Globe And Mail axes Tabatha Southey, Leah McLaren: Canadaland

Ahead of a major overhaul of the paper coming later this year, The Globe and Mail has let go of “a number of” longtime, high-profile freelance columnists, including Tabatha Southey and Leah McLaren, Canadaland reports.
Link to full story -- worth a read!

Man acquitted in impaired driving case after York Region police let news crew film him

The Star's Jacques Gallant writes:

A man was acquitted of a drunk driving charge after a Newmarket judge found his rights were violated when police allowed a TV camera operator to film him giving breath samples and speaking to a lawyer on the phone.

Ontario Court Judge David Rose wrote that there was no evidence to suggest York Regional Police placed any restrictions on a Global News TV crew on the night in question in 2016 after approving their presence at a RIDE check in Richmond Hill.

Concluded that Kunal Gautam’s rights to counsel and to be free from unreasonable search and seizure were infringed, Rose threw out the breath samples and acquitted him.

Full story

Sarah Palin’s lawsuit against New York Times thrown out

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a defamation lawsuit by Sarah Palin against The New York Times, saying the former Alaska governor failed to show the newspaper knew it was publishing false statements in an editorial before quickly correcting them.

The written ruling by Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the lawsuit seeking unspecified damages “fails on its face to adequately allege actual malice.”

“What we have here is an editorial, written and rewritten rapidly in order to voice an opinion on an immediate event of importance, in which are included a few factual inaccuracies somewhat pertaining to Mrs. Palin that are very rapidly corrected,” the judge said. “Negligence this may be; but defamation of a public figure it plainly is not.” (AP)

Full AP story

Globe and Mail cutting weekday Arts, Life, Sports sections: Canadaland says

The Globe and Mail plans to reduce the number of sections in its weekday print product starting in December, CANADALAND has learned. News and Report on Business would survive as standalone sections, with Life & Arts coverage folded into the former and Sports into the latter, as part of a larger redesign of the paper.
Final details remain undecided, but several sources connected to the paper expressed concern that the changes would result in a net loss of arts coverage.
While the impact on Monday-Thursday arts content would likely be minimal — given the limited space that it currently occupies — the loss of the standalone Film section published on Fridays in the Greater Toronto Area would be more difficult to offset elsewhere in the paper. Deadlines, however, would be later for “A” section content, allowing for more timely arts news and reviews.
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The Village Voice wasn’t a victim of the internet but of greed: Michael Hollett

NOW mag's founder Michael Hollett's piece in the Star about the Village Voice (except):

"The Voice got in a bloody battle with the cowboys at the hugely successful Phoenix-based weekly, the New Times. The New Times were more loud mouth libertarians than liberals, prepared for a death match for alt-media supremacy. Both companies and their backers were committed to buying as many alt weeklies as they could.

"The fight between the Voice and the New Times ripped the heart out of the alt weekly world. When we should have been savoring the glory years before the internet’s assault on our young readers, we were consumed by which of the two companies was courting us.

"The once anti-monopoly, anti-mainstream media were lining up to be consumed. After the late ’90s crash, the two companies pushed the limits of U.S. antitrust laws, agreeing to shut down competing papers in shared markets."

The whole story

Mike Duffy suing the Senate and RCMP, seeking over $7.8 million in damages

Sen. Mike Duffy is suing the Senate and the RCMP for the way they handled accusations about his expenses, seeking more than $7.8 million for loss of income and benefits and damage to his reputation.

Duffy filed a claim in Ontario Superior Court on Thursday that alleges his 2013 suspension by the Senate was unconstitutional and that the RCMP were negligent in their investigation.

In a statement, Duffy said he and his family suffered stress and serious financial damage and that his lawsuit is as much about the future as it is about the past.

“My civil action raises questions which go to the heart of our democracy,” he said.

Duffy’s lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, said the Senate overstepped its bounds when it took the unprecedented step to suspend Duffy. Greenspon said the decision was tantamount to an expulsion.

