We're joined by our dear j-school pal Mahnoor Yawar (@mahnoorie) to talk about a familiar theme for our listeners — the complete lack of accountability for columnists at Canada's major newspapers.
The spark for this discussion was Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno's reply-all meltdown, in which she told the entire staff at the paper what she thought of the Star's new internal ombudsperson position, which was assumed by her far superior colleague, Shree Paradkar. (Hint: it's the name of the episode.)
The position gives young, racialized Star employees the opportunity to report concerns about discrimination and bias in the newsroom and paper to Paradkar, who can then bring them up to management, which for some reason DiManno found threatening.
We discuss a very bizarre and horny column DiManno wrote post-meltdown, which contains too many dick jokes to count. We also give DiManno her due for the times she has done better.
Links
Memo: Shree Paradkar Named 'First Internal Ombud' at the Toronto Star
That time DiManno was charged with assault
A good DiManno column on reparations
Pacinthe Mattar - Objectivity Is a Privilege Afforded to White Journalists
Taylor Noakes - To deface a monument is to engage critically with history
Jeremy - Blank spot: Why Chrystia Freeland's refusal to acknowledge her grandfather's Nazi collaborator past matters in 2020
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