced, there have been, if not entirely countervailing positives, at least unintended consequences of the rare, uplifting variety. One of them is that social media seems to have become less toxic in lockdown. I have nothing beyond anecdotal evidence for this assertion, […]
Hail to the Chief: Chris Carter tapped to lead CBC’s parliamentary newsroom
Canada’s public broadcaster has a new chief leading the Parliamentary Press Gallery’s largest newsroom. Chris Carter was named the new CBC parliamentary bureau chief, CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon announced on Twitter on Nov. 2. He replaces Rob Russo who left the network earlier this year after seven years. The Queen Street newsroom has more […]
To level playing field for local news, start by standing up to Google, Facebook
Consider two simple, if sobering, facts. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has a market value that is larger than the GDP of 175 of the world’s 195 countries. With 2.7 billion users, Facebook equals the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, combined. These are two of the wealthiest, most powerful companies in human history. They have a monopoly online […]
Ailish Campbell named Canada’s next EU ambassador, becoming first woman in role
Canada’s chief trade commissioner is becoming its next ambassador in Brussels. Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne named Ailish Campbell to the post on Oct. 17. She is succeeding Daniel Costello who is back at the Pearson Building. “Proud and honoured to be asked to represent Canada as Ambassador designate to the EU,” Ms. Campbell tweeted. […]
PMO shuffles public service, with new PHAC president named
The Public Health Agency of Canada, a once little-known and underreported government agency that’s now in the crossfires of Canadian political and public policy, has a new leader at the helm—just days after president Tina Namiesniowski stepped down from the role amid the highest uptick in COVID-19 cases in Canada since the mid-summer. Following the abrupt resignation of […]
Attacks on public media are an attack on democracy
In early June, Facebook announced that it had begun labelling content originating from state-controlled media organizations. This is the most recent manifestation of an ongoing discussion about the distinction between state and public media organizations that is vitally important for citizens of democracies worldwide. Both state and public media are created by and can be funded […]
Facebook is no longer fun and games
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—The internet flummoxes me. As I have written before, when I was in journalism school in 2000, we speculated on the influence of the internet on conventional media. We know now that it has had a devastating impact on newspaper advertising and resulted in the deaths of many publications. We also speculated on what it […]
Competing designers named for Canada’s national monument to Afghanistan mission
The five groups that are competing to design Canada’s national monument to the Afghanistan mission have been revealed. The five potential design groups come from all across Canada. Potential bidders include a group led by Montreal-based architectural firm Daoust Lestage, which is joined by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who is serving as a […]
