Elaine Shein

Earlier this year, there was a rallying cry to save the British Broadcasting Corporation. Facing government pressure for change and financial cuts – similar to those by the Canadian Broadcast Corporation – the BBC and its listeners feared changes to the esteemed service which reaches 140 million regular listeners. Politicians debated BBC’s continued existence, and […] Read more

It was a government news release with a twist: the media who attended the event were being quoted. “Hog industry’s new odor-control technology impresses media” said Saskatchewan Farm and Food Report number 97-34-166. It included quotes from several reporters who work for CBC radio, CBC TV, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and The Western Producer. The gist […] Read more

A weekly feature where Western Producer editorial staff respond to readers’ questions, explain what’s behind our news coverage, and comment on issues in journalism. Reporters are biased and can be manipulated by the government. But how can the media avoid flawed coverage and serve the public better? Here’s a few pointers gathered from the Canadian […] Read more

Were Alberta’s health cuts covered fairly? Last week’s column dealt with how reporters could not relate to those affected by government cutbacks, leading to biased stories. Panelists at a Canadian Association of Journalists conference said premier Ralph Klein and the Alberta Tories used the media bias and Alberta’s general mentality to push their agenda. The […] Read more

Often journalists tell what has happened but not what it means, criticizes Jane Coutts, health policy reporter for the Globe and Mail. “There’s only one way to serve the readers and that’s with knowledge,” she told reporters at the Canadian Association of Journalists annual convention recently. Coutts said reporters need to get background on issues […] Read more

Weather reporting As Manitobans dig through another snowstorm, Winnipeg can only estimate how much snow fell. A snowdrift buried the weather station’s measuring device last Sunday. Fifty centimetres of snow at a time will do that. Farmers have an affinity for weather. Their lives and businesses depend upon meteorological information and its accuracy. Farmers need […] Read more

What are the advantages if the major television networks no longer follow politicians on the election-campaign trail? Last week’s column gave details of a proposal where the networks would pool their resources to send one five-person camera crew with each political party’s plane, then later share the footage. Most obvious is the cost saving. Hundreds […] Read more

‘Tis the season to be shopping. A recent Los Angeles Times story looked at the big consumer purchase errors, usually linked to impulse buying. On the list: Not carefully searching for a competent, honest auto mechanic; not maintaining the minimum bank balance required to avoid service fees; holding many credit cards instead of consolidating debts; […] Read more

Should quotes be taken from the internet? Recently a journalist participated in a chat forum (called a list service), run by the Canadian Association of Journalists. He later was surprised to find his written words used in a newspaper column. The journalist’s chief concern was that the columnist never contacted him to check why he […] Read more

A good specialized reporter is a bit like a farmer: Each doesn’t stop thinking about the job when the day is done. “The beat never stops. You’re always thinking about it,” said Dian Duthie, who hosts and produces The Health Beat, a weekly CBC TV feature on health, medicine and fitness. Rather than feeling frustrated […] Read more