Tony Burman is Editor in Chief of CBC News — which includes news, current affairs and Newsworld. He is CBC's chief journalist, in charge of editorial content on radio, television and the internet. With more than 30 years' experience, he has produced many award-winning news and documentary programs for both CBC-TV and Radio. He has covered stories in more than 30 countries, including the Ethiopian Famine of 1984, the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. More...
We live in an era when modern governments frequently seem hostile to press freedoms, and many courts appear skeptical. The public, for its part, is often indifferent.
So let’s celebrate this important decision and welcome its implications, but not without some restraint.
If we could fast-forward several years, it’s possible to imagine a world in which media companies are seen as “content” or “information providers” — regardless of the medium, platform or device — rather than as, say, newspapers or broadcast networks.
Recent calls for the media to tread carefully when reporting possible “copycat” school killings have provoked considerable reaction in many quarters, including here.
"For everyone in Canada, and for us, the Dawson incident was a wake-up call. And we certainly acknowledge that there needs to be more thinking — and, inevitably, certain changes — in the way we approach these stories."
But if the O’Connor inquiry was scathing of the RCMP, and very critical of other parts of Canada’s security and political establishment, it also challenged Canada’s news media for their role in this story — particularly over the use of anonymous sources.
The trend toward blending news and opinion has provoked a debate in many newsrooms. As long as the quest for some form of objectivity and fairness remains a goal, does this undermine the public’s trust of journalists? Or does it result in a more authentic reflection of reality?
