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Thursday, October 10, 2024
COPA Judges Blog
Guest Blogger
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On page 75 of Journalism for The Public Good, The Michener Awards at 50, author Kim S. Kierans writes me — yes, me — into the men’s room of the governor general’s residence in Ottawa, in conversation with the famous Canadian journalist/author/ editor and one-time master of Massey College, John Fraser.
He and I were at Government House for the presentation of the Michener Awards; he as an important dignitary (or something) and me as a finalist. I was editor of the Manitoulin Expositor weekly newspaper and in the GG john, John F. asked if I had my acceptance speech ready. I was like “yah, right.”
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As if they were going to hand Canada’s most prestigious journalism award to a weekly newspaper nobody’d ever heard of, when the other finalists included the likes of the Globe and Mail and Edmonton Journal.
Turns out I should have had that speech ready. Cuz we won!
First time ever for a weekly paper! Was one of the best journalisticky things that ever happened to me. But why — aside from my tireless campaign to seek attention — am I telling you this now?
Because it’s National Newspaper Week and you must read Kierans’ new book.
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Kierans’ a lively writer — you don’t get to where she is without flair — and the book’ll stoke your love of journalism, and newspapers, and all the great work you do.
This reminded me of the time I read Cherie Dimaline's novel The Marrow Thieves. I picked up The Marrow Thieves because I knew and seriously like and admire Cherie, who I worked with at Chatelaine, even though (or maybe especially because) one afternoon our boss Rona Maynard compared my and Cherie's management style to that of the Keystone Kops. I took it as a compliment.
Anyway, I started The Marrow Thieves because Cherie was the author but finished it because the story was so gripping. (The Marrow Thieves then went on to become a best-selling award winner. Feels great when that happens.) I started Journalism for the Public Good because my name was in it then finished the book because it was so damn interesting and easy to read.
Anyway, I started The Marrow Thieves because Cherie was the author but finished it because the story was so gripping. (The Marrow Thieves then went on to become a best-selling award winner. Feels great when that happens.) I started Journalism for the Public Good because my name was in it then finished the book because it was so damn interesting and easy to read.
JFTPG was launched at a Massey College event Sept. 26, and the event was like an interactive Ted talk on the seminal role that a robust fourth estate plays in democracy.
You’re busy. I’m not going into details. Get the book and read it.
But not before you read this: At the launch, the panel and visitors loudly bemoaned the drying up of traditional revenues for newspapers and other media, but Kierans eclipsed the dour clichés with what some might consider surprising optimism.
Enterprising reporters and publishers and content producers, fired up with what the first master of Massey College Robertson Davies described as “altruistic nosiness,” are finding new financial models to finance their work. Co-operative news organizations, lean online operations like the Narwhal (which shared the 2023 Michener with the Toronto Star) and outfits Kierans described as “hyper-local initiatives,” are appearing with increasing frequency.
“These stories will continue to be told but the platforms will be different,” she said, adding, “It’s like nature. Journalists keep popping up.”
More evidence of the same? In the audience Thursday was a friend of Kierans and the founder and CEO of a citizen-journalism startup called CITIZN, Murray Simser. Simser, who speaks fluent Silicone Valley, describes CITIZN as “UBER for journalism.” After the book launch, I asked Simser what the heck he was on about.
Here’s him on CITIZN: “Look, the idea of UBER for journalism is as broad as the concept itself.
“The possible combinations are limitless, but it means that every journalist now has a global potential audience rather than a local audience in their field of expertise. Say you are an expert in Northern Ontario [nice, Murray, thanks]; loads of people around the world would want to call on you, likely daily.”
I’m liking the sound of this. Guaranteed you’ll be hearing more about CITIZN. This all sort of reminds me of when I was working at the Financial Post, when reporter John Greenwood tried to sell us a on story about something called “The Internet.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. Not sure I do, yet! But I am looking forward to the future of the news business. Never mind what the loudmouths are saying about the future of news. The smart mouths are bullish.
