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That fine lineFeb 2, 2010 | Read

Let’s assume that objectivity can never be absolute. Objectivity is something to strive for; it is the aspiration that motivates a journalist to uphold values like balance and fairness. But the instant a reporter chooses the story and angle she will report, a judgment has been made and objectivism in its ideal form has been compromised.

This sentiment is now the commonly accepted view in newsrooms, and a refreshing one at that. Newspapers put their news in one section and their less objective editorials in another and everyone is comfortable. Yet, this system often breaks down online, especially in the case of blogs—and it pisses off readers.

Last week I wrote what I considered a blog post for Maclean’s OnCampus about an editorial in the National Post that argued that women studies programs at universities were ruining society (I’m not exaggerating here). My piece was written quickly, as blog posts are, without any original research and was quite opinionated. I signaled early on and in the headline that it was an opinion piece. Almost immediately after publishing two commenters complained about this obvious opinion piece getting past “editorial review” since it “blurs the line too much.”
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Tapping religious controversy onlineJan 25, 2010 | Read

One of the beauties of online journalism is immediate feedback; within hours of a piece being published, I can find out how many people have read it and gauge how popular the article will be over the course of its web life. And although web comments often degenerate into slanderous ad hominem attacks or ideological rants, I appreciate reading readers’ opinions and reactions online—especially when the discussion turns into one of those rare intelligent debates. This intimate exchange with readers can make filing an old-fashioned print article feel like throwing words into a black hole.

I’m also constantly surprised by which stories attract considerable traffic. My experience working at Maclean’s OnCampus has changed my “story sense” (how I judge what type of stories will be of interest to readers). One thing I’ve learned from the study of online traffic is that anytime religion crosses over into an education story, it consistently attracts significant traffic and discussion.

I was recently reminded of this when I wrote “Academic Freedom at Trinity Western?” The article describes why the Canadian Association of University Teachers is attacking Trinity Western University for its “faith tests,” which are statements that professors are required to sign annually listing convictions they believe in. The question I pondered was whether requiring all faculty and staff to prescribe to a set of values violates academic freedom. An excerpt:
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Teach me tonightJan 22, 2010 | Read

Cristina Nehring, author of A Vindication of Love, believes that romantic attraction to her professors played a key role in her post-secondary education. “At the beginnings of quarters I shopped around for teachers to have crushes on, and it was a sad term, a long term, when I found none,” she wrote in a 2001 essay in Harper’s. “I fanned the flame of minor lights—knowing full well that if I could not generate at least a little heat my mind would freeze.” For her, crushes on teachers were powerful and productive.

This concept—that teacher-crushes can improve learning—was what I explored this fall in a long feature in Maclean’s about my own experience dating a professor. The article was difficult in that I had never tackled personal journalism before, and making judgments about what in my own life is interesting and what is mundane is a sensitive balancing act.

In the end, I found personal journalism—like any well-written profile—to be an excellent vehicle to probe a larger issue. In this case, I wanted to know whether efforts to make education platonic ever hurt pedagogy. I looked at my experience retrospectively and asked experts on everything from sexual harassment to feminism what they thought. And I found lots of competing opinions.
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