NNC members invited to apply for accreditation to federal leaders’ debates
Earlier this week, shortly after the launch of the 44th federal election, the Leaders’ Debates Commission released an open call to all news organizations inviting them to apply for accreditation to attend one (or both) of the two upcoming leadership debates that will take place as part of the campaign. As part of the newly-released process, journalists from all NNC member publications will automatically be eligible for accreditation. The deadline for accreditation applications is Wednesday, August 25 at 23:59 EDT. …
Complaints we heard: Concerns about reporting on COVID-19 vaccines reaches fevered pace
How news organizations report on vaccines has been the subject of numerous complaints submitted to the National NewsMedia Council over the years, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the volume of those concerns has increased over the last year. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some individuals have expressed concern that any reporting on vaccine side effects could lead to vaccine hesitancy and, therefore, all critical coverage should be avoided. Others have alleged that the information reported is ‘biased’ and therefore should …
Protected: National NewsMedia Council Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting
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A new chapter begins at the National NewsMedia Council
The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) is pleased to announce enhanced roles for its two staff members following the retirement of Pat Perkel, the organization’s inaugural executive director, effective April 30, 2021. One can go to the Outlook Wealth Advisors to plan and manage your finances efficiently during the retirement days. Effective today, Brent Jolly has been appointed to serve as the NNC’s new managing director and will oversee day-to-day operations. Cara Sabatini will continue to serve in her role as …
Competition for fourth annual Fraser MacDougall Prize now open
The National NewsMedia Council, in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights, is pleased to announce the opening of the fourth annual Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Voice in Canadian Human Rights Reporting. The prize is awarded to an exceptional piece of student journalism, with a human rights focus, that is published in campus-based media during the 2020-2021 academic year. Winners (typically, the story’s writer and editor) receive a cash prize of $1,000. Previous award winners of the Fraser MacDougall …
An evening to celebrate public service journalism (and an industry legend!)
It’s not every day that one is presented with the opportunity to reflect on a career of more than 60 years in the news business, but for the NNC’s executive chair, that rare moment will be taking place on Thursday evening. This past June, the Michener Awards Foundation announced that John Anderson Fraser would be receiving the prestigious Michener-Baxter Special Award for long-term achievement in public service journalism. This special award, established in 1983 and presented at the discretion of the …
Complaints we heard: Freedom of expression or misinformation?
Over the past several months, the NNC has been hearing a great deal about pandemic-related reader comments and letters to the editor. “Yet another (letter) praising (a writer’s) comments has appeared in this week’s (paper). Large numbers of protestors have started to protest measures based on this type of misinformation that they believe affects them,” is one lament we heard. “It concerns me that misinformation, and disinformation for that matter, would even get published.” Some readers have told us they …
Complaints we heard: There’s more to the story than just its headline
The NNC has received several complaints this year about headlines. In two recent examples, both complainants were concerned that the headline of the story contained misleading or insufficient information. The NNC found no breach in either case, but instead identified relevant points for the purpose of reader education. In one case, an individual was concerned that the headline of a Globe and Mail article incorrectly attributed the statement that ‘Mi’gmaq students [were] no longer welcome’ in the province to the …
Complaints we heard: Moderating comments
The NNC recently reviewed a complaint from a reader who was displeased that Sudbury.com had removed a message posted to the comment section at the foot of June 23, 2020, article under the headline, “Graduate students say request to LU to waive tuition fees met with ‘basically silence’”. The complainant expressed concern that the news organization acted unethically by removing the comment, and stated that the act amounted to “unlawful censorship” and violation of Charter rights to free expression. In …
Michener Foundation honours John Fraser
The Michener Awards Foundation today announced it is presenting its prestigious Michener-Baxter Special Award for long-term achievement in public service journalism to John Anderson Fraser. This special award, established in 1983 and presented at the discretion of the foundation’s board of directors, has only been bestowed on eight Canadians in the past three decades. “It seems fitting that Mr. Fraser — an icon of Canadian journalism — receive this honour in our 50th anniversary year,” said Pierre-Paul Noreau, President of the Michener …