About the Author: Peter Carter
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Toronto writer/ editor/ one-time magazine owner and publisher---35 years experience in Canadian magazines; currently Analysis Editor at Law360 Canada; an online daily news source for Canadian lawyers; Winner of Best Business Blog at COPAs 2014 for Pete's Blog&Grille; National Magazine Awards finalist; accordion player and motorbike enthusiast.
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Wednesday, October 09, 2024
COPA Judges Blog
Guest Blogger
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Pepper Parr, Publisher of the Burlington Gazette is writing a series of articles on the state of the industry. Pepper has been a judge of the COPAs and this series is also on the site at this link. This is the second of a series on the changes taking place in print media and the challenge keeping the public informed.
In the period leading up to 2000 media found itself facing realty difficult times. When Y2k (remember that event) was upon us no one really knew what was going to happen when we moved into the new millennium.
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Newspapers were selling their printing presses and contracting the work out.
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Media covered the event like a wet blanket – there were those that said it wasn’t really a problem while others suggested the machines that drive production would come to an immediate halt.
Media did a lot of reporting – but they didn’t pause to ask: what does this mean to us as an industry?
I don’t recall reading about any industry wide workshops; I don’t recall seeing anything in the way of op-ed pieces on what the industry needed to do in the way of changes.
Media covered disruption – without realizing that they were in line for some major disruption to their industry and they weren’t prepared.
The industry no longer had the aura of Watergate or the Pentagon Papers that made reporters heros – at that time thousands flooded into the industry wanting to be reporters. Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the subject of close to fawning news stories, television specials and movies.
By the late 1980s journalism schools were being closed. The number of students that graduated got smaller and smaller.
The age of the men and woman in the news rooms was made up of people in their late 40’s and 50’s – there was no new blood coming into the industry. And there were few MBAs on staff of the large newspapers.
Those that were public corporations had financial analysts looking at profits which were decent at the time – what those analysts didn’t see was that the boat was moving quickly toward a Niagara size waterfall.
When the disruption of the revenue sources began media didn’t have a Plan B – they watched is losses began to climb and subscriptions slowly slipped away.
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The data relates to American newspaper – the number will not be much different for Canada.
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By Pepper Parr
As Publisher of the Burlington Gazette I am driven by this statement. “Informed people can make informed decisions.” Media is the only sector that can deliver the information. The politicians don’t – they issue statements that project the story they want to tell. I have been a journalist from the day my first picture and story appeared on the front page of the Montreal Gazette. I have published books, magazines and newspapers. I was the founding editor of the Toronto Ward 9 News in about 1972. The Burlington Gazette started publishing as an on-line newspaper in 2010.
This story was originally posted in the Burlington Gazette on October 8, 2024 at this link
As Publisher of the Burlington Gazette I am driven by this statement. “Informed people can make informed decisions.” Media is the only sector that can deliver the information. The politicians don’t – they issue statements that project the story they want to tell. I have been a journalist from the day my first picture and story appeared on the front page of the Montreal Gazette. I have published books, magazines and newspapers. I was the founding editor of the Toronto Ward 9 News in about 1972. The Burlington Gazette started publishing as an on-line newspaper in 2010.
This story was originally posted in the Burlington Gazette on October 8, 2024 at this link
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Gadget Blog
Martin Seto
Yeah, I am using a coaching term, but this is appropriate for this solution. We face many industry challenges and the spiral that I am seeing in the publishing industry is going to a Black Hole, if we don’t raise our game to a new level. This discussion is happening with Newspaper Week across North America and we are joining the cause by supporting this as it takes a collective effort to fight off the digital myths of the web.
Digital Myths need to be reversed.
This is no easy task. The digital myths that we need to overcome start with this, that is typical of what people expect for their digital solutions. Just like the old days in high tech where “ Nobody got fired if they chose IBM”. Google has associated its brand with success too and took a page out of IBM's playbook.
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Here is a statement of the Industry in an Op-ed from News Media Canada CEO Paul Deegan to get the ball rolling.
National Newspaper Week is about Supporting Local Journalism
According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s Digital News Report 2024, Canadians’ trust in news is 39 per cent. For comparison, Americans’ trust is news is even lower at 32 per cent.
