Update from the NNC’s complaints desk: March 24, 2022
Below are several complaints that the National NewsMedia Council received and addressed through reader education about journalism standards and best practices over the past few weeks. Readers express strong opinions on opinion polls Two individuals complained about what they felt was inappropriate reporting about a public opinion poll that gauged Canadians’ attitudes about people who are not vaccinated. The poll showed the majority of respondents were in favour of mandatory vaccination, and that more than a quarter of respondents favoured …
Update from the NNC’s complaints desk: February 17, 2022
Below are several complaints that the National NewsMedia Council received and addressed through education over the past few weeks. Satirical column falls flat for reader – distinguishing opinion from news An individual complained that an opinion column about attitudes toward COVID vaccination was insensitive and promoted hateful views. The NNC noted that the role of opinion writing is varied, and may include seeking to persuade, entertain, or enlighten readers. An ordinary reading of the article in question indicated that it …
‘Mother trucker’, our email just exploded!
In addition to the regular volume of complaints the National NewsMedia Council receives from the public about the editorial standards of the journalism produced by our member titles, we also hear from individuals who are concerned about what they see as insufficient coverage of a particular subject, or those who would like to see a specific story appear in the news. Over the last week, as a convoy of trucks and other demonstrators descended on Ottawa to protest COVID-related restrictions, …
Adjusted working hours during the holidays
2021 has been a hectic year. That’s why during this year’s holiday season, the NNC’s standard hours of operation will be adjusted. Our operations will close at the end of the day on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 and re-open on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. All relevant queries will be responded to upon re-opening. Staff will be spending their holidays re-charging their batteries for what promises to be an exciting 2022!
Oh editor, where art thou?
As a self-regulatory industry association, the National NewsMedia Council frequently hears from Canadians who express concerns about how our member news organizations report, or opine, on news and current affairs that have a public impact. Some of the most popular refrains from complaints include keywords such as: “bias”, “omission”, “inaccuracy”, etc. As a matter of process, before the NNC gets involved, we encourage complainants to attempt to find a resolution to the concern with the news organization at the ‘local …
The National NewsMedia Council is recruiting new directors
In 2022, the National NewsMedia Council (NNC) is looking forward to welcoming new public directors to strengthen its educational mandate. Public directors are members of the public who are not affiliated with news organizations that are members in the NNC and form a simple majority on the Council. Past public members have included teachers, lawyers, faith leaders, or those with expertise in business and/or management. To learn more about current NNC directors, please click here. All public members receive a …
What happens when editorial choices surrounding a story about divisiveness and lack of empathy are subject to the same criticism?
Over the past two months, the has NNC received more than 50 complaints, and dozens more phone calls, from people who expressed their concerns about a front-page layout of an August 26th edition of the Toronto Star. Readers were incensed over the front-page presentation of a story featuring strongly-worded tweets about people who chose not to get the COVID vaccine. The front-page tweets were, in many readers’ words, “divisive and hateful.” That day’s edition of the Toronto Star featured an …
Carleton University’s Rachel Watts named the 2021 Fraser MacDougall Prize winner
Rachel Watts, a fourth-year undergraduate journalism student at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting for her story Pandemic intensifies silent sorrow of Canada’s asylum seekers, published in Capital Current. This year’s judges agreed Watts’ story was thorough and eloquently written. The story’s compelling focus on chronicling the challenges asylum seekers face, even after overcoming horrific challenges in their …
Balancing competing views, listening to readers, and exercising editorial judgement
How many perspectives should be included in a brief news piece? When are letters considered an appropriate remedy to showing another side of an issue? These are questions that reporters and editors face every day as they exercise their editorial judgment to determine the angle of the story, the people interviewed, and the evidence used to provide an accurate account of events for readers. The National NewsMedia Council recently reviewed a reader’s concerns about accuracy and lack of opportunity to …
Announcing the four finalists for this year’s Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting
The National NewsMedia Council (NNC), in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), is pleased to announce the short list of four finalists for the 2020-21 Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting. This year’s shortlist was chosen from numerous outstanding submissions made by campus news organizations spread across the country. “It is so encouraging to see student journalists embracing the best standards in reporting, especially in the crucial area of human rights,” said John …