Former Postmedia reporter De Souza files complaint against National Post
Parliament Hill journalist Mike De Souza spent about eight years writing on energy issues for the Postmedia Network Inc. newspaper chain. But after the National Post, a Postmedia property, published an opinion piece in its Financial Post section that he claims questions his journalistic work, Mr. De Souza filed a formal complaint against the newspaper last Tuesday […]
Stéphane Dion needs communications help
Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion needlessly antagonized the anguished mother of four children abducted by their father and held in Iran last week. He said his thumbs-down gesture was in response to what he characterized as a partisan member’s statement by Conservative MP Michael Cooper in the House, but the mother, Alison Azer, seated in the […]
No need for profanity in headline, follow The New York Times rules on swearing: Marland
Re: “Shit disturbers play well in drab contests, step forward Brad Trost,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 5, p. 11). I am a huge fan of The Hill Times. It is in that spirit that I’d like to convey that the occasional decision by staff to include profanity in the headline of some of your opinion […]
Newspapers seek federal help, major lobbying push made in recent months
Canada’s newspaper industry has been making a push to have its concerns heard by federal officials on Parliament Hill in recent months, with goals that include more advertising from the government, more funding from a government periodical fund, and reforms to copyright law. Newspapers Canada has filed 14 communication reports with the federal lobbyists registry […]
Committee drops probe into assisted-dying-law leak, Conservative MP ‘disappointed’
Liberal MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee voted last week to end its study of a possible breach of privilege as a result of details on the government’s assisted-dying bill being leaked to media prior to its tabling last year. Conservative MP Blake Richards (Banff-Airdrie, Alta.) said in a pre-prepared press release handed out at […]
Pipeline pandering and broken promises
OTTAWA—I don’t know about all y’all, but I’m wondering when the social licence shows up. “Social licence” is a term, never too carefully defined, for broad social acceptance of some big change. It came into vogue in the late years of Stephen Harper’s government to explain why he couldn’t get oil pipelines built even though […]
After 40 years, ‘it’s time’ to step away from full-time journalism: CBC’s Milewski
PARLIAMENT HILL—From ducking rebel gunfire in El Salvador to explaining the functioning of some newfangled thing called a computer mouse, senior CBC national correspondent Terry Milewski has covered a lot during his more than 40 years in journalism. He’s set to officially retire on Sept. 30 and said “it’s time” for him to leave the hard pace of […]
How to work with the Canadian press
So you’re new to Canada and want to get your country’s message out to Canadians. How do you do it? The following is a guide to understanding and working with Canadian journalists, with a focus on those on Parliament Hill. Ownership Canada has a free press, though the owners’ and advertisers’ interests are always in […]
Alexandre Trudeau at Ottawa International Writers Fest, Métropolitain this week
Alexandre Trudeau—brother of the current prime minister and son of a past one—will be at the Métropolitain Brasserie in Ottawa for a lunch presentation on Tuesday, Sept. 13, as a part an event put on by the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Mr. Trudeau has written a book being released that day called Barbarian Lost: Travels in […]
News media’s rush to be first can have real consequences
News is not just about getting the story; it’s also about getting the story first. However, as journalist and author Madeline Drohan writes in the current issue of the Literary Review of Canada, in this digital age, media accuracy and balance are suffering. That can have major ramifications on all of us. “Most traditional media […]
