Online Articles Archive

Exclusive online articles that you won't find anywhere else

Winter 2010

A Different Alberta View
With her "un-Albertan" magazine, founding editor Jackie Flanagan is trying to show her province isn't all rednecks, cowboys and oil tycoons
by Michelle Kuran

Reckless Disregard?
Amanda Lindhout has taken a lot of flak for her sally into Somalia. But maybe she’s more latter-day Kit Coleman than "cowboy"
by Whitney Wager

A Network of Controversy
Critics of Al Jazeera English call the broadcaster garish and offensive. Supporters say it’s just what Canada needs. What’s the fuss all about?
by Suniya Kukaswadia

Game Over
As sports fans go online for instant news, traditional newspaper sports stories are being shoved offside.
by Tyler Harper

Appreciating Amanda
CBC TV’s high-performing asset on the business beat, Amanda Lang
by Adriana Rolston

The Art of the Ambush
Critics dismiss the practice of surprising reluctant sources with a camera and a microphone as more showbiz than journalism. But television reporters and producers argue the tactic is not just legit, but also good for the story. Here’s why
by Jessica Lewis

Magazine de Mode
Five fashionistas from Montreal are sending their creation, Dress to Kill, down the Toronto runway. Will their no-celeb, no-service model strut or stumble?
by Joyce Yip

With Files From...
Google hasn’t made newspaper research librarians redundant. In fact, they’re as busy as ever, even if they rarely receive the recognition they deserve
by Mai Nguyen

The Star, the Atkinson Principles and outsourcing
The Toronto Star is considering outsourcing its editing. Joe Atkinson was "committed to the rights of working people"—including his own staffers’. Whose core values will prevail?
by Seema Persaud

Spring 2009

Down to Zero
Metro Toronto, the biggest commuter paper in the country, has the smallest number of reporters. None, actually. How can no news gatherers be good news?
by Melissa Wilson

What’s yours is mine
Plagiarism in academia, or even news writing, may be easy to prove. But for columnists, the line is not as clear. Is it still plagiarism when they’re stealing ideas instead of words?
by Katie Hewitt

Code of Secrecy
Knowing who to protect, and when, is a sticky business. Three deciders tell us how they deal with confidential sources.
by Jordan Ginsberg

The Canadian Angle
When photographer Tom Hanson died at 41, he left behind a body of work that reflects a unique vision of Canada—one captured by a man willing to indulge both his sensitive and aggressive sides
by Jill Langlois

Ottawa Unplugged
How the Harper government has political reporters singing the no-good-press-freedom blues
by Matthew Stein

The Young and the Faceless
Underage offenders aren’t supposed to be identified by the media—or anyone else—but the Youth Criminal Justice Act’s intent is lost in cyberspace. Is it time to rethink the YCJA?
by Jenny Vaughan

Who's the Boss?
Television news has been hit hard by layoffs and station closures. But earlier this year, employees at one Victoria broadcaster fought back—by buying the station and becoming their own bosses. Can this model save local news?
by Ann Hui

House of Cards
When it comes to online content, do newspapers know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em?
by Colleen Tang

King of the Hill
Douglas Fisher, who died in September, wrote thousands of columns over four decades. His old-school reportage earned the one-time MP the moniker "Dean of the Parliamentary Press Gallery"
by Jonathan Ore

Extreme J-school
From a safe distance, Chelsea Murray reports on courses where the real-life lessons are don’t get killed or kidnapped or captured
by Chelsea Murray

Webster's Digest
Reader’s Digest Canada has over six million readers and an ambitious new editor hired from one of the country’s most daring small magazines. But, asks Matthew Halliday, can Derek Webster save the old standby from irrelevance?
by Matthew Halliday

To Report and Protect
With the assistance of a confidential source, Daniel Leblanc helped uncover the sponsorship scandal that rocked the Liberal government. Now the reporter is being asked to name names Katherine Laidlaw looks at the Supreme Court case that could reshape investigative journalism in Canada
by Katherine Laidlaw

Winter 2009

What Women Want
Women's service magazines traditionally bring in top ad dollars. But as Barbara Jobber found out, old standby Homemakers was falling behind upstarts such as More
by Barbara Jobber