There are many variables at play in the decline of trust, including engagement-driven algorithms that deprioritize hard news – which traditionally provided a common set of facts – in favour of reinforcing one’s point of view rather than informing the reader. The rise of ‘fake news’, misinformation, and disinformation are among other factors in the decline of trust.
Across Canada, newspapers – whether print or digital – continue to cover school boards, cops, courts, city hall, and other issues that matter to the daily lives of Canadians. That’s why Canadians’ trust in their regional or local newspaper stands at a relatively healthy 65 per cent.
But real journalism by real journalists – not some artificial intelligence tool that scrapes the web for content, which is not always reliable – costs real money. Real local journalism involves the hard work of gathering facts, shows evidence of first-hand reporting — such as independent research, interviews, and fieldwork — and editing. The light rewriting, reproduction, or aggregation of news from external sources is not original journalism, nor is simply cutting and pasting news releases or loading up a website with copy from a wire service or with a carousel of clickbait.
While there is no one silver bullet to solve the economic crisis in journalism, there are solutions that can help.
First, businesses can support their local newspaper through advertising. Governments – federal, provincial and local – can follow the lead of the Ford government in Ontario earmark 25 per cent of advertising spend to domestic news publishers. For context, the feds spent more on China’s TikTok last year than all Canadian print publications combined.
The private sector shouldn’t be competing with the public broadcaster, which takes in $73,139,000 in digital advertising revenue while receiving $1,271,800,000 in direct annual government subsidies.
The government can provide the Competition Bureau with the tools and resources it needs to complete its investigation into online advertising practices in Canada.
And finally, Canada Post needs to return to the long-standing policy of exempting community newspapers with commercial inserts (e.g., flyers from local hardware and grocery franchisees) from the Consumers’ Choice program. Community newspapers with commercial inserts are not ‘junk mail’.
In a world where misinformation travels faster than truth, newspapers and their websites keep Canadians informed, connected, and engaged in communities from coast to coast. National Newspaper Week is an opportunity to recognize the 3,000 print journalists who work tirelessly every day to get news out to Canadians, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on how we, as Canadians, can support their work.
About Newspapaer Week
Across North America during the week of October 6-12 is National Newspaper Week. National Newspaper Week is an annual opportunity to recognize the critical role that newspapers play in an active and healthy democracy. It is celebrated in North America on the first Sunday in October. Local newspapers deliver vital information to Canadians, connecting local communities across the country and keeping citizens informed, engaged, and connected.
We will be having a guest columnist Pepper Parr, Publisher of the Burlington Gazette during this week in the COPA Judges Blog. Learn more about National Newspaper Week at www.nationalnewspaperweek.ca or www.ChampionsoftheTruth.ca.
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
COPA Judges Blog
Guest Blogger
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This is National newspaper week; an occasion to look at the challenges the news business faces.
Pepper Parr, Publisher of the Burlington Gazette is writing a series of articles on the state of the industry. Pepper has been a judge of the COPAs and this series is also on the site at this link.
Pepper Parr, Publisher of the Burlington Gazette is writing a series of articles on the state of the industry. Pepper has been a judge of the COPAs and this series is also on the site at this link.
That daily newspaper that was read in most households in the evening or the paper that was delivered in the morning before Dad left for work are things of the past.
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Once the largest newspaper in western GTA – the Spectator struggles to stay alive.
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We no longer have daily newspapers, or weekly newspaper that tell us what is going on in our communities, provinces, the rest of the country or the world. There are some daily newspaper being published. The Hamilton Spectator comes out six days a week but it is not the powerful local daily it once was.
Except for a small number of daily newspapers that are national in scope – the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times – include some of the financial press like the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times and that is what we have. There are exceptions but they are few and far between.
Those publications have reasonably robust advertising bases that fund the operation; everyone else was taken out by services based on the internet.
Craig’s List and Kijiji killed Classified Advertising
Craig’s List and Kijiji killed Classified Advertising; a service that drew in millions in revenue with little in the way of editorial expense other than taking down the information and setting it all up under the dozens of classifications. It was a brilliant idea that has been with us for centuries in different forms.
