It is 6 o’clock Monday morning. A man sits quietly in front of his computer with headphones on, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. The smell of Kentucky Fried Chicken fills the small room as a young guy named Scott breezes in and perches on his chair, fingers greasy, to update the traffic report.… Continue reading Where’s the Beef?
Category: Spring 2004
Roto Retro
Toting his notes, thermos of coffee and a pack of Salem Light Menthol cigarettes, Earl McRae would creep into the closed Simpson Tower on Yonge Street and ride the elevator to the 11th floor – home of The Canadian magazine. Squeezing into his office with barely room for a desk and chair, he’d begin pounding… Continue reading Roto Retro
The Sun Also Rises Up
It’s not that I am anti-union, it’s that I’m anti-union for newspaper writers,” wrote columnist Christie Blatchford in 1991, while praising her employer, The Toronto Sun, on its 20th anniversary. “This is one of the greatest jobs in the world. I do not need a union to tell me I should be demanding time-and-a-half while… Continue reading The Sun Also Rises Up
Big Push, Big Error
It was the Saturday morning of the 2003 Canada Day weekend and Don Sellar, ombudsman for The Toronto Star, was in for a big shock. Sellar, who was on vacation at his brother-in-law’s Balsam Lake cottage, had decided to pick up a copy of the Star from a nearby newspaper box. That’s where he saw… Continue reading Big Push, Big Error
Crusades, Convergence & Cutbacks
When The Ryerson Review of Journalism began developing story ideas last September, we had two proposals about Torstar. Keri Schram wanted to look at The Toronto Star’s investigative crusades that, though risky and expensive, sparked debate about pressing city issues. Melissa Hank wanted to write about The Stoney Creek News, a weekly paper near her… Continue reading Crusades, Convergence & Cutbacks