Canada Offers Lesson On How Media Can Cover "Breaking News"| Crooks & Liars

[Fred Sanders]

Last edited Thu Oct 23, 2014, 09:51 PM - Edit history (1)

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/10/canada-offers-lesson-how-media-can-cover

As I have been intimating, America is going to get a lesson from Canada on how to handle the terrorists and their propaganda that the American media purposely and irresponsibly plays forward to generate fear.

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James West at Mother Jones wrote a great piece about how well and mannered the CBC covered the Canada shootings Wednesday, as compared to how the American media uses the ridiculous "Breaking News" hyped up nonsense that gives us no information, but hopes you'll stayed tuned anyway because they tell you it's "Breaking News."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation today gave a master class in calm, credible breaking-news reporting.

Anchored by the unflappable Peter Mansbridge, news of the shootings in Ottawaunfolded live on the CBC much like they do here in the United States: lots of sketchy details, conflicting reports, unreliable witnesses, and a thick fog of confusion. All of that was familiar. What was less familiar was how Mansbridge and his team managed that confusion, conveying a concise and fact-based version of fast-moving events to viewers across Canada and the world.

This live bit of level-headed reporting by Mansbridge, from around 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, should be given to journalism students around the country. It basically contains everything you need to know about why CBC did its audience proud:

MANSBRIDGE: And so, the situation is, as we say, tense and unclear. And it's on days like this—we keep reminding you of this and it's important—it's on days like this, where a story takes a number of different pathways, a number of changes occur, and often rumors start in a situation like this. We try to keep them out of our coverage, but when they come, sometimes from official sources, like members of Parliament, you tend to give them some credence. But you carefully weigh it with what we're also witnessing. It's clear that the situation is not over. It is clear the police are in an intense standby situation and continue to be on the lookout, and until somebody blows the all-clear on this we will continue to stay on top of it and watch as the events unfold.

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"Watch as events unfold"....as opposed to forwarding every unsubstantiated rumor before another media outlet reports on the unsubstantiated rumour.

Here is the error riddled and panicky reporting, from a liberal site, it is astounding how bad American media is on actual breaking news. How many errors can you count, other than the entire premise and headline?

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/10/22/3582987/numerous-gunmen-suspected-in-coordinated-shooting-in-canada/
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From original Mother Jones article:

Canada's Coverage of the Ottawa Shootings Put American Cable News to Shame

"No newscast, especially live news, is immune to mistakes, and during the initial haze of leads and counterleads, it's easy to point fingers. But for the six-some hours of CBC broadcasting I watched off-and-on (mostly on) today, I never once felt lost in the wall-to-wall speculation that has characterized so many recent breaking-news broadcasts in the United States.

It seems like others on Twitter agree that CBC did pretty damn well today:"

http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/10/cbc-ottawa-shootings-cable-news

[Spazito]

1. The CBC is the go-to network for me because of the quality of reporting...

news. Their journalists focus on facts not on rumor, innuendo or misinformation. The right wing want desperately to destroy it and the current conservative government has reduced the budget trying to kill it via funding starvation.

[riverbendviewgal]

2. Absolutely

It is amazing.... No one I know is getting wired up around my way. We understand there are nuts, crazes and radicals and this can happen. We watched and waited, our media reported it factually and calmly.

There will be things put in place to help prevent this from happening again.

The Harper government does want to kill the CBC because CBC does present the facts of what the Harper government is doing to hurt Canada. Hopefully in 2015 Harper will be voted out.

[Spazito]

10. I am not finding anyone who is even talking much about it...

beyond the facts. I think people are already to move on here and that's a good thing. I am hopeful Harper is gone in 2015 as his poll numbers are dropping fast.

[malaise]

4. In our hemisphere Canada has the best nightly news

and by a distance

[Spazito]

11. I watch both American and Canadian news (CBC) and...

I definitely prefer the Canadian coverage for sure.

[malaise]

3. It was refreshing watching the Canadians

operate like professional journalists.

[Fred Sanders]

5. Opened up Parliament the next day, today, and carried on...big cold Canadian finger to those

that try to put them in fear....whereas Americans tremble in terror, and helpfully pass on the propaganda of the terrorists so as to sow more fear....look and learn, it is a Canuck teachable moment.

Notice how no one is blaming any politician, Canadians are blaming the mental illness of a very criminal and vulnerable man.

Lucky for them they can turn to a new Ebola patient to switch up the fear and prevent a little self reflection.

[malaise]

6. Not only that

They showed us all the available video of the gunman in action - nothing was hidden from the public, but they refused to 'make shit up' while it was ongoing. I was particularly impressed when they ignored a Reuters report but cause they could not corroborate - no rumors were allowed.

[Fred Sanders]

7. Malaise, I think there will be few things we do not entirely agree on. Thanks.

[malaise]

9. Nothing's wrong with that

I have never shared the view that people have to agree with them on everything

[Barack_America]

8. IMO, our news went to shit when we lost our Canadian import, Peter Jennings.

What he would think of the way news is reported (or not) today.

[pansypoo53219]

12. butbutbut ratings!!!!111~!1