Without a compass: politics and information in the social-media age
OTTAWA—How could teenagers in a small town in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have had an impact on the vicious, hard-fought United States election campaign? Easy. Through Facebook. It turns out that teenagers and young men in the town of Veles created more than 100 U.S. political websites designed to bring in ad revenue […]
U.S. media’s failure to defeat Trump shows how journalism has lost its way
TORONTO—Knowlton Nash, the late CBC anchor of the 1980s, in his book Prime Time at Ten, quoted Jody Powell, press secretary to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, describing reporters as people “who watch the battle from afar and when it’s over come down the hills to shoot the wounded.” Not anymore. They are now directly […]
Maclean’s picks Mulcair as top Parliamentarian
While it might not make up for coming in third in last year’s election and then being told by his party that they could do without him as leader, Tom Mulcair might be feeling a little better about life after being named “Parliamentarian of the Year” by Maclean’s last week. While we commend Maclean’s for its pick, […]
Deepak Obhrai says ‘old Canada’ media is biased against him
Conservative leadership candidate Deepak Obhrai is alleging that some national media commentators are biased against him for being a visible minority. The MP for Calgary Forest Lawn, Alta. attributes the bias to “institutional discrimination,” and says it is evident in their coverage of his leadership campaign. A couple commentators he singles out deny any discrimination. Specifically, Mr. […]
There is some logic to the Trump victory
The win by president-elect Donald Trump in the United States may not be illogical at all. Rather, it may be something simpler and more basic. The perceived to be anti-professional-political-class candidate won. Trump seemed to effectively tap into the same sentiment that supported Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, Brexit, and Bernie Sanders. Voters across the […]
Globe and Mail head wants ‘level playing field’ in battle for ads with CBC
The CBC came under fire Tuesday at the Commons committee inquiry into the effect of the digital news revolution on media and communities, as the publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail said the public broadcaster is squeezing out private-sector news outlets in the competition for online advertising. “We do like to play on a level playing […]
Trump’s not going away, now what?
Canadians shared the shock of many Americans and others around the world last week when Donald Trump eked out a victory in the United States’ presidential election against Hillary Clinton. Time will tell what this means for Canada. Prime Minster Justin Trudeau was conciliatory in his official statement: “On behalf of the Government of Canada, […]
Look out, it’s the past disguised as the future
The finance minister has received advice from his blue ribbon panel of advisers. After years of members of the investment community lobbying for an increased role of public-private partnerships, the panel has come out with a new and improved model of PPP Canada in the form of the Canadian Infrastructure Development Bank. The advice tendered […]
‘The biggest challenge is the CBC,’ as other media cuts continue, questions raised over impact of Mother Corp
As Hill news outlets continue to make cuts and struggle to find the right formula to succeed in the digital world, questions are being raised about the CBC’s impact on Canada’s media landscape. “The biggest challenge is the CBC,” iPolitics publisher James Baxter told The Hill Times when asked about challenges faced by his independent, online publication. “The government […]
Private fundraising events are a necessary evil
OTTAWA—Odious is how one Globe and Mail columnist characterized the job of private event fundraising. Lawrence Martin actually ascribed the descriptor to me, based on an interview I gave last week to CTV parliamentary bureau chief Bob Fife. Fife asked me what I thought of the current political controversy surrounding the private fundraising activities of […]