Agent Derek Finkle
The man behind the Canadian Writer's Group would like freelancers to get what they deserve
by Eve Tobolka

No Logo
These days, journalists have to be brand managers too
by Alison Gorham

Bailing Out
Though it may come as a shock to many in the business, not all journalism school graduates want to practice our honourable craft. Greg Harris contemplates life on the dark side
by Greg Harris

If you don’t have something nice to say…
…then you can just say it in online comments sections. Laura Janecka and Eve Tobolka look at the benefits and challenges of letting readers and listeners speak their minds
by Laura Janecka & Eve Tobolka

Community Disservice
Almost 14 years after Dudley George’s death, reporters still have a lot to learn about reporting on First Nations. Laura Janecka asked Peter Edwards, who covered Ipperwash, why the media got it wrong, and what reporters need to do to get it right.
by Laura Janecka

Size Matters
In the current economic climate, bigger isn’t always better. Jenelle DaSilva-Rupchand investigates several small publications—and the secret to their survival.
by Jenelle DaSilva-Rupchand

The Price is Right
Nothing says scientific research like polling a group of magazine insiders during happy hour. This past week, at the Ryerson Review of Journalism;rsquo;s Friends of the Review fundraising gala, Morgan Passi asked, "What magazine would you pay for online?"
by Morgan Passi

Staying Alive
It's not dead, but it's no longer a print magazine. Marco Ursi tells the RRJ Online about Masthead's move to an online-only format.
by RRJ Online

Burnout Blues
Smaller publications swim outside the mainstream, and connect with communities that don't always have a voice. But all that swimming can tire a magazine out.
by Kate Grainger

Strength in Numbers
Ed2010 isn't a robot from Star Wars, it's the group where the magazine minions meet to network. And it may be the only way to survive the recession.
by Morgan Dumas

Fight for your write
Lawyer and journalist Michael Geist's work centres around online copyright laws that are becoming increasingly important to journalists. Lora Grady investigates the problems and how Geist is delivering the solution.
by Lora Grady

Custom Brokers
Custom publications may seem like the dark side. But as these marketing books adopt higher journalistic standards, Jacqueline Nelson says it’s getting harder to tell the difference between them and consumer magazines.
by Jacqueline Nelson

Solo Mission
Last summer, CBC took Search Engine off the radio and moved it online, turning the program into a one-man show. Daniel Kaszor asks host Jesse Brown about the transition to the web and his complicated relationship with his audience.
by Daniel Kaszor

Undercover Blues
After going incognito for her Maid for a Month series, Jan Wong faces a deceit and invasion of privacy suit. So, asks Carolyn Morris, does undercover journalism need to clean up its act?
by Carolyn Morris

One Ombud is Better than Two Reporters
Heather Mallick's incendiary column on cbc.ca and CTV's decision to air Stéphane Dion's botched interview gave journalists plenty to talk about this fall. But discussion is one thing; the power to act is another. So Heather Li asks former Toronto Star ombud Don Sellar about a job held by only two people in English Canada.
by Heather Li

Strung Along
Are local journalists and fixers in hot spots cut loose by our news media?
by Ashley Walters

After the Buyout
In an environment of cutbacks and layoffs, some stick with the craft and others jump ship--for better or worse results. Amy Fuller explores life after journalism.
by Amy Fuller

Fall 2008

The Gatekeeper of Grammar
As CBC’s media language advisor, Judy Maddren advises her colleagues on pronunciation, grammar and usage. Marit Mitchell asked her how she makes the rules--and when it’s okay to break them.
by Marit Mitchell

Feuding with the Family
A year after it launched, the independent Carleton FreePress closed down in October. As Christal Gardiola discovered, that’s left a paper owned by the powerful Irving family as the only one in town.
by Christal Gardiola

Taking Cover
There's no law against police officers posing as journalists. They say it's part of how they do their job. But while it may make their work easier, it does the opposite for reporters. Now, journalists are taking on the law.
by Chantal Braganza

