“That’s the thing about lessons, you always learn them when you don’t expect them or want them.”— Cecelia Ahern I was intrigued enough by the wisdom of this quote — from the Irish author Cecelia… Read More
“A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because… Read More
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the… Read More
“I think that people in the field were magnificent. And they got the stories, and I put troops at risk to get their stories on every night. But the copy people and the editing people… Read More
For most of the last stretch of my career, I was a senior producer with CBC News in St. John’s, and for much of that time, I frequently sent out a note to colleagues in… Read More
“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