Days Of Sue-Ann Supreme
Posted on November 23, 2012 by "Brother" of Cityslikr
In future days, will this be the face of the Toronto Sun?
DEVILITATOR
One might argue it already is but I'm referring specifically to the paper's former editorial page editor, Rob Granatstein's thoughts on the most recent cuts to Sun Media's newspaper chain.
The cuts have crushed the local newsrooms. When the latest victims of downsizing are gone, Toronto will be down to three general assignment news reporters, according to people in that newsroom, unless staff is reassigned. That's flat out ridiculous. The Sun will rely even more on its columnists to generate the news going forward. [Bolding ours.]
The Sun. Columnists. Generating news.
Information flowing forth, free of context, full of personal opinion. News from top down not bottom up.
This isn't just about it being the Toronto Sun. Any newspaper working with a skeleton crew of reporters and teetering precariously with op-ed writers isn't a newspaper. It's, well, an organ of opinion, both informed and otherwise.
It would be just like… All Fired Up in the Big Smoke. Only with inkier fingers.
Frankly, I wouldn't be able to do whatever it is I do without piggy backing on the work of Daniel Dale, David Rider, Robyn Doolittle, Kelly Grant, Elizabeth Church, Don Peat and a handful of other reporters who tirelessly dig up the dirt and parse information on Toronto politics on a seeming 24 hour, 7 day schedule. I'd hazard a guess neither could the bigger names a couple paragraphs up. The less reporting that gets done, the more, what would you call it?,
PRing happens?
Picture Toronto, with the discourse only consisting of the views from the likes of Sue-Ann Levy, Joe Warmington, Royson James, Christopher Hume, Rosie DiManno, Chris Selley, Matt Gurney, Christie Blatchford, Marcus Gee, Margaret Wente?
"Columnists have found themselves out of jobs because they were too agreeable to those in power," says Granatstein in this week's Grid profile of Ms. Levy, "and it makes for weak reading. Wearing the Ford colours has hurt Sue-Ann…That means she struggles to get the other side of the story sometimes. People don't feel she gives them a fair shake."
While at the moment this may be a bigger bind for Sue-Ann because she's in so deep with Team Ford, this can be a ditch all opinion writers must fight not to steer into. I'm sure the Star's Christopher Hume has problems gaining access to the mayor and his staff. His colleague, Royson James, could hardly be considered an honest broker back in the day with the Miller administration. Remember his one-man, moralistic crusade to de-rail Adam Giambrone's mayoral bid?
But that's not really why we read columnists, is it? For impartiality or objectivity? We're looking for opinions.
Hopefully ones based on at least a semblance of reason and reality but we certainly don't view their words as gospel or final on any given topic. Their purpose really is to either make our blood boil or confirm our biases.
Newspapers stressing op-eds over real reporting are nothing more than modern versions of olde thyme pamphleteering. And, if I do say so myself, that's kind of our bailiwick, over here on the interwebs. We need newspapers to remain newspapers. Otherwise, we'll all just be making shit up to push forward our agendas, unchecked and unsupported.
— opinionatedly submitted by Cityslikr
This entry was posted in City Building, Municipal Politics, Newspapers, Philosophical Musings, Press coverage, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, Toronto Star and tagged Canadian Journalism Project, Chris Selley, Christie Blatchford, Christopher Hume, City Hall, Daniel Dale, David Rider, Don Peat, Elizabeth Church, Joe Warmington, Kelly Grant, Marcus Gee, Margaret Wente, Matt Gurney, Patricia Pearson, Politics, Rob Granatstein, Robyn Doolittle, Rosie DiManno, Royson James, Sue-Anne Levy, The Grid, Toronto by "Brother" of Cityslikr. Bookmark the permalink.
3 thoughts on "Days Of Sue-Ann Supreme"
glenn storey on November 23, 2012 at 8:54 pm said:
the toronto sun is the worst newspaper in the history of newspapers.
Wendy Baskerville (@ChefWendyB) on November 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm said:
The Sun is really not a newspaper anymore. More a kind of National Enquirer kind of tabloid joke. Won't be long now before we see headlines like Two Headed Baby Born in Spuzzom B.C. SAL is far from a journalist in my book. She is an attack specialist and an obvious embarasssment to the real journalists covering City Hall. She rarely seems to do any research or fact checking. She just lurches out and seems to never give a thought to who she might be hurting. |More like a 7th grade playground bully than anything else.
Nice column as usual. Carry on!
Sonny on November 25, 2012 at 1:48 pm said:
So why is the witch at the Sun news?
ON MON. at 10am. Some Law & Order Conservative should accept his fate! The penalty for violating the MCoIA is removal from office & a 7 yr ban from running.
In a financial matter for the amount of $3150; Rob voted along in a big fuck you to the City Hall integrity commisioner