Out of Style
With economic uncertainty forcing consumers to reconsider how they spend, Molly Doyle discovers that fashion magazines are changing the way they dress up their stories. But that may not be enough to keep them publishing.
by Molly Doyle

Back to School
Sheridan College hopes its Canadian Journalism for Internationally Trained Writers program will help new Canadians get bylines and jobs. But in an industry so dependent on connections, communication, and reputation, the program has trouble living up to its lofty premise.
by Natalie Russell

Paper Dreams
Indigo, Canada’s largest magazine seller has set new environmental goals for the publications on its shelves. But in an economy that makes green paper mills sparse, will magazines toe Indigo’s company line?
by Jordana Rapuch

Sounding the Territory
In the Canadian North, where CBC dominates the radio waves, Claudia Calabro finds one station is breaking new ground
by Claudia Calabro

Behind the Lens
Camera operators in war are often eclipsed by the images they capture. Here are some of the stories of the people outside the frame
by Sarah Bridge

Blame Game
After Masthead, the magazine industry’s trade publication, announced its next issue would be its last, Heather Li discovered the usual suspects—weak ad sales and a small circulation—may not have acted alone
by Heather Li

Death Watch
With 97 Canadian soldiers already dead in Afghanistan, Morgan Passi finds that just preparing to cover the 100th death stirs emotions among journalists
by Morgan Passi

Winter 2008

Everyone’s a reporter
Three years and 10 million dollars later, has so-called citizen journalism site NowPublic.com democratized the news gathering process? Not exactly…
by Carla Wintersgill

Family Affair
The West is the best for publisher Peter Legge and his daughters
by Rachel Barsky

How extra super fab can it get?
Now that fab and Xtra share the same owner, has the corporate concentration bug infected the gay press?
by Erin Tandy

Lighting a Spark
The producers of Spark, a weekly show about technology and how it affects culture, have come up with a different way to do radio—they ask listeners for feedback before the program airs. Is that a good idea?
by Jasmyn Burke

Chemtrails, false flags and 9/11, oh my!
All but ignored by mainstream media, conspiracy theorists search for an alternative audience. These days, fellow “truthers” aren’t hard to find
by Jessica Lockhart

The Immigrant Experience
With a quarter of a million immigrants arriving in Canada every year, publishers—big and small—believe this really is a land of opportunity.
by Mimi Szeto

What’s in it for us, though?
There’s no shortage of Canadian media coverage of United States presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and even Mike Huckabee. And why not — some of the horses are running neck and neck. But left in the dust is what each of these candidates might actually mean for Canada
by Nina Boccia

What Men Want
Unable to survive in print without running advertorials, Canadian men's magazines escape into the online realm. But is that what men really want?
by Miranda Voth

Mr. Fix-It
Freelance journalist and Globe and Mail columnist Craig Silverman spends his life tracking mistakes and missteps in the press. His new book, Regret the Error, highlights some of journalism’s most egregious blunders. Review reporter Erin Tandy discusses what’s so right about being Mr. Wrong
by Erin Tandy

Letter From Russia
Fluff abounds in a country where the politics is anything but straightforward and journalism is still a dangerous profession.
by Alina Seagal

Please do not adjust your set…
The Real News Network is up and running online, but as for its proposed television programming, well, we’re going to have to wait till summer comes along…
by Ashley Pergolas

Mr. Sports
When Milt Dunnell died this month, Canadians lost a great sports columnist, one who told stories with the class befitting a man known as the sports editor of Canada
by William Stodalka

Fall 2007

Social Conscience + Making Money = Successful Business Magazine Strategy
The editors of the six-year-old Corporate Knights and the recently launched unlimited are confident their mix of corporate social responsibility and profit will appeal to the growing pool of millennial workers
by Ana Maria De La Fuente

The journalism responsibility unit
The Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision to allow a new libel defence, "responsible journalism," opens the door for more stories in the public interest—or does it?
by Chloë Tse

Sex bazaars, porn stars
Taboo subjects are the last things you’d expect to read in a new South Asian lifestyle magazine, but Desi Life is set on smashing stereotypes
by Sanam Islam

