A rumoured Lady Gaga-Katy Perry feud. Johnny Depp to quit acting? American singer and actress Kristin Chenoweth writes a cheeky song about disgraced politician Anthony Weiner. These are just some of the stories I wrote last summer during my six-week internship in the arts section of the National Post. During my final week, I finally… Continue reading Stars and Stripes: how entertainment journalism forsakes homegrown stories in favour of U.S. ones
Category: Spring 2014
In-house plagiarism: is it ever okay to steal another reporter’s words?
On October 28, 2010, Toronto Star staff reporter Daniel Dale wrote a clever lead for his article about vanity licence plates: “You may be a Budweiser-guzzling ex-cop stripper who worships Buddha, carries a pistol, uses Viagra and supports Barack Obama, fine. Just don’t you dare mention any of those facts on your licence plate.” On… Continue reading In-house plagiarism: is it ever okay to steal another reporter’s words?
Staying Alive: how the Town Crier started dancing to its own beat
“The rumours of our death were exaggerated,” announced the Town Crier in its September 2013 issue. The Toronto community newspaper’s parent company, Multimedia Nova, had gone into receivership in May, but five former employees bought and resurrected the publication by the end of July. “It’s always been our view the Crier could sell its advertising… Continue reading Staying Alive: how the Town Crier started dancing to its own beat
Can Kickstarter and Indiegogo deliver a new way to pay for journalism?
When CBC moved into Hamilton, Ontario, local journalist Joey Coleman couldn’t compete. He decided “I’m done. I am going to stop covering news.” That meant saying goodbye to a readership gained from work with Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail and The Hamilton Spectator. But when people offered to fund him themselves in the fall of… Continue reading Can Kickstarter and Indiegogo deliver a new way to pay for journalism?
Journalism’s empty calories: why some personal essays leave us feeling guilty
One of Hazlitt’s most popular pieces is also one of its most hated. Last July, the Random House of Canada online publication ran “How to make love in America,” a 3,619-word personal account by Sarah Nicole Prickett about her transience in her 20s. The piece had no interviews, no research and no original reporting. It… Continue reading Journalism’s empty calories: why some personal essays leave us feeling guilty