The claim alleges the RCMP failed to give Duffy a fair chance to respond to the allegations he faced and appeared to ignore evidence that would have proved his innocence.

The Senate must now file a statement of defence to respond to Duffy’s claims as part of a legal process that could take from two to five years, depending on whether the case goes to trial or settles out of court. (CP)

ESPN pulls broadcaster Robert Lee from Virginia football game over ‘name coincidence’

ESPN has removed an announcer from its broadcast of the University of Virginia’s first football game next month because he has the same name as a Confederate general memorialized in statues that are being taken down across the country, the New York Times reports.

The network announced late Tuesday that the announcer, Robert Lee, a part-time employee who calls about a dozen college football games a year for ESPN, would no longer participate in the broadcast of the Sept. 2 game in Charlottesville, Virginia, which became the centre of violent clashes this month during a white supremacist gathering.

Lee, whose full-time job is at a payroll services company in Albany, New York, started announcing games for ESPN and its other networks last fall, according to his LinkedIn page. For the past 17 years, he has also announced men’s basketball games for Siena College in Albany. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1999 with a degree in broadcast journalism.

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After more than half a century, The Village Voice is closing its print edition

Benjamin Mullin writes on the Poynter site:
"The Village Voice, a storied progressive alt-weekly that has watchdogged New York's political and business classes for more than half a century, is ending its print edition, its owner announced Tuesday afternoon.
The announcement is a symbolic blow for alternative weeklies across the United States, which have endured successive cuts and closures in recent years as print advertising revenue has dried up. The Village Voice, founded in 1955, is regarded as one of the first alt-weeklies and counts among its alumni crusading journalists and literary authors such as Wayne Barrett and Norman Mailer.
"In a statement, Village Voice owner Peter Barbey said that The Village Voice's website will remain intact and that The Voice 'plans to maintain its iconic progressive brand with its digital platform and a variety of new editorial initiatives and a full slate of events that will include The Obie Awards and The Pride Awards.'"
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Boris Spremo dead at 81

The legendary Star photographer has died of cancer according to his family.

Spremo worked at the Star for 34 years, and won 285 national and international photojournalism awards over a storied career.

Star story
Superb obit by the Globe's Lisa Fitterman

 

Shakeup at L.A. Times

L.A. Times reporter Meg James writes about her own paper:
"In a dramatic shake-up at the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago-based parent company has installed new leadership and plans to invest more resources in the news organization to move it more quickly into the digital age.
"Ross Levinsohn, 54, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and chief executive of the 135-year-old news organization. The move was announced Monday by Justin C. Dearborn, chief executive of Tronc, the parent company of The "Times and eight other daily newspapers.
Jim Kirk, 52, a veteran Chicago news executive, who was publisher and editor of the Chicago Sun-Times until last week, was named interim executive editor of The Times.
"The two men replace Davan Maharaj, who served as both editor and publisher since March 2016. Maharaj was terminated Monday morning, along with three senior editors: Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig.
"Levinsohn becomes The Times’ 17th publisher and the fifth in the last decade. He has spent more than 20 years in media — though never in newspapers. He said he’s excited to take on such an important assignment."
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How ‘bold’ will Mélanie Joly’s broadcasting policy be? Globe column

The Globe and Mail's Konrad Yakabuski writes:

I"n 21 months as Canada's Heritage Minister, Mélanie Joly has become known for saying as little as possible in as many words as possible. She always seems to be playing for time, despite insisting that she's hard at work crafting a Canadian cultural policy revolution for the digital age.

"Ms. Joly will have one last chance to reverse that impression when, next month, she finally unveils her plan to help Canada's struggling private broadcasters stay afloat all while answering calls from local creators for more funding to help them produce domestic programming.

"'It is important to have a strong cultural sector in the country,' Ms. Joly said this week in a typically empty statement. 'We have to be bold.'"

The full column

Bloomberg TV Canada ends in-house shows and cuts 22 jobs

Bloomberg TV Canada is eliminating its two original in-house Canadian business programs, including its marquee evening interview show, in a move that sees more than 20 people lose their jobs, the Globe and Mail reports.

