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Prison powder kegs; private health clinics in Quebec; and underground dentists : Listen to my four-minute audio roundup of what's on the front pages of the country's newspapers plus highlights from Tuesday's political daybook by clicking on the link below.

Listen!

You can also get these audio summaries automatically every day via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look in the top right corner of the “Boos” box. <

If you add up the circulation of all the major metro tabloids (Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg), all the daily broadsheets (London, Kingston, Peterborough, etc.) and all the weeklies that Quebecor owns, the stuff I write for my mainstream media organization, Sun Media/QMI Agency, you end up with a number larger than 6 million. And that's just circulation. Readership will always be a bigger number than circulation as people tend to pass the paper they get around to others in their household so now we're talking a potential readership of, I'd guess, at least 7 million.

I have, at last count, a blog readership of about 90,000 a month, just under 4,000 Twitter followers, about 1,100 Facebook friends, and 38 Google Buzz followers. And I've just jumped on Tumblr. (Feel free to follow me there). I've toyed with StumbleUpon, Reddit, and other social media sites but, while they might be for you, they aren't for me. (Former colleague Kirk LaPointe is big on FourSquare but I haven't yet started fiddling seriously there.)

So a potential readership measured in the millions on that old mainstream media and a readership measured (if I'm really lucky) in the thousands and yet, I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time creating content or monitoring content for that tiny social media audience rather than spend my time working exclusively for that mainstream media audience. I was challenged, at the Canadian Association of Journalists conference in Montreal this spring, by some about the time I was spending/wasting on social media. Why not use that time to make one more phone call? To track down another source? Fair points. (Complicated answer to those questions poorly summed up by saying: It's not either/or and print reporters tend to over-interview and over-research if you ask me …) And yet, as I mentioned, I've just decided to carve yet more “wasted” time out of my day to try out Tumblr. Why?

I ought to answer that question in a more fulsome way but, in the meantime, some quick notes about how I'm using my social media toolbox as both a newsgatherer and a news reporter:

• First principles, Part 1: My work for Sun Media (and before that, Canwest, and before that, CTV, and before that, The Globe and Mail, National Post, etc.) pays the mortgage. Everything I'm doing on my blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. is done with an eye towards helping me be better at the work that pays the bills.
• First principles, Part 2: A lot of people use social media to connect with family, friends, etc. Not me. I'm all business. I'm not using these tools to post pictures of the kids or what I did on my summer vacation. Part of my rationale for this is a concern for the privacy of my family but mostly it's because I believe people I have never met are not much interested in my personal life but there's a good chance they might be interested in some of the things I see and learn in my professional life. Social media, just like my mainstream media work, lets me tell people about the things I see and learn in my professional life.
• The Blog: I've been blogging since 2002 and I'd keep blogging even if no one was reading it. Blogging, for me, is like a giant, searcheable notepad. It's a place to dump notes and other bits that I might need again later in my reporting. It's also a space to talk about some of the 'craft' issues, like this, and that, I think, helps develop credibility and trust with readers/viewers which supports First Principle 1. Plus, this blog is what passes, I suppose, for long-form social media. NYU prof/media critic Jay Rosen and I had an exchange back in 2005 about why I blog. My answers, five years later, still feel about right.
• Twitter : Chief downside to Twitter – 140 characters and that's it. Chief upside to Twitter – 140 characters and that's it. Twitter, for me, is the all-news channel of my social media universe. As a publisher/content creator, I use it to try to be “first with the news” in much the same way that I did when I was with CTV's Parliamentary Bureau. But if I had some news while at CTV, I'd have to phone up the News Channel assignment desk, tell them what I have, arrange to get an anchor in the chair, write up an anchor intro, get a camera guy to light me up in the Ottawa studio, hook up the audio gear, open up a line to the Toronto studio and then, likely after the next commercial break, I'd get on TV with the “breaking news”. That could take 20 minutes or more. On Twitter, I (and many other print journalists on Parliament Hill) are out and running with whatever news is happening immediately and, by the time the news networks get to it, it's old. (And here's some perspective by the way: If you added up the Twitter audience of me, the Star's Susan Delacourt, and CBC's Kady O'Malley, you have about 12,000 people. The average audience for the all-news channels of CBC and CTV can drop as low as 15,000 and rarely gets much above 50,000 at any point during a regular news day.) Being first with breaking news supports the goal of First Principle 1.
• Facebook: The blog, Twitter, and Google's Buzz are great tools because search engines index them and that means I can use them to find stuff I wrote ages ago and so can anyone else. Facebook I find less useful because I can't find stuff as easily. And yet, there's no denying, that Facebook is very popular and there's an audience of sorts out there. Except for photographs, I rarely post new or original content first at Facebook. Instead, I use Facebook mostly as a distribution platform to point my friends to the new or original content in my newspapers, on my blog, or on Twitter and Buzz.
• Google Buzz: My use of Google Buzz is mostly as an extension of my use of Google Reader, my preferred RSS client. Like most reporters, I tend to read a lot of stuff and, back in the old days, you'd physically cut out with scissors the interesting bits you wanted to keep for later and then put it in a physical file folder. Now, I just highlight and add it to Google Buzz. Easier than scissors and searcheable! I've set up by Buzz account so that stuff I clip and post to my Buzz account will get sent to my Twitter feed. So, like Facebook, I'm not creating new or original content here but if you're interested in seeing what I find interesting when I'm reading, then that's what my Buzz account is for.
• Tumblr: So now we come to Tumblr. How am I going to use this service to support First Principle 1? Remember: New and original content I create goes to the newspapers; some goes to the blog; lots of tidbits go to Twitter; and pics end up on Facebook. The blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz are also excellent distribution platforms to drive traffic back to the real important stuff I'm doing for Sun Media. Where will Tumblr fit in that ecosystem? As a newsgatherer, I'll use Tumblr to follow other Tumblr users that are important to my professional life — politicians, journalists, bureaucrats, etc. As a content creator, I'll probably re-purpose/re-create content I've created first for other platforms. Where I see Tumblr having a unique role (and remember: I've had a Tumblr blog for all of about an hour now) is in follower/user-generated content. Tumblr has a neat “Ask Me Anything” feature and a neat “Submit” feature. I hope my readers/followers jump in and use these features to point me at ideas and events I might not have otherwise thought to get involved with.

