Moving on up

Global TV's Washington correspondent Troy Reeb is stepping behind the camera and behind a big desk. He's just been appointed vice president of news operations, to be based in Toronto. Announced Steve Wyatt, senior v.p. of news, in a memo to staff today:

In this new role, Troy will be responsible for coordinating our efforts at the local and national level. He will provide strategic direction to our news directors and the Global National team to enable us to make the best and most efficient use of our resources across the network on a daily basis.  He will be based in Toronto.  Troy will report to me and I will now be able to devote more of my time on the strategic growth of news programming in broadcast and beyond in concert with the Broadcast Leadership Team.

But what's this? (Boldface is mine):

Peter Kent will continue to report to me as Deputy Editor-in-Chief with primary responsibility for current affairs and documentary development. Also, he will continue to be our point person in enhancing our relationship with our print partners.  Peter will continue to play a key role in the introduction of new digital technologies. 

Peter Kent? Considering his run as a Conservative in the Toronto riding of St. Paul's during the last federal election, I would think he would be sticking to his responsibilities as executive in charge of equipment. But no.

One of those things that make me go, hmmmm.

Comments

[Bill-Muskoka]

Global National basically gave Harper a SMACK across his face tonight regarding his, and his PMO Ministers lack of attendance, a plan, or anything else of a substantive nature regarding the AIDS 2006 conference.

[Stephen Downes]

The bias was evident before the election, will continue to be evident after the elction, and was given the support it deserves during the election.

[Neale Gifford]

Something very sinister and sick is taking place with the religious right in the US. I strongly suggest you read for yourself. The link is http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2006/08/american_madras.html
Here in Canada, the religious right is trying to hijack our Conservative Party (now the government) with their agenda which includes anti-abortion, anti-gay and even the AIDS situation.

[True North]

Oh but if this were CBC there'd be hell to pay!

[CapitalCat]

Peter Kent is also doing some get out the vote work for Jane Pitfield in her campaign for mayor of Toronto.

Even though the name is Global, the perspective is parochial.

[Elvid]

So in additon to the "Israel lobby™", I guess I will have to worry about "Religious Right Lobby (USA™)' and "Religious Right Lobby (Canada™).
More seriously, does running for office mean that one should never be allowed to practice journalism again. Should Michael Valpy been allowed to the Globe after running for the NDP in 2000? Should Ben Chin return to driving a taxi cab and working at the Rivoli after his recent run for the provincial Liberals

[Antonia Z]

Elvid, I have a lot of time for Peter Kent. Always have. But there's a big diff between a hack or a bingocaller going back to the job and being a big poobah in the country's largest merged and converged news media organization, doncha think?

[Joan Tintor]

A fair call on Kent.

But ditto on Valpy returning to the Globe after he ran for the NDP. I believe they don't let him cover politics anymore, though.

As far as I know, Ben Chin still punches the clock at the Premier's office despite his by-election loss, so he's sticking with the "dark side" for now.

But CP24 anchor David Onley was appointed by the McGuinty gov't to an advisory body, while continuing his day job reading the news and intervewing politicians. Not a peep about it from journos that I am aware of.

Hmmm indeed.

[sooey]

well, i don't think anybody watches global for news, anyway, ms zerb...

[Big G]

Gee thanks AZ, now I have the theme from the Jeffersons in my head...

In a lame attempt at a threadjack, how many shows were spun off from "All in the Family"?
All of which were successful and relevant.

[Bill-Muskoka]

sooey,

'i don't think anybody watches global for news,'

I do, about every evening at 6:30PM. The coverage has been good, and CBC's National carries basically the same stories, as do most others. I do NOT watch CTV News. What a crock of hype that is!

How much of it do I believe? Not much! I get my news online, but enjoy the audio and video blurps, they use that passes for news!

They have been fairly balanced the past few months and Harper has not been getting many breaks, if any.

So, what are our friends the PPG up to lately? Still BMC'ing about access, or have they re-discovered work?

[Joan Tintor]

Big G (if you were serious):

The Jeffersons (Bunkers' neighbours)
Maude (Edith's sister)
Good Times (Florida was Maude's maid)
Gloria (short-lived sitcom about Gloria post-divorce)

[Elvid]

Rhetorical question about journalists retuning to the craft after running for political office, AZ? Not sure about Kent's role.

