Crowdsourcing dignity around the world to end cyberbullying
A Grade 3 class in Prince Edward Island recently launched an initiative to fight cyber-bullying using post-it notes. “Post it Positive” invites students to share positive messages with schools and local businesses in an effort to counteract the crippling effects of cyberbullying. According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, at least one in three […]
Hill journalists say there’s too much government information control and Parliament has lost its power
OTTAWA CONVENTION CENTRE—Senior Parliament Hill reporters, speaking at the Manning Networking Conference, say it has become increasingly difficult over the last 20 years for journalists and MPs to obtain information about the federal government’s activities and that it’s hurting the public’s understanding of public policy, the perception of Parliament, and the government. National Post […]
Courts will have to decide if Elections Canada CEO can be ‘muzzled,’ say experts
PARLIAMENT HILL—Elections Canada and critics of proposed government legislation that will restrict communications between the chief electoral officer and the electorate say the measure will also limit information the chief electoral officer will be able to distribute to news media. A source told The Hill Times the electoral agency remains concerned despite assurances Minister […]
Finances at CBC spelled h-o-c-k-e-y
PARLIAMENT HILL—No matter how you scramble finances at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it spells h-o-c-k-e-y. The viability of the whole enterprise rests on the national pastime. In 1959, CBC released a financial audit of its television programs. That would be unthinkable today; such information is closely guarded and proprietary. At the time, CBC monopolized […]
In the case of Innocence of Muslims, Canadian media managed to be sensational and uninformative
PARLIAMENT HILL—“Publish and be damned!” is the immortal newsroom cry, though it was uttered not by a reporter but a politician, the Duke of Wellington. In reality, media executives are much more officious. So it was Canadians were told Innocence of Muslims inflamed the Arab world; that the film was so provocative it threatened […]
Is poverty a subject for storytelling?
PARLIAMENT HILL—Is poverty a subject for storytelling? An Ottawa photographer, Shane Hultquist, attempted an unusual project. Hultquist is a freelance portraitist; he accepts commissions and assignments; he takes sports photos at the University of Ottawa. He wanted something different. Believing “every person has a story in them,” Hultquist set out to create a photo […]
TV attack ads are toxic, indispensable: really?
PARLIAMENT HILL—TV attack ads are toxic but indispensable in party politics, they say. Canadians are assured electronic punches “work” and are therefore justifiable. The greatest promoters of this claim are salespeople who manufacture ads and party organizers. What if the claim was false? What if the Mother Of All Attack Ads that inspired […]
Parliamentary press gallery should expel Chinese news agency Xinhua
A Chinese government agency is using Parliamentary Press Gallery privileges for intelligence gathering and monitoring of political dissidents in Ottawa, says a veteran journalist. The Xinhua News Agency retains a press pass—a privilege denied any Canadian government employee—that permits restricted access to Parliament Hill and legislators’ offices, confidential government briefings and embargoed financial data. The […]
Do Tories still ‘stand up for ordinary Canadians who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules’?
Play by the rules, the man said. It was the most passionate speech Stephen Harper ever made, touching a chord of public disgust and cynicism with Ottawa. “We are standing up for ordinary Canadians who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules,” Harper told the country in 2006. It was no […]
Four years later, media realize Obama’s just human
An old friend and I were talking politics in 2008 when he grew serious, as if preparing an important announcement: “I read Obama’s book,” he said. “He has the answers.” I replied, “You sound like you’re talking about Jesus.” He glared. For the sake of friendship we never spoke of politics again. The spell […]
