Category Archives: Media

Define “media.”

If your definition includes some sort of formal structure, as in traditional media, I’m proud to say I’m not at present a member of the media. Proud today, especially, as on this day a deserved dark cloud hangs over all members of the so-called media. Was it really only two days ago that respected newscasters on CBC, CTV and CNN had a good chuckle at the expense of the Duchess of Cambridge, in light of a stunt by a pair of wacky Australian shock-jocks? So much tittering over such a shameless and, sadly, successful plea for attention. But hey, the only victim in the hoax replayed round the world was an ailing, hospitalized woman in dire need of a rare spell of privacy, right? Good on ya, Aussie pranksters! Continue reading →

“It’s so Canadian.”

That, Jian Ghomeshi told an interviewer today, is how “somebody in the States” described Canada Reads to him in a Facebook message, after posing the telling question: “A reality show for books?”

Exactly. Canada Reads, the long-running literary series to which that somebody referred, is indeed so Canadian. A celebration of Canadian writing, the CBC Radio annual event has shone a light on many a fine book during its 11 editions. The concept is simple: each of five Canadians of moderate celebrity status champions a deserving book, the better to alert listeners to its presence and to celebrate this nation’s literary landscape. Since 2002, the informative and entertaining five-episode segment has given props to and alerted people to the existence of page-turners such as Lawrence Hill‘s The Book of Negroes, Paul Quarrington‘s King Leary and Yann Martel‘s Life of Pi (which lost the inaugural competition to Hubert Aquin‘s Next Episode). The choice of winner has been determined not so much by the merits of each work, as by the passion and persuasiveness of its corresponding celebrity. Continue reading →

I see by the ever-reliable date-stamp on this here blog that it’s been a week since we last spoke. Time for me to check in, then.

I tentatively began this stream primarily as a means to keep in practice as the world of journalism crumbles around us. I’d pitched a handful of stories to a website called OpenFile, which took the drastic action of dodging my solicitation by folding. I’ve also sent the occasional story-idea the way of the Citizen, a paper to which I have contributed a number of reviews and features. Indeed, weeks before I launched the latest version of this blog (initially taking the internet’s thirst for self-indulgent writing to its ultimate level by informing no one of its existence), I offered to the Citizen a lament for the impending loss of the institution that is the department-store restaurant. Nothing. Continue reading →

I was reminded today of my longtime resistance to the practice of assigning a star-rating to reviews of CDs, concerts and films. During my time as managing editor at a local weekly called X Press (don’t look for it; it’s not there anymore), I steadfastly refused to resort to summing up an artistic work with a series of symbols. I mean, if a film is given one star out of five, there is little need to read the accompanying review; you can pretty much figure out that the reviewer considers it to be unworthy or his, her or your time. Eschewing the star system in favour of informative and informed critiques, I’ve always figured, forces readers to (gasp!) read. Continue reading →