J-Talks Live explores media reliance on police accounts
TORONTO, Oct. 6, 2021 /CNW/ - Karen Attiah, columnist with The Washington Post, Wendy Gillis, crime and police reporter for the Toronto Star, and Adrian Harewood, host of CBC News Ottawa at 6, will explore the media's reliance on official police accounts at the next Canadian Journalism Foundation's (CJF) J-Talks Live free webcast on Thursday, October 14 at 1 p.m. ET.
In May 2020, the viral video recording of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police sparked months of protest, focusing the world's attention on police brutality and raising important questions about the information police share with the public. Cases such as Floyd's are among several high-profile incidents in the United States and Canada causing newsrooms to rethink their reliance on police narratives. This shift creates tensions for reporters who rely on police sources to provide crucial information for crime coverage. To explore this issue, CJF's J-Talks Live presents Beyond Police Say, a discussion of how Floyd's death and other high-profile cases are changing the way journalists report on police and their activities.
"Journalism has long privileged police reports in the daily news file," says CJF board chair Kathy English. "George Floyd's murder and the way first police reports presented his death make clear that it is well past time that newsrooms think beyond reporting what 'police say.' This J-Talks Live panel will explore how journalists can move forward to hold police to account for the information they provide the public."
Karen Attiah, a 2019 George Polk Award winner and the National Association of Black Journalists 2019 Journalist of the Year, is a digital producer for the Post's opinions section, covering issues relating to race, gender and international politics.
Wendy Gillis's coverage of police accountability and justice has earned her several journalism awards and nominations, including the 2021 CJF Landsberg Award for her reporting on violence against women.
Adrian Harewood, as host of CBC News Ottawa at 6, covers major stories in Canada's capital city and has guest-hosted programs such as As it Happens, Sounds Like Canada and The Current.
Together, they will be in conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti, one of Canada's best-known journalists and host of the CBC podcast More.
This free virtual event is part of the CJF's J-Talks Live program that explores pressing journalistic issues.
The CJF thanks the generosity of exclusive J-Talks Live series sponsor TD Bank Group and in-kind supporters CPAC and Cision.
Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the CJF.
DATE: Thursday, October 14, 2021, 1 p.m. ET.
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About The Canadian Journalism Foundation
Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious awards and fellowships program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation
Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected]
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