Farewells and Welcomes
There must be something in the air. We have had a rush of changes recently – new ombuds arriving, old ones departing.
While we farewell old colleagues, it is also good to know that the business of overseeing and reflecting on editorial standards, whether it be via ombuds, standards editors, readers editors or public editors, is alive and well.
So here are some of the key changes…
CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE TORONTO STAR
After two years in the role, Bruce Campion-Smith is moving on from the Public Editor role at the Toronto Star in Canada, to take up the position of Editorial Page Editor.
Bruce has been an active and valued member of ONO, and the chief disappointment is that his time with us coincided with the period where we were unable to hold a conference due to Covid. Despite that, Bruce was a regular presence at our shop talks. He writes: “while we serve different markets in different languages and different platforms, it struck me that the broad concerns were similar, especially as we confronted the challenges of misinformation and deliberate deception during the pandemic and the attacks on trusted information, be it scientists, health care professionals and journalists. I drew many lessons from the ONO and enjoyed the virtual sessions.”
Bruce’s final column as Public Editor is well worth a read.
While we wish Bruce all the best in his new role, the good news is that the Toronto Star remains firmly committed to the public editor role and has already appointed a replacement – distinguished senior journalist Donovan Vincent. Donovan was formerly a reporter on the housing beat, and has extensive experience covering municipal politics as well. He covered crime and justice issues for the paper as well as health and education and has written numerous long form features on a variety of topics. We are delighted to welcome Donovan to our organization. You can read his first column in the role here.
MEXICO WELCOMES A NEW DEFENSORA, ONO WELCOMES A NEW MEMBER
Maria Gabriela Ortiz Portilla has been sworn in as the new Ombudsman for the Mexican congressional TV channel Canal del Congreso, the first woman to hold the position. ONO is pleased to congratulate Gaby on the new role, and also to welcome her as a new member of ONO.
Gaby writes: “Throughout the last few years, I have been very interested in Human Rights, it is something I am passionate about. Now, as Ombudsman, I am facing an invaluable opportunity in this area. As you are perfectly aware, the Ombudsman’s Offices and the Audience Ombudsman’s Offices have an immense responsibility in the recognition of the rights of all people. In my case, public media in my country play a fundamental and vigorous role in the economic, social, cultural, political, and ideological spheres: Media are windows through which society looks and is looked at. Specifically, as the Congress TV Channel, we have the complex mission of engaging citizens in day-to-day legislative work. As Ombudsman, I face the important challenge of becoming a true communication intermediary between citizens, the Channel, and the Parliament, through an effective and permanent media campaign that allows us to be a close instance so that citizens can know and exercise their rights as audience.”
Welcome aboard, Gaby, and we look forward to a new voice joining our regular conversations about media practice and ethics.
A NEW OMBUDSMAN FOR AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTER
After a wide-ranging review of its extensive complaints handling processes, the largest Australian public broadcaster – the ABC – has decided to establish a new role of Ombudsman to head its complaint processes.
The first holder of the role – appointed for a three year period and reporting directly to the ABC Board – is Fiona Cameron, a former member of Australia’s broadcasting regulator, ACMA, and before that an experienced media executive with Screen Australia and a range of radio and television companies.
ABC Editorial Director and ONO Member Craig McMurtrie says “the appointment of an ombudsman is another demonstration of the ABC’s commitment to rigorous editorial complaint handling, self-regulation and accountability. It ensures clear separation between pre-publication and post-publication processes and Fiona Cameron brings a wealth of media and complaint handling experience.”
ONO will be in touch with Ms Cameron at the earliest opportunity to invite her to join her international colleagues as a member of ONO.
You can read more about the background to the appointment here and here. Ms Cameron takes up the role at the end of September.
WHAT IS JOURNALISM ANYWAY?
From NPO in the Netherlands (home of our beloved President, Margo Smit) comes this fascinating exploration of an issue we all struggle with from time to time – a definition of what our craft of journalism actually is.
Starting with some recent decisions from the European court, this article explores what it is that defines journalism, and separates it from other forms of information and debate.
Do journalists and newsrooms ever learn anything from their mistakes? As ombuds, Public Editors and Standards Editors, we like to think that we do, that we take the time to absorb the lessons when things go wrong.
But sometimes – especially when we see the same or similar mistakes occurring over and over again – it is easy to become discouraged, and to imagine that our work is not as helpful as it should be.
Well, for those who need reassurance, here is a recent piece from the Global Investigative Journalism Network where nine experienced investigative reporters talk about the lessons they have learned from their own mistakes – proof that you can sometimes teach old dogs new tricks, or even some new dogs old tricks.
RECENT NEWS COMPLAINT DECISIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
- CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler on an opinion column that came in for plenty of criticism
- From Czech Radio’s Milan Pokorny, the question of whether mentioning someone’s work background is, in effect, an advertisement
- From Tim Pauwels at VRT News, a fascinating exploration of the ethics of ghost writing
- The Australian Press Council finds that a recent news article on transgender issues breached its fairness and balance principles
- In the advertising world, a fascinating complaint about football clubs and cryptocurrency
- In Nigeria, broadcasters are under fire and facing large fines for airing a BBC documentary – the fines have drawn strong international criticism
- In the UK, Ofcom rules that the BBC breached impartiality in a key interview