Sun TV News is currently seeking a News Director who will be instrumental in shaping the goals and vision for the Sun TV News Channel newsroom.

Responsibilities:
·          Work closely with Sr. Management to establish news content, philosophy and direction for Sun TV News
·          Determine production requirements including sourcing and mentoring newsroom staff and talent
·          Once established, lead and manage a newsroom team consisting of Managers, Hosts, Producers, Writers, Reporters, and support staff
·          Ensure daily news coverage and breaking news vision as well as long-term strategies are consistently and dynamically executed in accordance with the Sun TV News vision
·          Determine the stories that are newsworthy and the angle that Sun TV News would like to convey
·          Work closely with sales, programming and advertising and analyze broadcast ratings for business development opportunities
·          Preparation and management of the newsroom budget
·          Provide guidance, leadership and coaching to members of the team including addressing performance related concerns
·          Work closely with Operations staff to ensure the highest quality of newscasts

Qualifications:
·          10 – 15 years of progressively responsible newsroom experience
·          Bachelors degree in journalism, broadcasting, communications or related field
·          Superior news judgment and strong decision –making and analytical skills
·          Innovative, forward-thinking leader with outstanding communication skills and ability to challenge staff to be excellent journalists
·          Passion and curiosity for news is required to lead and shape the Sun TV Newsroom of the future and bring stories to the public
·          Expertise and experience in all areas of broadcasting (reporting, writing, editing, producing) is mandatory, as well as familiarity with technical aspects
·          Must be well organized, flexible and adaptable and able to balance multiple tasks in a fast paced environment
·          Although this position will be based out of Toronto, the successful candidate must be flexible to travel across Canada to different remote sites, when required
·          A flexible schedule and the ability to be on call and accessible when major news events occur, is required

We thank all applicants but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please submit your resume and cover letter no later than Friday July 30th, 2010 to:

Sun TV, Human Resources
25 Ontario Street
Toronto, ON, M5A 4L6
resumes@suntv.canoe.ca

Production Director – Sun TV News

Sun TV News is currently searching for a Production Director, who will supervise all News Talk Shows produced in house for the Sun TV News Channel.

Responsibilities:

· Determine production requirements for all productions and liaise with Sr. Management on production development and implementation, including sourcing talent and production staff.

· Provide leadership to a team of on air talent, executive producers and other production staff, and direct all activities to conform with the needs of Sun TV News

· Manage all budgets, casting and policies for shows produced in house

· Oversea the quality, content, format and production of the various productions

· Work with Executive Producers and other team members to generate and support original content that supports the Sun TV News vision

· Stay in tune with the needs of the audiences and community in general and provide content that is relevant

· Work closely with Executive Producers to analyze broadcast ratings for business development opportunities

· Provide guidance, leadership and coaching to members of the team including addressing performance related concerns

· Work closely with Operation staff to ensure the highest quality of productions

· Work closely with the Marketing department to develop marketing plans and establish and reach ratings goals

Qualifications:

· Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in broadcasting

· Bachelors degree in journalism, broadcasting, communications or related field

· Prior experience managing production and on air staff is required

· Superior management, leadership and organization skills

· Knowledge of all aspects of broadcast journalism required including writing, editing, reporting, producing and familiarity with technical aspects

· An excellent understanding of what makes a valuable story and how best to convey it’s message to it’s viewers is required

· Ability to supervise, mentor and challenge staff

· Must be well organized, flexible and adaptable and able to balance multiple tasks in a fast paced environment

· Although this position will be based out of Toronto, the successful candidate must be flexible to travel across Canada to different remote sites, when required.