The about-turn for Bloomberg TV Canada comes roughly 19 months after the station's high-profile roll-out that saw it snag anchors such as Amanda Lang, formerly of the CBC, and Pat Kiernan, a well-known Canadian-born but New York-based TV personality.

Twenty-two people involved in making two in-house shows will lose their jobs as a result.

Full story

Ottawa asks CRTC to reconsider rulings on investment in Canadian content

The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes:

"In a rare move, Ottawa has referred a number of TV licence renewals back to the federal broadcast regulator, asking it to reconsider how the licences affect investments in Canadian TV production.

"The decision comes in response to appeals from creative groups and others who raised concerns that the regulator's decisions would decrease some of the broadcasters' spending requirements for original Canadian programs."

Full story

Chronicle Herald workers ratify deal that will see layoffs and wage cuts

Newsroom employees at the Halifax Chronicle Herald voted 94 per cent in favour of a new eight-year deal, which union president Ingrid Bulmer described as a “relief” for members who have spent 18 months on the picket line.

Of the roughly 60 reporters, photographers, editors and support staff that walked off the job in January 2016, 25 will return to work next week, 26 are laid off, one is moving to Herald’s newly-acquired Cape Breton Post newspaper and the rest quit during the protracted strike.

Chronicle Herald president and CEO Mark Lever said the company was pleased the union accepted the offer.

The deal, which will increase the employees' work week from 35 hours to 37.5 hours, was reached Saturday following two days of mediation. (Globe and CBC)

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CBS All Access plan to launch in Canada next year

U.S. streaming service CBS All Access is coming to Canada next year.

The subscription platform behind the upcoming original series Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight says it’s looking to expand into new markets, CP reports.

The first stop will be Canada in the first half of 2018.

Last year, Bell Media announced it had acquired the exclusive rights to Star Trek: Discovery in Canada, which would have its debut episode air on CTV before being broadcast on Space and Z. It was also announced the show would later be available to stream on CraveTV.

It’s unclear if those plans will change, or if Star Trek: Discovery will be available on CBS All Access in Canada.

Man apologizes after kissing female Radio-Canada reporter on live TV without her consent

A man who kissed a Radio-Canada reporter on the cheek without her consent during a live broadcast last Friday has apologized for his actions. the Globe reports.  Journalist Valerie-Micaela Bain also said late Monday that she wouldn’t file a criminal complaint after she received the unwanted embrace from a concert-goer as she went live from Montreal’s Osheaga music festival last Friday. Startled, she shoved him away and yelled at him before calmly continuing her report.

She later posted photos and video of the man to Facebook in an effort to track him down.Bain took to social media again Monday evening, publishing an apology she received from the man — a father of two who said he was ashamed and regretted the unwanted gesture..

Tentative deal reached in Halifax Chronicle Herald strike

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald and the union representing the paper's striking newsroom workers have reached a tentative agreement in their 18-month-old labour dispute, CP reports. The Saltwire Network, which owns the Herald, and the Halifax Typographical Union said in a joint statement Saturday that a deal was reached after two days of mediation. The employees still must vote on whether to accept the agreement. The terms of the deal have not been released.

Ken Whyte muses about Postmedia on his blog

How much time does Postmedia have left?

The story

Adrienne Arsenault, Rosemary Barton, Andrew Chang, Ian Hanomansing to host The National

The CBC web page reports:
Four CBC journalists will share anchor duties as the network revamps The National to offer an expanded digital focus along with more insight and analysis on the day's news, the public broadcaster announced today.
Senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault, Power & Politics host Rosemary Barton, Vancouver local news host Andrew Chang and News Network anchor Ian Hanomansing were named hosts for the program that will debut in November.
Arsenault and Hanomansing will host from Toronto, Barton will be in Ottawa and Chang will continue to be based in Vancouver.
With multiple hosts, the four will all still be able to take turns reporting in the field. Barton, Hanomansing and Chang will stop hosting their current shows sometime in the coming months.
Full story