You have to hand it to the Globe and Mail for its audacity of setting up a long-time employee as their new Public Editor to make themselves “more transparent and accountable to its readers”.
They have given the job to 25 year Globe reporter and editor Sylvia Stead who will report to the same guy (John Stackhouse) who gave her the job.
Stackhouse:
“There are few people anywhere in Canada more qualified than Sylvia to take on this role”
And to show just how complacent Stead is about what role a real public editor has at a newspaper, check out the quote from her:
“We have the greatest readers who are passionate about their newspaper and online coverage. I look forward to showing them how and why decisions are made.”
The Globe has learned well from the CBC how to use a phony ‘ombudsman’ to hide behind. (see here)
January 23, 2012 at 9:27 AM
Another person for the echo chamber. Who cares? It’s not like the Globe and Mail represents any sort of real news service. I particularly like her statement ” I look forward to showing them how and why decisions are made.” Of course she does! All petty authoritarians love telling others how to think. Just proves they actually think thier readership are morons… but then again they may not be wrong.
January 23, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Stackhouse:
“There are few people anywhere in Canada more qualified than Sylvia to take on this role”
A. Really? How so? Who in their right mind want to take on her role as editor to edit what. the same story repeated at ad- nauseun.
What about Jane Taber- the queen of Tabloid which the G/M has become.
January 23, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Unlike you, I am not familiar with the work of Ms.Stead at the Globe, but I wholeheartedly applaud the appointment of a desperately needed Public Editor or ombudsman at the Grope and Wail. This is a victory for serious readers of the news.
Newspapers slowly are recognizing the need for a vetting process of sorts for consumer complaints. It is long overdue in Canadian media. Reporters have larded their possible sausion over us without recourse, for far too long.
In some sense this an acknowledgement that reporters can no longer ignore us the readers without immediate ramifications.
January 23, 2012 at 11:15 AM
It’s worse to pretend to be doing something then not doing anything at all.
January 23, 2012 at 11:49 AM
Susann, just because you wish something to be true, doesn’t make it so. I too, would like to believe the Globe is sincere, but I don’t. This is not an altruistic appointment, it is a cynical one. It is precisely because of her background that she is uniquely UN-qualified for the job.
January 25, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Perhaps the Grope and Flail can just do like the CBC and IGNORE their ombudsperson………of course that raises the question of why even pretend to have one?
January 28, 2012 at 1:44 PM
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