On the edge of ethics

In the summer of 2014, The Globe and Mail narrowly avoided an editorial staff strike over native advertising—the practice of working with advertisers to create ads that resemble journalism. A leaked memo from Globe management to the paper’s union proposed a system in which editorial staff would write for advertisers, compromising, in the minds of many Globe reporters,… Continue reading On the edge of ethics

Charm will get you only so far

Image courtesy of Canadian Press video.

The video is tightly framed around Justin Trudeau in the middle of a Montreal crowd, days before last fall’s federal election. Off-screen, a reporter’s voice says, “As recently as yesterday evening, your party was defending Mr. Gagnier’s actions—” Trudeau nods “—saying essentially that he played by the rules.” Trudeau nods again, tight-lipped and wide-eyed. Dan… Continue reading Charm will get you only so far

Offleash Podcast: Valentine’s Day special

Offleash is the Ryerson Review of Journalism’s first-ever regular podcast, published on RRJ.ca every second Wednesday at 3:33 p.m. (with the exception of today—we’re a few days early to make it on time for Valentine’s Day listeners). In this week’s episode, our multimedia editors Eternity and Allison discuss all things journalism and love. Dan Westell… Continue reading Offleash Podcast: Valentine’s Day special

The robots are coming

Photo credit: Justin Morgan/Flickr

We live in an era of self-driving cars and light-up hoverboards. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that robots are starting to replace professions that were once viewed as invaluable—financial advisers, surgeons and reporters all have automated equivalents. This doesn’t mean that all journalists are going to be replaced by typing WALL-E replicas, but it… Continue reading The robots are coming

Subsidize or die?

“Should the government get involved?” It’s a question that’s been floating around ever since Canadian journalism decided to spiral down into a black hole of unemployment and goodbye columns. The argument: the loss of print media will create a void where important stories will go, along with the very basis of democracy—accessible information and accountability.… Continue reading Subsidize or die?

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