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Classified advertising was phenomenally successful
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Newspaper revenue from classifieds advertisements decreased continually as internet classifieds grew. Classified advertising at some of the larger newspaper chains dropped by 14% to 20% in 2007, while traffic to classified sites grew by 23%.
This was the beginning of the end for print newspapers. It took an additional decade and a half for the business side of newspapers to realize that they were in serious trouble – by that time it was too late.
In the past year the Toronto Star pulled the plug on their Metroland unit that published close to 50 weekly newspapers in the province.
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Soon after Kijiji was created others created versions of online advertising that included photographs – it was classified with colour and all on line.
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Without a financial base print was dead – going on line was the answer but it took time for the larger media companies to figure that out.
Newspaper could tell a story – they had sections that reported on business – the Globe and Mail Report on Business being the most successful. Ironic that while very good at reporting news they were not able to see how what they were reporting was going to impact them. They weren’t able to see the fundamental change that was taking place.
An interesting example of the newspaper that saw the change coming and found a way to change their business model. The Toronto Star and LaPresse, the largest French newspaper in Quebec, formed a joint venture with the Toronto Star to create a digital version of the newspaper and publish as online newspapers.
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Going totally digital worked for Montreal’s French language newspaper.
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It worked for LaPresse – the Star was never able to convince their readers that online was going to be the way you got your news. In 2016, a few years after the launch of La Presse+, print was restricted to Saturdays and shortly thereafter, on 31 December 2017, the last newspaper was printed.
Publisher Guy Crevier says the paper will become the world’s first major daily to go completely digital on weekdays as it responds to a permanent shift in advertising spending. Guy Crevier, publisher of LaPresse, pointed out that the North American newspaper sector had lost 63 per cent of its revenues — or $29 billion — over the past decade. “There is nobody who can survive in an environment like that.
The Toronto Star was losing far too much money – the family trust that held a majority of the voting shares accepted an offer to sell the newspaper.
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Nicole MacIntyre – Toronto Star editor
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The newspaper was acquired by NordStar Capital on May 26, 2020, after the board of Torstar voted to sell the company to the investment firm for CA$52 million—making Torstar a privately held company.
The two businessmen, Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett bought the newspaper along with the regional newspapers and the chain of weeklies, found that they didn’t share the same vision for the Toronto Star. Bitove bought out Rivett. In July the Star appointed Nicole MacIntyre as editor.
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By Pepper Parr
As Publisher of the Burlington Gazette I am driven by this statement. “Informed people can make informed decisions.” Media is the only sector that can deliver the information. The politicians don’t – they issue statements that project the story they want to tell. I have been a journalist from the day my first picture and story appeared on the front page of the Montreal Gazette. I have published books, magazines and newspapers. I was the founding editor of the Toronto Ward 9 News in about 1972. The Burlington Gazette started publishing as an on-line newspaper in 2010.
This story was originally posted in the Burlington Gazette on October 7, 2024 at this link
As Publisher of the Burlington Gazette I am driven by this statement. “Informed people can make informed decisions.” Media is the only sector that can deliver the information. The politicians don’t – they issue statements that project the story they want to tell. I have been a journalist from the day my first picture and story appeared on the front page of the Montreal Gazette. I have published books, magazines and newspapers. I was the founding editor of the Toronto Ward 9 News in about 1972. The Burlington Gazette started publishing as an on-line newspaper in 2010.
This story was originally posted in the Burlington Gazette on October 7, 2024 at this link
Sunday, June 09, 2024
Gadget Blog
Martin Seto
This opening statement is to inspire the next generation of content creators in Canada as we have the will, resources and passion to be world class. The COPAs have become an essential tool in the Canadian digital landscape in this annual showase for our industry of who is the best.
We must continue to grow and adapt in an ever changing world with technology companies pushing the next wave on us even if we are not ready for it like AI. Before that it was virtual reality, chat bots, big data and the list goes on. Some stick and some don’t like 3D TV and wearable glasses. Have you ever used a Chatbot on a telco website? What a horrible experience so there are more misses than hits.
We must continue to grow and adapt in an ever changing world with technology companies pushing the next wave on us even if we are not ready for it like AI. Before that it was virtual reality, chat bots, big data and the list goes on. Some stick and some don’t like 3D TV and wearable glasses. Have you ever used a Chatbot on a telco website? What a horrible experience so there are more misses than hits.
