In Trump era, the death of the White House press conference

By The Canadian Press
The presidential news conference, a time-honoured tradition going back generations, appears to be no longer.
More than a year has passed since President Donald Trump held the only solo news conference of his administration — a rollicking, hastily arranged, 77-minute free-for-all during which he railed against the media, defended his fired national security adviser and insisted nobody who advised his campaign had had contacts with Russia.
But there are no signs the White House press shop is interested in a second go-round. Instead, the president engages the press in more informal settings that aides say offer reporters far more access, more often, than past administrations.
Full story

BNN, Bloomberg becoming partners

Business news channel BNN is going to become BNN Bloomberg this spring following a partnership deal between its corporate parent Bell Media (TSX:BCE) and Bloomberg Media, CP reports.
The deal will see the station add several hours of live evening television coverage of Asian markets, early morning programs from Europe and contributions from Bloomberg reporters.
BNN’s website will become BNNBloomberg.ca and include Bloomberg’s international news coverage.
The partnership will also see an increase in BNN’s syndicated radio content available for distribution to Bell Media radio stations, including rights to distribute the Bloomberg Radio livestream in Canada and a new channel on iHeartRadio.
BNN started in 1999 as Report on Business Television before it rebranded to its current moniker in 2007.
Bloomberg TV Canada announced in August that it was cutting its two original Canadian business programs, and in September the channel was replaced by Bloomberg TV.

Court finds tribunal secrecy unconstitutional in response to Star challenge

Ontario Superior Court declared as “invalid” provisions of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that delay or block public access to tribunal records. The province has one year to consider how to make its tribunal system more open and accessible to journalists and the public.

Full story

Steve Paikin cleared after investigation into allegation of inappropriate comment

Steve Paikin has been cleared of an allegation that he made an inappropriate sexual comment to a Toronto mayoral candidate during a business lunch in 2010the Star reports.
“An independent third-party investigation commissioned by TVO to examine allegations by Sarah Thomson has been completed,” TVO chief executive officer Lisa de Wilde said in a written statement released Friday. “The investigator found that the allegations were not substantiated and Mr. Paikin did not violate TVO policies. As such, the investigation is now closed.
“TVO is proud of the work of Steve Paikin, who has been at the centre of TVO’s journalism for more than 25 years.”
MORE

Attempt to organize the National Post newsroom fails

J-Sourse reports that an attempt to organize the National Post’s newsroom has failed after the Ontario Labour Relations Board delivered a ruling on a number of challenged ballots.
Seven names on management’s list of employees were challenged by the union in 2017. The final vote against joining the union -- CWA Canada -- was 32 to 31.
Full story

Former Rogers president Ken Whyte launches non-fiction publishing house, acquires small press

Kenneth Whyte, former president of Rogers Publishing Ltd. and past editor of Maclean’s and the National Post, announced this week that he is launching a publishing venture that represents a departure from his decades in journalism, Becky Toyne writes in the Globe and Mail. The Sutherland House, will release its first books in early 2019.

The press will be devoted to the publication of literary non-fiction, with books already under contract including We, The Meeple, an examination of culture, history, society and relationships through the medium of board games by former Walrus editor Jonathan Kay and board-game expert Jonathan Moriarty, and Perfect City, a guided tour of the world’s great cities by urban strategist Joe Berridge.

Full story

The Globe's John Doyle takes another run at The National

"CBC’s The National is confusing, well-meaning and maddening," says the headline above John Doyle's piece. He writes:

"Readers write to me about The National. That would be the usual thing if I write something about CBC’s flagship newscast. But readers now write to me regularly about The National, not just in response to a column.

"Mostly, they complain. Often, they’re writing to tell me they’ve given up. They stopped watching because the hour of news is confusing and they don’t feel they’re getting a definitive, authentic roundup of the important news of the day. A constant complaint is that, at the top of The National, two or three stories are presented as the news agenda. Then other stories appear in the lineup, getting brief or extensive coverage, unannounced.

"Some long-time viewers are irritated by the use of on-screen text to promote an upcoming story in a certain number of minutes. The appearance of the text is too brief to read, let alone register. Others are irritated by what they see as overemphasis on Indigenous-related stories and content in the mini-documentaries that are featured. The latter complaint isn’t made in a rancorous, dismissive manner. It’s just that some readers who watch The National feel the coverage of wrongs done is relentless. They roll their eyes.

The full story

Ben Chin to be Morneau’s next chief of staff

Former TV news anchor and veteran political aide Ben Chin will soon be taking over as Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s chief of staff, The Globe  and Mail's Bill Curry reports.

Chin will begin his new position on May 1.

Chin joined Morneau’s office in October as a senior adviser and worked with the minister on the rollout of the government’s third budget, a document that focused on gender equity and funding for scientific research but did not lay out a timeline for balancing the books.

Richard Maksymetz, who has worked as Morneau’s chief of staff since the Liberals formed government in 2015, is leaving for a job outside of government.

