A few months back a book called Overcoming Bias came across my desk. It’s described as a journalist’s guide to culture and context. Admittedly, I was a bit put off by the title; I don’t think overcoming a bias that may have been festering for years can be overcome in the time it takes to … Continue reading
On November 8th and 9th in Denmark, academics from around the world, including me, congregated at the University of Copenhagen for the New Media and the Public Sphere conference. Just arrived at University of Copenhagen for #NMPS2012 – beautiful campus http://pic.twitter.com/2AUhDQgl Nicole Blanchett Wed, Nov 07 2012 23:52:57 ReplyRetweetFavorite Topics ranged from how a teen’s … Continue reading
As I write this, I’m sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Copenhagen where I will attend the New Media and the Public Sphere conference. A great line up of people are scheduled to speak on how changing social networks are impacting discourse in the public sphere. Of course, my primary interest is … Continue reading
Last week I attended the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. From an enchanting talk by Margaret Atwood to debate over journalism practice, thought provoking doesn’t quite cover it. As a means of aggregating highlights from the event, I used Storify to post my RTd tweets. Why? I wanted a mechanism to choose … Continue reading
Despite being the best rated original program on CBC’s New Network, engaging the audience in a way few, if any, other daily news shows can, Connect with Mark Kelley is being cancelled. Government funding cuts–and management decisions on how to spend what money is leftover–have put it on the chopping block. I’ve probably given a … Continue reading
The media find African famine boring. I cringed when I heard the President of the University of Guelph, Dr. Alastair Summerlee, express that sentiment at a conference I recently attended. Not because I thought he was wrong, but because I was worried he was right. That’s the beginning of an article I wrote for J-Source … Continue reading
With so many changes happening in the industry, and so many new ways for people to get involved in the journalism process, sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of what to watch. Here are three things that are new to me from the world of participatory journalism that I’m going to keep an eye on … Continue reading
Although perhaps not the most academic description, “blowing the lid off bullshit” certainly captures the heart of journalism. That definition comes from one of my second year broadcast students. He was part of a cohort that was asked to produce a short piece defining journalism from a student perspective—both as an assignment and to encourage … Continue reading
What is the future of radio? That was the question asked at a HOMAD conference of college educators, students, and radio professionals. The upshot: radio is alive and kicking. What needs to be fine-tuned is its definition. “Radio” isn’t one device, but audio content delivered on multiple platforms, including smart phones. As Bell Media’s Paul … Continue reading
“It’s the day after the night before.” What the hell does that mean? Good question. It’s what I asked after I heard that line—the first sentence in the lead story of a local, northern Ontario newscast. My father’s response, “It’s local news; what do you expect?” Well, I expect more. I’ll admit that my years … Continue reading
