Monthly Archives: April 2012

Save the press councils

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Source: straightgoods.ca

Watchdogs need more teeth as well as public and industry support.

Dateline: Tuesday, April 17, 2012

by John Gordon Miller, Ryerson University

In a new questionnaire about the future of press councils in Canada, we are asked, “In your opinion, how accountable are news organizations to the publics they serve?”

I suspect almost no one will answer “very accountable.”

About the only useful thing you can do if you object to something published in a newspaper these days is (a) write a letter to the editor, or (b) sue them. Success depends on (a) whether they decide to publish it, and (b) whether you’ve got a lot of time and money and don’t mind losing. read entire story here

 

Ninety per cent said they read papers for local coverage.

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Source: theglobeandmail.com

Hey, did you guys see that video of the drunk guy singing Bohemian Rhapsody? How about last weekend’s punch-up between Justin Trudeau and Patrick Brazeau? Awesome, right? Though, true, not as awesome as those news stories about pink slime in fast food and crushed bugs in frappuccinos.

In the cultural marketplace that assigns high values to buzzy ephemera through traffic measurement and social-media sharing, there are plenty of reasons for pessimism among those who care about the future of an engaged citizenry. If people can’t even be trusted to pay attention to the issues that directly affect them and their communities – because, frankly, the online parade of bread and circuses is so much more fun – what chance do we have of changing what ails us?

read entire story here

Not Your Mom and Dad’s Labour Movement

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Source: thetyee.com

Young workers prepare to re-shape unions for the 21st century.

They sign up new members, they organize picket lines and demonstrations, they conduct high school classes in labour rights and workplace safety, and they cook meals for fundraising events to send young workers on solidarity trips to Cuba, South Africa and Central America. One even came back from a vacation in Las Vegas with a tattoo declaring their commitment to the cause. (You’ll find out where in a minute.) Read entire story here