CBC News
Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK


Tony Burman was Editor in Chief of CBC News until the summer of 2007. He was CBC's chief journalist, in charge of editorial content on radio, television and the internet. With more than 30 years' experience, he produced many award-winning news and documentary programs for both CBC-TV and Radio. He covered stories in more than 30 countries, including the Ethiopian Famine of 1984, the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

How do we protect the crucial role of investigative journalism?

Thursday, May 24, 2007 | 09:37 AM ET


In a 24/7 era when people can feel overwhelmed by the massive amounts of information that flood down on them each and every day — some of it important, most of it not — why does investigative journalism matter more than ever? Because it helps people, as citizens, better understand what is happening in their society and how they can best deal with it. That will be one of the themes this weekend at an important meeting in Toronto that brings together journalists, authors and documentary filmmakers from more than 30 countries.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (11) | Link to this

Why the struggle of Arab journalists matters to us

Thursday, May 17, 2007 | 03:18 PM ET

In a week when Middle East tensions seemed to be at the breaking point, how is the world — including the Arab world — to know what truly is happening in the Gaza Strip? With Western journalists no longer able to function in Gaza without the probability of being kidnapped, international news organizations have been relying on Palestinian journalists. So it was more than ironic on Wednesday that Gaza’s remaining broadcasters became the centre themselves of a very harrowing siege that was shown live on television.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (5) | Link to this

Why BBC's kidnapped Alan Johnston needs to be freed

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 | 10:28 AM ET

As the political drama in Israel deepened, there was a special poignancy for many journalists last Thursday — designated by the UN as World Press Freedom Day — as vigils were held around the world in support of Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist kidnapped in Gaza more than seven weeks ago. There have been more journalists killed in the past year covering Iraq and the Middle East than ever before. But the plight of Alan Johnston has struck an exceptional chord among many in the Middle East and beyond, and it’s instructive to explore why.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (9) | Link to this

Media debate over Virgina tech video

Thursday, April 26, 2007 | 09:44 AM ET

Last week, NBC News received in the mail a sick, horrifying multi-media ‘press kit’ from a mentally-disturbed young man who went on to kill 32 people at Virginia Tech University. On its evening newscast, NBC ran several minutes of excerpts. At the CBC, we did not broadcast any video or audio of this bizarre collection. CBC's handling of this issue has been criticized by some other media. That’s fine, and predictable. It's an important debate. The fact is that this is not about ‘censorship’ or ‘avoidance.’ It’s about ‘editorial choices.’

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (42) | Link to this

A story of victims and issues, not only the killer

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | 01:26 PM ET

So what will be the iconic image that will forever recall the massacre at Virginia Tech? Will it be the grandfatherly face of Holocaust survivor Liviu Librescu? Or the glowing smile of Canadian Jocelyne Couture-Nowak? Some sort of composite photo of the more than 30 innocent victims of this awful event? Or will it be the sullen image of the dark, demented killer?

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (115) | Link to this

Hostage videos as a weapon of war

Monday, April 16, 2007 | 10:48 AM ET

There is something incredibly haunting about this latest ‘hostage video’ — obtained by CBC News in Khandahar last Friday — that has just emerged from Afghanistan. It is pure emotion from beginning to end. The emergence of this videotape became one of the major international stories this past weekend. It was reported on the weekend by hundreds of newspapers and networks across the world. But why didn’t the CBC broadcast the full video as part of its news coverage?

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (18) | Link to this

Issue of global warming isn’t going away

Friday, April 13, 2007 | 04:21 PM ET

What do the Black Eyed Peas, the Beastie Boys and Foo Fighters have in common? They will be among the 100 musical acts who will give the fight against global warming the pop world’s imprimatur in a 24-hour “Live Earth” concert in July. As recent as several months ago, there were predictions in the media that public concern over global warming and climate change would eventually evaporate. Like a hummingbird — or so it was said — the public would fly to another flower. But events in recent days have indicated the opposite.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (27) | Link to this

Vimy, The Great War — and today

Thursday, April 5, 2007 | 01:29 PM ET

So what’s the meaning anymore of the Battle of Vimy Ridge? Or The Great War? Why reach so far back to the past century to remember? Why do the battlefields of France still matter now? For anyone who marvels at the connection between history and today, this will be a very special weekend.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (64) | Link to this

Seven major trends for today’s news media

Monday, April 2, 2007 | 09:45 AM ET

The challenges facing today’s major news organizations are seemingly unlimited, and so are the multitude of strategies being employed by these companies to respond to them.The need for significant, even radical change is now widely-accepted in the industry — at least in theory — and the reasons for this were outlined in gruesome detail in the fourth Annual Report on American Journalism: The State of the News Media 2007, which is available online.