[Greg Felton]

Big G:

Don't forget "Archie Bunker's Place," in which Archie runs a corner bar. BTW, Maude was Edith's cousin.

[Big G]

Joan Tintor
is the winner

Usually everyone forgets Good Times.
Bonus points for Gloria, G-L-O-R-I-A

[Dan Moss]

Joan

Maude was Edith's cousin, not her sister.

[johnnykap]

And who could forget the episode when Edith died in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl? It was one of those quintessentially Canadian moments when the whole country united in mourning.

[Big G]

johnnykap
It was one of those quintessentially Canadian moments when the whole country united in mourning.

It's easy to blame the victims of substandard television production.
Back in the day of All in the Family et al there wasn't much out there in Canadian TV land.
Lets see... Wayne and Shuster. Tommy Hunter?
It wasn't until SCTV hit the airwaves when everyone woke up and that was produced by a private broadcaster.

[Gazooo]

It's a shame not to see the real issue addressed. Elvid asks: "does running for office mean that one should never be allowed to practice journalism again"?

Antonia's answer seems to be that it means that one should be allowed to practice journalism, but only low-profile or bush-league journalism. Working as a "hack or a bingocaller going back to the job" is okay. Being "a big poobah in the country's largest merged and converged news media organization" is not.

I disagree. I have no problem with former Conservative, Liberal, NDP, or any other politician going on to any journalistic role at all. The criteria should go to their performance on the job, not what they did before they took up the job. There are two reasons.

First, it goes without saying that every journalist will have opinions and biases, on the level of substance, and personal connections to people with particular opinions or biases, on the level of procedure. But the talent of a good journalist is to recognise and overcome those biases by reflecting the story fairly, and by providing the strongest possible version -- not the weakest, or caricatured, versions -- of even the arguments or points of view with whom he or she disagrees.

Indeed, to argue otherwise is probably an example of the popular, but ultimately unfounded, "Circumstantial Ad Hominem" fallacy (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/circumstantial-ad-hominem.html).

Second, we want journalists to feel free to go into politics without scuttling their careers. News journalists are, after all, people who cover a great deal of public life and, in theory, do so in a way that tells all sides of the story fairly, speaking to an audience that cannot be presumed to agree on any one thing beyond the basic principles set out in journalistic ethics guidelines. In other words, they've got to act in the interest of all, whatever their personal biases. The ability to do that well is a pretty good quality to have as a politician, even if the politician has got to come down on one side or another in the policy portion of the job -- think René Lévesque.

And, anyway, getting into politics doesn't get the journalist off the hook when they return to journalism -- they're still bound by the same requirements of rigour and fairness which today's journalists may or may not meet but, at least, are supposed to, per their published intent to meet ethics guidelines.

Sure, the journalist probably has a higher burden to meet, who returns to the game after politics, because the *appearance* of bias is that much more "in the air". But they should be deemed capable of, at least, having a shot at doing that good a job. If they don't, *then* start arguing that they should be canned. But based on their performance on the job, not on what they bring to it.

[Stephen Reeves]

There was King of Kensington,the BeachCombers
and remember the Trouble with Tracy??. great competition for 'All in the Family", "MTM" etc,.

[johnnykap]

Stephen: whenever I mention The Trouble With Tracy and the Beachcombers on AZ's blog as paragons of great Canadian TV, my tongue is firmly in my cheek. I trust yours is as well.

Now if you want to talk about a great show, think Three's Company. Do you remember the one where Jack overheard Janet and Chrissy talking about something, but it turned out to be a huge misunderstanding? That one was great.

[stephen.reeves]

Johnny,
My tongue is always in my cheek on this blog :)

[sooey]

oh yah! that was the one where krissy demanded more money from the network and everybody thought she must be crazy or a communist or maybe even a lesbian but it turned out her husband was just egging her on because he was also her manager but the kind that didn't like to do women's work i guess and later jack was like "but i'm the man - i'm just pretending to be gay" and janet was like "and i'm ugly, i mean, brunette" - and they were both like, "we're scared! you must be on angel dust! leave us out of it!"

[Joan Tintor]

Thanks for the clarifications!