The Case of the Abandoned Shoe Store
The Conservative Party’s secret plans for a new media centre, recently exposed by a Toronto Star reporter, are on hold—for now. Does the public really care?
by Nathan Crocker

The Great Newspaper War of Woodstock, New Brunswick
Ken Langdon says his upstart and independent Carleton Free Press injects competition into New Brunswick’s newspaper landscape. Brunswick News, owner of Langdon’s former paper, the Woodstock Bugle-Observer, alleges Langdon used proprietary information for his start-up
by Rebecca Rose

Not older, better
The Canadian version of More magazine, less than one year old, embraces the aging Baby Boomer readership and is rewarded with instant success
by Jennifer Webb

Metal on metal
How metal magazines — and their fans — keep the Canadian music magazine industry afloat
by Ashley Petkovski

Blog rolling at CBC
Some complain the new blogging guidelines are draconian. Others, who wrote their own manifesto on rules of conduct over a year ago, say CBC management extends an olive branch to employee bloggers
by Emerald Austerberry

Going long (and we mean really, really, really long)
The Hamilton Spectator’s Jon Wells has but one job — to write extended serial narratives. Mostly they’re about crime in his city, but there was one about the nasty industrial inferno that claimed the life of a steeltown firefighter. In conversation, Wells explains how he keeps it all together without losing the plot
by RRJ Staff

Judgement day
When Paula Todd was a TVO talk-show host she was both a shoulder to cry on and a tough interrogator. On her new CTV legal program The Verdict, she emphasizes the latter, tossing her acerbic opinion into the mix just to watch the fur fly
by Hayley Citron

And they throw erasers too, just like in public schools…
In the second of a two-part investigation into the coverage of religion during Ontario’s recent election campaign, the Review examines how reporters dealt with a suddenly hot topic, the funding of faith-based schools. Turns out they learned a lot by just hanging out and observing the action at Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools
by Sara Chappel

And then Adam John bit into the apple…
In the first of a two-part investigation, the Review examines how the debate over financing faith-based schools played out in Ontario’s election coverage. This week, a look at the day Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory was asked whether he would allow creationism to be taught in publicly funded schools
by Canice Leung

Winter 2007

Fiction in Journalism
For years, Rick Mofina filed newspaper stories that sounded as if they'd been torn out of paperback thrillers at the grocery store. But as of 2003 Mofina no longer has a job in journalism. It begs the question: are Canadian newspapers ready for fiction techniques or is it just a few writers' and editors' fantasy?
by Chris Richardson

Embedding for Safety?
The vicious cycle that keeps journalists unsafe in war zones
by Lisa Paul

Social Studies 101
With weird news more popular than ever thanks to Internet sharing, meet one of the original purveyors of oddball stories — The Globe and Mail's Michael Kesterton.
by Dayna Dayus

Sex in the newsroom
About to step into a male-dominated industry, Dana Lacey asks female journalists about their careers, their challenges and their aspirations. It all starts with one question: why aren't there more women on top?
by Dana Lacey

Dying for Good Journalism
More reporters are being murdered than ever before. And on this issue, there’s no good news in sight.
by David Pratt

Right Story, Wrong Questions
Kathy Gannon criticizes the international presses’ coverage of Afghanistan—from military censorship to out right laziness, they've been getting their facts wrong since 9-11 
by RRJ Staff

On the Record
It's easy to gripe about the quality of music journalism, but is it better than we sometimes think? Our reporters hit the Canadian Music Week festival to see how journalists and musicians feel.
by Ann Ruppenstein.
Camera by Jennifer Fong

Where Angels Fear to Tread
geez magazine has been tackling tough questions about Christianity since it launched in 2005. But its activist attitude may not be enough
by Gena Smith

Defending offence
Faced with the gruesome challenge of covering the Robert Pickton trial, editors poured their uneasy hearts out. But what do audiences want, exactly, and should they always get it?
by Regan Ray

iMania
Apple’s iPhone captured front pages as journalists drooled over the ‘holy grail of gadgets’; but there’s more to the world’s trendiest new toy than the coverage would have you believe.
by John Mather

Star Power
With celebrity news moving into the forefront, do you want to bring ’em down or build ’em up?
by Amanda Pereira