We thank all applicants but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please submit your resume and cover letter no later than Friday July 30th, 2010 to:

Sun TV, Human Resources

25 Ontario Street

Toronto, ON, M5A 4L6

resumes@suntv.canoe.ca

9/11 movies not allowed at Air Canada; reviewing affirmative action; and art world rocked: Listen to my four-minute audio roundup of what’s on the front pages of the country’s newspapers plus highlights from Friday’s political daybook by clicking on the link below.

You can also get these audio summaries automatically every day via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look in the top right corner of the “Boos” box.

Conrad Black is back; some crazy stuff at Statscan, and Semrau talks: Listen to my four-minute audio roundup of what’s on the front pages of the country’s newspapers plus highlights from Wednesday’s political daybook by clicking on the link below.

You can also get these audio summaries automatically every day via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look in the top right corner of the “Boos” box.

This just in from Industry Minister Tony Clement:

I acknowledge with regret the resignation of Munir A. Sheikh, the Chief Statistician of Canada.

There has been considerable commentary about the federal government’s decision to replace the 2011 mandatory census long form with the voluntary National Household Survey.

The Government took this decision because we do not believe Canadians should be forced, under threat of fines, jail, or both, to divulge extensive private and personal information. We believe it is not appropriate to compel citizens to divulge how many bedrooms they have in their houses, or what time they leave for work in the morning. The Government’s approach is about finding a better balance between collecting necessary data and protecting the privacy rights of Canadians.

As I have noted previously, Statistics Canada’s preferred approach would have been to maintain the mandatory long form census.

However, after the Government’s decision to replace the mandatory long form census Statistics Canada was asked to provide options for conducting a voluntary survey of households. One of the options provided – the voluntary National Household Survey – was chosen.

A voluntary long form survey offers challenges that do not exist in the case of a census that uses coercion to compel completion. Nonetheless, by working together with the professionals at Statistics Canada I believe we can compensate for these challenges and offer data-users high quality and accurate information.

I have relied throughout this process on the frank and open advice of Statistics Canada and the Chief Statistician. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all employees of Statistics Canada for the hard work and dedication that has made Statistics Canada one of the best national statistical organizations in the world.

Until a permanent successor can be found Wayne Smith, Assistant Chief Statistician, Business and Trade Statistics, will act on an interim basis.

Afghanistan’s deadline; crime stats and lots of hockey news : Listen to my four-minute audio roundup of what’s on the front pages of the country’s newspapers plus highlights from Wednesday’s political daybook by clicking on the link below.

You can also get these audio summaries automatically every day via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look in the top right corner of the “Boos” box.

Munir A. Sheikh, minutes ago, says he’s quitting as head of Statistics Canada. Here’s his statement:

July 21, 2010

OTTAWA — There has been considerable discussion in the media regarding the 2011 Census of Population.

There has also been commentary on the advice that Statistics Canada and I gave the government on this subject.

I cannot reveal and comment on this advice because this information is protected under the law. However, the government can make this information public if it so wishes.

I have always honoured my oath and responsibilities as a public servant as well as those specific to the Statistics Act.

I want to take this opportunity to comment on a technical statistical issue which has become the subject of media discussion. This relates to the question of whether a voluntary survey can become a substitute for a mandatory census.

It can not.

Under the circumstances, I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister.

I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity of serving him as the Chief Statistician of Canada, heading an agency that is a symbol of pride for our country.

To you, the men and women of Statistics Canada – thank you for giving me your full support and your dedication in serving Canadians. Without your contribution, day in and day out, in producing data of the highest quality, Canada would not have this institution that is our pride.

I also want to thank Canadians. We do remember, every single day, that it is because of you providing us with your information, we can function as a statistical agency. I am attaching an earlier message that I sent to Canadians in this regard.

In closing, I wish the best to my successor. I promise not to comment on how he/she should do the job. I do sincerely hope that my successor’s professionalism will help run this great organization while defending its reputation.

Munir A. Sheikh

This is a remarkable statement. One simply doesn’t see senior civil servants going out so publicly. It’s also remarkable, if you ask me, for that last paragraph, where he promises not to comment on his successor. One assumes that’s a veiled swipe at Sheikh’s predecessor, Ivan Fellegi who spent 30+ years in the job and has been a go-to source for journalists to take shots at Sheikh’s decision to allow this decision to go ahead.

Suicide by cop, a county warden’s strip club bill and could Black be back? : Listen to my four-minute audio roundup of what’s on the front pages of the country’s newspapers plus highlights from Tuesday’s political daybook by clicking on the link below.

You can also get these audio summaries automatically every day via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look in the top right corner of the “Boos” box.