Lynda Shorten, executive producer for CBC Radio’s As It Happens, exits a news meeting upset. After a wave of deaths among Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, management at the public broadcaster is asking: What are we going to do for the 100th death? Almost a month later, I’m in her office. I’ve worked at the show and know Shorten… Continue reading Death Watch
Series: Fall 2008
Blame Game
On Thursday October 23, Doug Bennet, publisher of Masthead, asked editor Marco Ursi, to meet him in the lunchroom. He told Ursi that, after 21 years in print, the November/December 2008 issue of the magazine would be its last. “Oh fuck,” said Ursi, who had been editor for just over a year. “Yeah.… Oh fuck,” repeated Bennet,… Continue reading Blame Game
Behind the Lens
Like an international aid worker, a cameraman in a conflict zone is a saviour to some and a target to others. When he pulls out his gear in a war-torn village, he’s instantly a local attraction, drawing crowds of curious onlookers and locals looking to broadcast their frustrations. But he can’t stay in one place… Continue reading Behind the Lens
Sounding the Territory
Myself, I prefer buffalo more than moose,” Mike Beaver says when Wanda McLeod asks him how the kill tastes. As he explains the cooking, cleaning and sharing of the meat, McLeod gently asks if he checks the liver for diseases, and Beaver obliges, sharing the knowledge with the ease of someone who’s been hunting for… Continue reading Sounding the Territory
Paper Dreams
On November 1, 2007, Kim Latreille received an email from Barnes and Noble, the American equivalent to Canada’s Indigo Books & Music, announcing the company’s plan to display magazines made from recycled paper more prominently than other titles. Latreille, the group director of production for St. Joseph Media, which publishes eight major consumer magazines, including Toronto… Continue reading Paper Dreams