Pictures at an execution
When secretly shot footage of Saddam Hussein’s hanging leaked online, news outlets found themselves with gruesome choices to make.
by Jennifer Fong

The Long Arms of the Law
How a British libel ruling could change things for journalists and plaintiffs – and not just over there.
by Joe Rayment

PMO vs. the Gallery: Final Round?
For nearly a year, the Prime Minister has been waging a public war on the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Now he may be ready to make peace. Or is he just signalling a new tack in his efforts to control the news?
by Jennifer Paterson

Heard the independent news?
Well okay, maybe you haven't. Independent World Television hasn't hit your screen yet, but it will. Founder Paul Jay promises…
by Shereen Dindar

Fall 2006

City news goes to the blogs
Large dailies see city bloggers as ground-level troops in the 24/7 news reporting cycle
by Graham Silnicki

Watching the media detectives
Our correspondent heads to the Liberal leadership convention to shadow reporters and bloggers as they uncover Gerard Kennedy’s pact and Stéphane Dion’s upset win

Click here to view photo gallery for this story.
by Angela Kozak

Darfur on hold
The media’s story selection process hasn’t put the crisis in western Sudan in the background, yet the genocide continues. Maybe there’s something wrong with the structure of news reporting...
by Meena Nallainathan

Canadian Forces 101
At Canadian military bases, journalists learn about the forces and report on the action from a make-believe Kandahar province.

Click here to view photo gallery for this story.
by Shannon Wilmot

The game of the name
After the Dawson College shootings, four Toronto daily newspapers raced against deadline and each other to get one crucial fact. Here's how two of them got the scoop... and two didn't
by Rachel Hahn

Issues first, journalism second
Spacing magazine’s Spacing Votes blogged the Toronto civic election daily. The catch? Other than seasoned commentator John Lorinc, Matthew Blackett’s “army of young guns” had little journalistic training
by Andrea Lau

Pssst... try the back door to cyberspace
On the frontiers of human rights and technology, outspoken nerds fight to free the flow of information on the web
by Julia Belluz

Right or Wong?
When Jan Wong blamed Kimveer Gill's Dawson College rampage partly on Quebec's pure laine distinction, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Jean Charest fired off letters of protest to The Globe and Mail. Buried in the rubble of the battle was the reporter's right to call it as she saw it
by Aaron Broverman

The little paper that shrank
After the resignation of editor-in-chief Jim Jennings, Sun Media is set to rationalize editorial with its “Centres of Excellence,” producing identical content for Sun papers in different cities
by Paige Magarrey

Reality is the new black
Contestants flock to auditions for Fashion File Host Hunt, looking for a chance to become the new Tim Blanks. Meanwhile, fashion journalism veterans wonder if CBC’s Factual Entertainment Division trivializes their reporting reality
by Leah Collins

It's a shame about pay
Shameless, the much-lauded feminist magazine for older girls and younger women, has remained true to its anti-corporate principles over seven issues and two years. It's being kept alive with volunteers, fundraisers and more volunteers. But the question is, for how long?
by Amy Packwood

For those about to be babes of the month
The good people who brought you UMM are certain Bobbi will become the magazine for girls who want their games, their gadgets and, oh yes, their "tasty" guys
by Lauren McKeon

Winter 2006

The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Editing
Fashion magazine editor-in-chief Ceri Marsh shows that good manners still go a long way
by Shireen Khimani

Lucky Dube
CBC.ca editorial director Jonathan Dube prepares to overhaul the mother ship's website for its tenth anniversary
by Salza Khakoo

Satellite wars
Last year the Calgary Herald threw its readers a curveball called Swerve, aiming its Friday magazine insert at a demographic too old for alternative weeklies yet too young to stay inside all week. Now rival daily the Calgary Sun rotates the battle with an advertising department-driven product called Orb
by Liane MacNeil

This Magazine Is About Chaos
New editor Jessica Johnston brings passion to the job, but she may offer something even more important to the current affairs publication on its 40th anniversary — stability.
by Matt Semansky

Once were warriors
When it comes to professional sport, the game has changed a lot — but so has the reporting
by Cliff Lee

