Now on J-Source: Ethics of public office; Conflict photojournalism;
Undercover and on the run

News provided by

Canadian Journalism Foundation

Nov 24, 2010, 17:50 ET

TORONTO, Nov. 24 /CNW/ -

ETHICS
Journalists seeking public office: what are the ethical issues?
Is running for political office a career-ending move for journalists? Do news organizations have a right to prohibit employees' involvement in the democratic process? Does it all depend on the journalist's job or beat? It's a complex series of questions whose answers are shaded in greys, says a new report by the Canadian Association of Journalists, which also recently released a paper about the ethics of unpublishing online content. 
Link to article

VISUAL JOURNALISM
Always act normal: Photog explores conflict journalism
The first rule of conflict photography: never let your boss know you're anything but "normal." The second rule: don't get killed. Photog is a new media mash-up of true stories from conflict photojournalists, quoted verbatim but told as first-person events by the fictional Thomas Smith. Dana Lacey reviews.
Link to article

COVERING VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA
Journalist on the run
The vast majority of Mexicans who apply for refugee status in Canada are rejected. Luis Horacio Najera is an exception. He spent years as an investigative reporter in the badlands along the Mexico-U.S. border, writing stories on the drug trade and corruption. Then one day he learned his name was on a death list. Claude Adams takes up the story.
Link to article

J-NEWS
Outsourced and mass-produced: The Giller winner
When Johanna Skibsrud's The Sentamentalists won the Giller prize, her small-town publisher -- known for their limited-edition, hand-printed, Smyth-sewn books -- couldn't keep up with demand. Faced with the prospect of selling out its own business practices, the publisher found a novel solution to mass production. Jaclyn Nardone reports.
Link to article

THE BIG ISSUE

Can't we all just get along?
In Canada, culture clashes are part of the landscape - so it's no surprise when journalism gets drawn into the dance. This past week, Maclean's magazine stood accused of fueling Asian stereotypes, not the first time the magazine has been singled out for stereotyping. Meanwhile, a public talk by author and journalist Christie Blatchford collapsed amid cries of racism.

How can journalists avoid an us-versus-them mentality? For immigration beat reporter Lesley Ciarula Taylor, the breakthrough came after she discovered there is no single homogenous Tamil person, and began telling one story at a time. Her account is posted in J-Source's diversity coverage section, where topics like covering disadvantaged neighbourhoods and how not to cover aboriginal protests are raised and debated. On balance, we're lucky to report in a land where freedom of expression meets diverse audiences and raises intriguing questions.

EVENTS CALENDAR

IN THE NEWS

Glenn Gould doc shortlisted for Academy Award
"I am not a decent person. I am a journalist." War reporter David Axe
NBC won't charge for content: VP Mark Lukasiewicz
UBC j-students class project featured in Globe and Mail
Walking a fine line in Haiti
5 emerging trends that give hope to Public Media 2.0
Ezra Levant ordered to pay $25,000 for libel
Murdoch to launch world's first iPad paper
Undercover investigation into offshore havens
Blatchford says media and bookstores fearful even before protest at U of Waterloo
U of T prof says recent Maclean's story on Asian students 'fueled racial stereotypes' and shows journalists' failure to cover diversity
Former Country Guide editor Don Baron passes away
CBC modernizes journalistic standards and practices guide
Why the National Post uses Twitter
Are magazine iPad apps profitable in the long haul?
Swedish prosecutor to seek arrest of WikiLeaks founder
Texas court orders reporter to testify
On working indie mags in NYC
ATN to launch three Times TV channels in Canada
Press Council hearings will take place at Ryerson University

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TOWN HALL

"Corinna makes a lot of assumptions in her comments - assumptions that are unfair to the freelance plight. With that said, she notes that more money is often offered for additional Rights. But let's see...is an additional payment of $2.50 for Electronic Rights (take it or leave it) REALLY a valid offer to a seasoned writer who never misses a deadline and whose work rarely needs much, if any, editing? I've recently been offered that amount on three different occasions. On three different occasions (with three different publishers, I might add), I've turned that rate down and kept my work in my top drawer rather than be thusly exploited. Slave labour was supposed to have been abolished many years ago."  

Reader Comment: Dorothy Pedersen
Post: Money, power and the freelance journalist  

"A reeeeally useful set of tips that I'll definitely be sharing with my own students -- thanks! My one quibble would be with #5: Unless an internship applicant has a huge amount of media experience, other jobs still matter -- so I'd suggest you don't leave them out. Separating them from media-related work, perhaps, but it says a lot if you've worked in jobs that are stressful (such as serving in a busy bar) or that call for leadership (such as supervising lifeguards). Smart newsroom managers will also be looking for reporters who have a breadth of life experience, too -- and jobs ranging from construction labourer to baker's assistant provide that."

Reader Comment: Dave Tait
Post: Applying for summer internships? Learn from my mistakes

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