Later this month, I and two of my esteemed Parliamentary Press Gallery colleagues, will be participating on a panel discussion here in Ottawa. Here’s the blurb from the panel organizers:
News gathering on Parliament Hill has undergone a revolution over the last decade. The explosion of the internet and wireless communications means that news and commentary now moves instantly. The establishment of 24 hour dedicated news channels has both shortened the “news cycle”, and reduced the ability of governments and corporations to “bury” bad news. Like everything else in our world, reporting on Parliament Hill is now a blur of non-stop activity.
What is it like to be a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery in this new era? How have the rules changed? CTV’s David Akin, Kady O’Malley of Maclean’s and Manon Cornellier of Le Devoir are three prominent Press Gallery members who are right in the thick of the action every day. They cover the Hill from all angles – French and English, print, television and new media. David is a Gemini Award winning reporter who started covering business and has now moved to the world of politics. He can be seen most every night on CTV National News reporting from the Hill. Kady is a former Hill Times reporter who now works for Maclean’s, writing in both the magazine and in her popular, “Inside the Queensway” blog. Manon has been covering federal politics since 1985 in both print and electronic media, and recently won a Judith-Jasmin Journalism Award for her work.
David, Kady and Manon will speak about the challenges of their jobs, take on the issue of “media bias”, talk about the personalities and dynamics of the current minority Parliament, and engage in some prognostication about the year ahead in Canadian politics. Of course, the floor will be wide open for your questions as well.
Here’s the form you can download and fill out, if you’re interested in attending: Feb_25_Notice.pdf (143 KB)