What makes Clive run?
Clive Thompson talks fast, works fast, sleeps little and makes a flying leap from editing This Magazine in Toronto to writing cover stories for The New York Times Magazine
by Jacqueline Nunes

And now, for my next act...
After editor-in-chief Dana Robbins unleashed "The Revolution" at The Hamilton Spectator, readership numbers went up. While the Canadian Journalism Foundation recognized the effort, the newspaper industry as a whole hasn't
by Carly Baxter

The pope of CBC
Senior personnel say manager of special events and elections David Knapp is one of their key journalists. Yet, as he celebrates his fortieth year at the Corp, he's virtually unknown outside public broadcaster circles
by Mike Riley

Fear of publishing
Fallout from Muslim reaction to Jyllands-Posten caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has led to contentious debate in Canada on what constitutes freedom of speech in the West
by Marlene Rego

Casualties of war
Journalists used to be seen as neutral, but now they're ransom bait, bargaining chips or the outright enemy. Last year was the worst on record for correspondents getting killed on the job — and in 2006, the trend continues
by Rudy Sabga

Shooting the messenger
Worried about press freedoms in Canada? Try reporting the news in Zimbabwe
by Aaron Leaf

Celebrity Takeover
Advice columns from the rich and famous, memoirs from the stars who've been there — now celebrities are moonlighting as journalists. Meanwhile, editors have decided it's worth it to coddle their popular, but fledgling talent
by Catherine Muss

Digging a bigger poll
A lot of people think polls bury the issues and reduce elections to horse races. So what did Canadian media do for the 2006 general election? They stepped up the number and frequency of polls
by Janna Zittrer

Another year, another epithet
After the Boxing Day shootings in Toronto's downtown core, local news media quickly labelled 2005 the Year of the Gun. They say they weren't sensationalizing
by Amanda Shuchat

Who needs journalists?
From Wikinews to Our Canada, from Fashion to Chatelaine, readers are supplying more — and, in some cases, all — of the editorial content. It's a threat to journalists' livelihoods, but it sure makes the publishers' statements look good
by Carley Fortune

War of the words
At Canadian Press, style is never taken for granted. Usage, sensibly enough, often comes down to what doesn't look stupid — for now
by Emily Claire Afan

Spoiling for a fight
Two Toronto hospitals, two in-depth series, two newspapers... same day. How did it happen? How did they get access? And what was in it for the hospitals? A behind-the-scenes look
by Sumayyah Hussein

Fall 2005

Condition critical
With the proliferation of culture-based websites and a trend toward bite-sized reviews, the professional arts critic may be an endangered species. But there is hope — Internet-based magazines like CBC Arts Online and Television Without Pity are providing a sanctuary for this increasingly scarce brand of journalism
by Marco Ursi

Make that a double latté with Internet topping
Wireless Toronto has helped several GTA restaurant proprietors set up free Internet access. It not only undercuts corporate gouging, but also creates an activist infrastructure. The lofty goal is strong local communities, but will people start to congregate?
by Nadia Chiesa

If you build it, will they come?
The fledgling Canadian Freelancers Union asks independent writers to join together and improve their financial lot. It's a noble ideal, but whether it's achievable is an open question
by Terry Woo

The mourning after
Saturday Night's latest death reinforces the notion that Canada cannot support general interest magazines — or does it?
by Jean Hodgkinson

A constellation of problems
Satellite radio may be the new frontier to programmers south of the border, but try telling that to the CRTC. Or Canadian content watchdogs. Or listeners, for that matter
by Julie Meehan

The Ballad of Electronic Frank
After folding last December, Frank came back in the form of a website. But publisher Michael Bate has bigger plans
by Joe Castaldo

Some straight talk on Vancouver's weekly newspaper war
WestEnder publisher James Craig puts Georgia Straight publisher Dan McLeod on notice. We're the new alternative, says Craig. Nonsense, says McLeod. Our reporter keeps score
by Aaron Leaf

It's not news to her
How Canadian correspondent Samantha Bee sinks her barbs into The Daily Show's satire
by Barry Hertz