Personally, I had some creative growth in 2023 as my journey in the last year to become an actor that was part of my bucket list. So when somebody says it is over when you turn 60 they have been brainwashed by the “Freedom 55” ad campaign that has been embedded in today’’s mindset of success. ( BTW, I have hung around some retired guys and the most exciting thing they have to look forward to is the furnace man coming to the house, that's not me..LOL) You can still do great things in your 60's and 70’s. Here is a Keith Richards quote” You never stop growing until they put a shovel in the ground” as words to live by and if anybody was to die young it was Keith Richards.
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Star Trek Strange New World is shot on CBS Sound stages in Toronto
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This acting journey started with me wanting to get on Star Trek as background actor. It has shown me that we have some world class talent producing TV shows, movies and commercials. I personally have shot scenes in Toronto that represent cities in the USA like Washington, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and even an alien planet in the numerous sound stages scattered across the city. I got to realize the dream of being a background actor on Star Trek in Strange New Worlds this May 2024. Toronto is a global production hub as I shot a movie (Covid Drama) and Fantasy TV show where I play a Crime Boss just for Asian audiences not just for Hollywood.
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The Stromedy Channel has over 10 million Subscribers
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I even came across a YouTuber “Stromedy Channel” that had over 5 million million subscribers in July 2023 and now has over 10 million shooting from a home they purchased through YouTube ad revenue. I was in a clip that was seen 40K in 2 days as part of a ghost skit and now has over 500K. This experience greatly influenced the decision to add influencers to the COPA’s. This YouTube Playhouse I call them are an amazing group of people.
The journey also landed me a spot in a Quaker Oats Ad called “100 Reason to Rise” that was part of a global campaign, but was shot in Toronto because of the multicultural demographics that can represent the world. The client is based in London, UK along with the ad agency, but production was done in Toronto. If you ever take a stroll to all the cultural communities in Toronto you can go to little Italy, Manila, Greektown, Sri Lankan, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Russian, Caribbean, Mexican, Farsi and the list goes on.
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https://www.100reasonstorise.com
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(This experience taught me that long shots do come in as this was an open casting call and I pitched them my social media personna I had created and adapted for the ad pitch“ Grandpa Rent a Goalie” fueled by Quaker Oats along with a quote for a Rocky movie that I still have fire in the belly. I was also casted in an Expedia Travel ad that is still running, but only my elbow ended up in the ad LOL I have a reel now ClubMartySeto YouTube Channel)
Quaker - Rise Up Campaign
We at the COPA’s already knew about this culutural diversity and we have a catgeory for multi-cultutal stories and Orange Shirt Day on September 30 is the COPA entry deadline as a symbolic gesture like the call for Entries on July 1, Canada day.
My creative growth did have some unexpected turns too. I did a 5 min corporate video for Abbott Labs for a diabetes empathy story (I had to do a sugar shock scene 10x, so acting is hard work LOL). But the most fun was a live performance in a Murder Mystery skit at a corporate event where I got killed by a fork in the green room. This ride has taught me a lot things like all the film schools in Canada that are now part of the outreach of the COPA’s in the academic category.
Canada is home to some great talent that this posting is pat on the back to you ALL. As the producer of the COPAs I see it every year, but this past year I was on the other side of the content equation as talent and got to see the directors, cameras, lights and action. We have all the raw ingredients in Canada to create world class content on all levels in Canada. Let's keep telling the world about it so the next generation can be inspired to do better!
The 2024 COPA Call for Entries is July 1, 2024
The Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs) the largest digital publishing awards program for Canadian content creators call for entries is on July 1, Canada Day. The deadline for entries is September 30, 2024. The 2024 categories have been released in 4 divisions ( B2B , B2C, News, and Academic). The COPAs is now in its 16th year. Visit the 2024 Rules Page here .
Call for Judges
The COPA call for judges is now open if you are interested in becoming a judge and be part of the Who's Who of digital publishing in Canada. Register Here.
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| Lorene Shyba says: | |
Full of terrific information, Thanks!... |
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