Interesting story in today’s Globe about a neat funding experiment undertaken by the Tyee, an online daily based on Canada’s west coast. Basically, the Tyee asked its readers to chip in funding for coverage of the upcoming provincial election. The Globe article does a great job laying out the details and some of the ethical… Continue reading A paid-media success story
Category: Megalomedia
In praise of segregation
With a title like that, I wonder what kind of stumble traffic I’m going to get? I speak, of course, not of the segregation of people by gender or race, but rather the segregation of content, of information. One of the things that is often praised about this whole web 2.0 doolie is… Continue reading In praise of segregation
Fighting with one hand tied behind their back
As anyone who followed my old blog (now archived here) or read my musings in Maisonneuve Magazine’s MediaScout knows, I can be a fierce critic of the mainstream press. I try to temper the criticism by explaining that its born of a passion for the potential of the media but my scathe often overwhelms the… Continue reading Fighting with one hand tied behind their back
Fun with screencaps: It’s all about placement
Doing my media rounds this morning and was amused by the placement of a few stories on the Star‘s webpage:
Whose-a culpa?
So hey, remember that lost Brazilian tribe? The one that had gone uncontacted for centuries? Yea, apparently that was a hoax, of sorts. It certainly was a Brazilian tribe, and an isolated one to boot, but it had been discovered before. The photographer knew it too, apparently, but thought telling a wee fib would help the… Continue reading Whose-a culpa?
The end of an era, sort of
Well kids, we knew this day would come. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the posts have been few and far between over the last year or so, largely as work got in the way. I clung to the hope that I would find the motivation and time to post regularly again but it never materialized.… Continue reading The end of an era, sort of
Like comparing apples to those gross reddish-yellow apples
So, those of you who aren’t paid to know what’s going on in Ottawa may not be as up on the details as those of us who are, but Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released his “Economic Update” today. His big ticket promise is to eliminate the net national debt by 2021. Early media reports screamed… Continue reading Like comparing apples to those gross reddish-yellow apples
It’s not what you say but how you say it
Let’s engage in a “compare and contrast” exercise. Compare and contrast the following coverage of yesterday’s announcement of transit security funding: “Ottawa doles out anti-terror funds” (CanWest’s canada.com site) “Ottawa pledges security cash, again and again” (Globe and Mail, A6) Now one issue does not a bias reveal but it sure is interesting, isn’t it?… Continue reading It’s not what you say but how you say it
Hook, line and sucker
So, I open my Globe and Mail today and what do I see on A3? The great military mastermind Colonel Sanders staring up at me from the Nevada desert. The Globe doesn’t have the story online that I can see but a Reuters report on the latest ad gimmick can be found here. In a… Continue reading Hook, line and sucker
I think Harper won
Remember the big Harper vs. The Press Gallery battle royale of a few months ago? Our PM decided he didn’t like the way the Ottawa journos were doing their jobs so he said he’d take his message to the people himself. You remember, right? The media were indignant. They weren’t going to be bullied! They… Continue reading I think Harper won