Go the distance
May 28th, 2013There are many tools in a journalist's drawer, and the Rob Ford drug scandal certainly justifies pulling out the sha ...
Blog by John Miller
Tell us the truth
May 24th, 2013The people we used to trust to uncover truth in society haven't covered themselves in glory during the Rob Ford drug scandal.
The central operating principle of journalism is supposed to be verification. So far, our news media haven't verified anything -- other than the fact that three people, including two Toronto Star reporters, say they've seen a video that appears to show Toronto's mayor s ...
Pay for it, I say
May 21st, 2013Of all the troublesome ethical dilemmas we have before us in the Rob Ford drug scandal, the least offensive one is for the Toronto Star to bite the bullet and purchase the videotape.
The alternatives are not good enough: (a) the video never surfaces and we don`t get a chance to judge for ourselves whether the mayor is a druggie; (b) it is purchased by a wealthy supporter of Ford and destroyed a ...
Gloves-off time
May 21st, 2013Mike Duffy got in trouble when he stopped thinking of himself as a reporter and started thinking he was something else -- an entitled celebrity with powerful friends and an unlimited expense account.
Now Mr. Duffy has been unmasked as Mr. Dummy, who professes not to know where he lives, who can't seem to understand plain English, and who has alienated most of the people who once adored him -- ...
Rush to print?
May 17th, 2013So this is what passes for "news judgment" in the age of instant information? Give us a break.
Beneath an advertising wrap-around for President's Choice proclaiming "Get fired up for the weekend," the Toronto Star's front page today featured what it said was an "exclusive" -- Mayor Rob Ford in crack video scandal.
Except it wasn't an exclusive. News of the video was posted earlier on Gawker, a ...