Drawn In
It's often hard work for little pay, but David Collier combines his love of reporting and drawing in an increasingly popular genre — comics journalism
by David J. Pett

Drawing the line
CBC editorial staff discover the benefits of solidarity with other groups of workers, like technicians and marketing staff, during the lockout
by Andrea Jezovit

Winter 2005

Last Gasp
When done well, the intricate craft of obit writing reveals more life than death
by Ayah McKhail

A Day in the Life
Style writer Tralee Pearce's not so glamorous life
by Stephanie Gray

A Stoppage in Play-by-Play
Hockey journalists scramble to cover a non-existent season
by Amber Dowling

Bigot or Champion of Truth?
Vice founder Gavin McInnes on his notorious do's and don'ts and more
by Nicolle Weeks

Three for the Price of One
How new techniques combine the best of print, broadcast and online journalism
by Talia Maze

Maisonneuve Earns Respect
Growing pains, magazine awards, circulation growth? All in a year's work for Montreal's favourite underdog
by Andrea Chiu

Pedestrian, Parochial, and Powerful
The urban activists behind spacing magazine are gaining major political ground, even as the sidewalk erodes beneath them
by Wendy Glauser

Commuter Blues
The free dailies are thriving... too bad the journalism inside isn't
by Elysse Zarek

Fall 2004

Shh!
The Code of Silence Award shines a light on government secrecy
by Lauren MacLaren

Weighty Words
How journalists misuse "jihad" and other contentious words
by Kary Boudreau

Trans Fat: Exposed
Siphoning fact from fiction on the latest food scare
by Maya Saibil

Crime Takes a Bullet
Long-running Quebec tabloid All? Police bids adieu
by Soraya Roberts

Short Change
More and more papers charge for online content, but is that really where the money is?
by Kirstyn Brown

The Science of Cool
Seed makes science too cool for school
by Leigh Doyle

Shout It All Out
Speakers Corner is a soapbox for the modern everyman
by Samantha Israel

Elephant in the Room
Metroland rolls over Toronto with bland community newspapers, but the independents fight on
by Angela Boyd

Fox News?
?goes well with tequila shots
by Lindsay Kneteman

Rabble, Straight Goods, Indymedia
How grassroots news site rate
by Lisa Sarracini

More Than a Love of Craft
Journalists dish on the pleasures and the pitfalls of romance in the biz
by Emily Mills

An Ellie Column a Day Keeps the Woes Away
Since Ellie stepped into Ann Landers' shoes, everyone has been looking to her for a bit of advice
by Shlomit Kriger

A Mag to Call Their Own
Do The Canadian Military Journal and The Maple Leaf really give soldiers a place to express themselves?
by Zohar Gurevich

Redrawing the line
Despite vigilance, advertorial content gains credibility in Canadian publishing
by Anna-Christina Di Liberto

Our worst enemy?
A second look at Al-Jazeera finds the network less baiting
by Steve Gold

Fork in the road
Is it time for Pitchfork to choose considered opinion over snark in its music criticism?
by Dafna Izenberg

This hour has George Stroumboulopoulos
CBC gambles that a MuchMusic VJ can deliver a younger audience to its current affairs programming
by Keren Ritchie

Undercoverage
The unavailability of mainstream media information about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur made it easier not to think about it
by Jennifer McGregor

2004

Too good to be Stu
Prankster columnist Jesse Brown fabricates an anti-lad magazine about the average Joe
by Keri Schram

Copywrong
Does the publisher or author hold the right to secondary publication?
by Adrienne Macintosh

The subjectivity of objective music criticism
How does one be objective in music criticism without being too subjective? Find out how Toronto?s music critics do it (or don?t do it).
by Chris Jancelewicz

Wartoons
Cartoonist David Rees declares cartoons on war
by Doug Paton

Smitten with S.M.U.T.
Whether you define it as porn or erotica, S.M.U.T. penetrates its way through the orgy of competing adult-only publications
by Erin Kobayash

Journalism Goes Hollywood
Hollywood's treatment of the media may skew audience perceptions of the profession, but one thing's for sure: journalists on screen make for compelling characters
by Amanda Factor