Paul Bliss sues CTV, woman who accused him of sexual misconduct

Former CTV News reporter Paul Bliss who is facing sexual misconduct allegations is suing the broadcaster, its parent company and the woman who levelled the accusations against him.
Bliss, whose departure from CTV was announced last month, claims Bridget Brown defamed him with her allegations and CTV further defamed him by broadcasting and publishing stories about his suspension from the network in January.
Bliss’ suit, which also targets four unidentified CTV journalists, seeks $7.5 million in damages.
“The defamatory words have created damaging speculation respecting Mr. Bliss and his ability to interact and work with people and has lowered his reputation in the general public,” his statement of claim said.
CTV refused to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in a Toronto court this week.

Brown, who describes herself as a Calgary-based entrepreneur and former CTV employee, said her legal team was reviewing Bliss’ suit.

“I find virtually everything in the statement of claim to be false,” she said. “We have some time for our response and have not compiled one yet, nor any potential statements of claim of our own that we may decide to file.”
Brown alleged in a January blog post that “an award-winning CTV reporter and anchor” had, in 2006, showed her to his office, began kissing her, pushed her head down to signal that he wanted oral sex, and exposed himself to her. (CP)

No media bus for Doug Ford

CP's Paula Loriggio writes that Doug Ford will not have a media bus following him as he criss-crosses the province ahead of the June election, an accommodation traditionally offered by Ontario's party leaders to facilitate coverage while they hold multiple daily events in different cities.
Spokeswoman Melissa Lantsman said Ford's campaign events will be broadcast online and his itinerary will be released for media interested in covering them in person.

"Most media outlets have shifted to covering events from their office and relying on live feeds. It is in our interest to have as much media coverage as possible and will do everything we can to ensure our events are streamed online to assist in that," she said in an email.
Experts say the decision suggests a campaign strategy that centres on limiting questions and preventing Ford -- a brash politician whose candid remarks often make headlines -- from publicly going off-script.
Full story

When a local newspaper is attacked for telling the truth: Globe editorial

Excerpts from the Globe and Mail editorial:

"The dust-up began when the (Mississauga) News published a story accurately reporting comments (Ontario Liberal MPP Bob) Delaney made at a constituent meeting to discuss the provincial budget last week.

"In a testy exchange with a News reporter about rising debt, the MPP for Mississauga-Streetsville said, 'With respect, that’s bullshit.'

“'We have tripled [the debt] and we’re proud of it, because we can afford it,' he went on to say.

"Faced with published evidence of his words, Mr. Delaney went on talk radio and said the News had their story wrong. He also ran a Facebook ad attacking the News for their 'seriously inaccurate and incomplete' story and suggesting that those who believed it were 'neo-cons.'

"Unfortunately for him, the News had tape. Their recording confirmed the original story.

"It takes a politician of a truly adamantine shamelessness to lie in the face of recorded evidence, and Mr. Delaney is no Donald Trump.

"He has apologized to the News and admitted their story was accurate. But at this moment in the history of democracy and the press, even gaffe-prone politicians should know better than to try to smear journalists for doing their jobs, and doing them well."

Link to the fill editorial

        

Michael Goldbloom named chair of CBC/Radio-Canada

Michael Goldbloom, a former publisher of the Montreal Gazette, has been appointed chair of the board of directors of CBC/Radio-Canada, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Tuesday.
Goldbloom’s appointment to the five-year mandate was announced as Joly unveiled a new set of executives for the publicly funded broadcaster that included the nomination of Catherine Tait, a veteran media entrepreneur and executive, as president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, making her the first woman to be named to the post.
Goldbloom, who has been principal and vice-chancellor of Bishop’s University since 2008, was publisher of the Gazette from 1994 to 2001.
He also served as publisher of the Toronto Star from 2004 to 2006 and is currently co‑chair of the board of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Toronto Star brand to expand nationally via Metro dailies

Torstar Corp. is launching a major national expansion, adding 20 journalists as it reinvents its Metro commuter newspapers and strengthens its digital news presence in five of the largest cities in Canada, The Star reports.
Effective Tuesday, April 10, Torstar’s free Metro daily newspapers will be rebranded as StarMetro Vancouver, StarMetro Calgary, StarMetro Edmonton, StarMetro Toronto and StarMetro Halifax.
The Star's puff piece about this

Torstar Corp hiring!

Torstar Corp. says it is hiring 20 new reporters in Western Canada and will rebrand and upgrade the digital offerings of its five free daily Metro urban newspapers across Canada, CP reports.
It says that as of April 10, the Metros will be called StarMetro Vancouver, StarMetro Calgary, StarMetro Edmonton, StarMetro Toronto and StarMetro Halifax.
Torstar CEO John Boynton says the initiative represents a major investment in journalism for Torstar outside of its Toronto headquarters, where it publishes the daily Toronto Star.
He says "contrary to conventional wisdom," there is an appetite in Western Canada and the Maritimes for a "progressive voice" in media, adding the StarMetros will endeavour to match the Star's focus on social issues and in-depth investigations.
The investment represents an unusual move in the Canadian newspaper industry, which has been losing titles and workers for years.
As part of a sweeping newspaper swap in November, Postmedia Network Inc. bought Torstar's Metro Winnipeg and Metro Ottawa and closed them, while Torstar did the same with Postmedia's free dailies 24Hours Toronto and 24Hours Vancouver. That transaction is being investigated by the Competition Bureau.