“The press can be surprisingly easy to co-opt. But remember the Woodward-Darman law, which dictates that a friendship between reporter and source lasts only until it is profitable for one to betray the other.”— Maureen… Read More
“My parents were less than thrilled when they got the news. I can understand that: a life in the arts is chancy in at least a hundred ways, ninety of them financial. My mother said,… Read More
In early 1986, the British TV series Yes, Prime Minister aired a scene that remains stunningly relevant with its lessons about political manipulation, polling, media literacy and public policy. The series was a sequel to… Read More
As rock managers went, Ian Faith always looked for the best way to frame a situation … and to take advantage of a poorly worded question, too. Ian Faith, of course, never existed. Played by… Read More
“Manuscript: something submitted in haste and returned at leisure.”— Oliver Herford The quote of the day is about something freelancers will know well. It’s also, alas, a bit of an anachronism. Gifted in multiple ways… Read More
“People will be sympathetic to you if you are thinking out loud. If you seem to be grasping your way, trying to get a handle on what you’re learning and where you want to go… Read More
If I were to play you two slightly different versions of a radio news report, or perhaps one for television, I wonder if you could tell the difference. I bet you could. The content, structure… Read More
When I lived in Ottawa, I was always so impressed by the late, great photographer Bruno Schlumberger, who knocked it out of the park over and over and over again for the Citizen. Schlumberger had… Read More
“It would be irresponsible for me and CNN to tell you what the person being gang-raped says, what the rapist says — and to give each equal time and moral equivalence. I can’t do that… Read More
Most journalists are accustomed to encountering a politician who is thrown by a question, or who seems uncertain while formulating an answer. Occasionally, though, you get the “deer in the headlights” look, with a politician… Read More
I have written plenty of obituaries over my time, and by that I mean news stories about public figures whose lives were remarkable. I also wrote or edited many articles involving death. There’s a language… Read More
“Nothing recedes like success.” — Walter Winchell For decades an observer (and sometimes an instigator) of the news, the columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell certainly witnessed and documented the rise and fall of many a… Read More
It’s a snow day in St. John’s, and even more so just outside the city, where the snowfall accumulations are really piling up. An odd thing about St. John’s in winter: the closer you are… Read More
Cindy Billingham had lived out her working years in Yukon before moving to Newfoundland with her husband Ron for their retirement — only for Ron to die. Now she’s on her own, in a small… Read More
Less than two weeks ago, Paddy Daly announced he was done as host from VOCM’s Open Line, as much of a political institution in Newfoundland and Labrador as the House of Assembly itself. I mentioned… Read More