Feminist mags in trouble in Canada
The women behind Canadian feminist magazines are dedicated and certainly have the know-how but poor readership and advertising woes makes their jobs that much harder
by Krissy Gordon

And the winner is...
For all the prestige and glory associated with winning a national journalism award, is it truly a celebration of journalism at its finest?
by Julia Williams

Party On!
Launch parties are fun and good way to unwind, but do they also set the tone for how well a magazine will do?
by Jowita Bydlowska

Hip-Hop Blues
Reporting on a musical genre and culture that many believed to be just a "fad" only a decade ago, an abundance of hip-hop magazines now flood newsstands. But do any of them contain any journalistic credibility?
by Noa Glouberman

OneWorld gives a voice to the voiceless
A new international website focuses on socially conscious journalism. But can it be objective?
by Annette Bourdeau

To Whom it may Concern
A look at the world of letters to the editor and what it takes to get one printed
by Megan Griffith-Greene

All the Young Dudes Now Write the News
The growing epidemic of twentysomething journalists emerging as newspaper columnists
by Malena Ogryzlo

The Journalism Bloggingspiel
Blogs are becoming a new form of journalism: serious and up-to-date but are they always reliable?
by Melissa Hank

The Great Canadian Conan Craze
O'Brien gets far more attention north of the border
by Lyndsay Carter

Dear blog...
From jaded teens to aging bachelors, online diaries give us a glimpse into the average life
by Erin Kobayash

So Long, Elm Street
Stevie Cameron talks about Elm Street's demise
by Annette Bourdeau

The Death of Canada?s Oldest Newspaper
Torstar shuts down the Cambridge Reporter after 157 years in print
by Karen Robock

Battling the abstract
In reviewing modern art, the first step is a response
by June Morrow

Radio Francais
Filling the Franco-Canadian news radio gap in the GTA
by Larissa Brittan

Measuring Readership
The shift from "through-the-book" to "recent reading" methodologies has help achieved a more sophisticated measuring system for Canadian magazine readership
by Michelle Gaulin

He Said/She Said
A look at Trevor Cole's contentious profile of Leah McLaren and bickering that followed
by Melanie Stuparyk

Pay Up
The growing trend among Southern Ontarion newspaper is subscription based websites
by Tanya Sood

All About the Bling Bling!
How the hip-hop vocabulary is working its way into everyday use
by Lyndsay Carter

EXCLAIM! Has a lot to Shout About
Covering everything from easy listening-turned-trance to edgy post-punk, indie music mag Exclaim! shows no signs of land sliding into just another Rolling Stone
by Emma Scratch

Download This!
Many Canadian music websites are barely staying afloat, much less thriving but their creators certainly aren't doing it for the money
by Justin Lee

The Bible of Rave
How a middle-aged man created Toronto's infamous rave magazine
by Jennifer Allen

It's all in the STRUT
The Batchoun brothers unleash their stylish Brit-influenced fashion mag to Canadian audiences
by Jodi Goulart

Through the Glass, Lightly
Apparently my great-great grandfather was a 'real son of a bitch,' but he sure kept a good newspaper scrapbook
by Megan Griffith-Greene

2 is Better Than None
A new magazine for coupledom
by Liz Brown

Leading with a Punchline
There's more to being a successful humour columnist than writing the occasional one-liner about the prime minister's hair
by Malena Ogryzlo

Internships: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
We all know what to expect from interning at the Oval Office, but what about interning at magazines - is it beneficial, or just a dead end?
by Emma Scratch

Capital Gains
How the free, ad-dependent Capital magazine survived Canada's harsh magazine marketplace by finding its niche
by Amy Kenny

I Do
A new magazine emerges in Canada to help gay and lesbian couples plan their weddings
by Liz Brown

The New Face of Fashion
Fashion Quarterly, or FQ, is the new Canadian fashion mag. It?s really big, glitzy, and glamorous and its editor-in-chief is none other than Jeanne Beker
by Michelle Gaulin

A Shame Not To
Two young, Toronto women have created a thoughtful, brassy feminist magazine called Shameless. Now they're discovering how hard it is to get it published
by Margi Ende