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (14) | Link to this

Is the era of YouTube politics beginning?

Monday, March 26, 2007 | 12:08 PM ET

With an exciting election in Quebec and the prospect of a Canadian general election in the Spring, the era of YouTube politics taking shape in the U.S. presidential campaign is becoming particularly interesting. Will Canadian politics soon follow suit?

Share your thoughts and read others »

Comments (20) | Link to this

Letters from the Editor in Chief Archives »

Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

World »

Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday video
Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child.
Eurozone meeting on Greek bailout cancelled video
A meeting of the finance chiefs of the 17 euro countries to discuss Greece's second multibillion bailout planned for Wednesday was called off after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union.
CN blamed for fatal train derailment in Illinois
CN is being blamed for a 2009 train derailment in Illinois, in which several cars went off the tracks and caught fire, killing one person and injuring seven others.
more »

Canada »

Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general video
Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana.
Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews video
A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
Botox injected by unlicensed practitioners video
Some Vancouver-area medical spas are ignoring Health Canada regulations that Botox be prescribed and injected by a physician, a CBC News investigation has revealed.
more »

Politics »

Trudeau says sovereignty less of a bogeyman now video
Justin Trudeau says sovereignty is less of a bogeyman than it once was as he defends himself against accusations he's sympathetic to the desire to leave Canada.
Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews video
A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
MacKay says submarine fleet has 'spotty' history
The ongoing maintenance for Canada's troubled submarine fleet is "on track" despite the damage suffered by HMCS Corner Brook from a crash last year, Defence Minister Peter MacKay says, adding that the history of the fleet is "spotty."
more »

Health »

Chronic fatigue may be reversed with exercise
Taking it easy is not the best treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, rather exercise and behaviour therapy are, a large study finds.
AT&T buys T-Mobile USA for $39B US
AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion US, becoming the largest cellphone company in the U.S.
Milky Way home to 50 billion planets: NASA
Scientists have compiled the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy: at least 50 billion planets are estimated to call the Milky Way home.
more »

Arts & Entertainment»

audio Regent Park dance studio heralds culture of change audio
A Toronto dance company opens its new home Tuesday in Regent Park — the neighbourhood with Canada's biggest social housing project.
Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday video
Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child.
Prospective WSO maestros unveiled
The Windsor Symphony Orchestra unveiled a shortlist of prospective music directors on Tuesday, and the public will have a hand in selecting the finalist.
more »

Technology & Science »

Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews video
A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.
New iPad anticipated in March
The latest version of Apple's iPad tablet will launch in early March, according to blog and media reports this week.
Higgs boson hunt aided by energy boost
The world's largest particle accelerator is ramping up its beam energy in hopes that scientists will learn definitively this year whether the last undiscovered particle in the Standard Model of Physics exists.
more »

Money »

Eurozone meeting on Greek bailout cancelled video
A meeting of the finance chiefs of the 17 euro countries to discuss Greece's second multibillion bailout planned for Wednesday was called off after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union.
Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots.
CPP invests $1.8B in U.S. malls
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is making a whopping $1.8-billion investment in shopping malls in the U.S. with a new joint venture agreement with the Westfield Group in its biggest real estate deal to date.
more »

Consumer Life »

Honda recalls Fit subcompacts
Honda Canada says it will recall 14,640 of its 2009 and 2010 Fit subcompact cars to replace lost motion springs.
U.S. travel fee proposal criticized by Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he doesn't think much of a new border tax that's being proposed by the United States, calling it a cash grab designed to help a budget crisis.
Bell class action suit approved by Que. court
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class action lawsuit to go ahead against Bell Mobility.
more »

Sports »

Scores: NHL NBA

Flames pounce on Leafs' mistakes video
Miikka Kiprusoff made 41 saves and Paul Byron scored on a second period penalty shot to lead the Calgary Flames over the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Tuesday.
Lin, Knicks stun Raptors with rally
Jeremy Lin, the NBA phenomenon who went from a seldom-used player to the league's hottest story in the span of a week, drained a three-point shot with 0.5 seconds on the clock to lift the New York Knicks to their sixth consecutive victory, 90-87 over the Toronto Raptors.
Spezza's hat trick burns Lightning video
Jason Spezza had three goals and an assist, Craig Anderson made 28 saves, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 on Tuesday night.
more »

Diversions »

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
more »