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CJF J-Talk: Digital or Bust? The Future of Magazines

Toronto, Nov. 30, 2016 - Whether Canadian or American, magazines face a turbulent time negotiating the digital shift. In Canada, Toronto Life celebrates 50 years, The Walrus looks to build on its foundation funding model and Rogers Media is moving towards online-only editions. South of the border, the president of the venerable thinking person's monthly, the 166-year-old Harper’s Magazine, remains firmly committed to the virtues of words on paper. Is this all cause for celebration or despair?

Speakers included special guest John R. (Rick) MacArthur, president and publisher of Harper’s Magazine; Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief of Toronto Life; Jonathan Kay, editor-in-chief of The Walrus, Steve Maich, senior vice-president of digital content and publishing for Rogers Media; and moderator Laas Turnbull, chief audience officer for ZoomerMedia.

CJF J-Talk - From the Margins to the Mainstream: What's Next for Digital Disruptors

Toronto, Nov. 15, 2016 - Established online in the last decade, they were media's "new kids on the block"—digital disruptors that carved their own niches within the traditional media landscape and were hailed as either saviours or saboteurs: BuzzFeed, with its listicles and viral content; VICE, with its rebel millennial voice and muckraking videos; and Twitter, a platform for citizen journalism, live reporting and feedback, along with free, sharable content. Now with a strong foothold in the Canadian media industry, what are the challenges and obstacles these digital disruptors face?

Simon Houpt, senior media writer with The Globe and Mail, moderated this discussion featuring Michael Gruzuk, director of news and digital content for VICE Canada; Jennifer Hollett, head of news and government for Twitter Canada; and Craig Silverman, editor of BuzzFeed Canada.

CJF J-Talk: Google: Journalism's Greatest Frenemy?

Toronto, May 5, 2016 - Richard Gingras, senior director of news at Google, was in conversation with David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, to discuss the delicate symbiosis between the powerful tech company and the news media it aims to serve.

CJF J-Talk - Spotlight on Publishers: The Challenge of Making News Pay

Toronto, Feb. 3, 2016 - It might just be the toughest job in the industry: trying to find ways to make journalism profitable. Reducing the number of print editions, diverting resources to tablets, upping the amount of sponsored content and removing (or keeping) paywalls—which strategies are key to creating a sustainable business model? Top publishers Phillip Crawley of The Globe and Mail and John Cruickshank of the Toronto Star joined La Presse COO Pierre-Elliott Levasseur to discuss finding the right revenue model to support quality journalism. Kelly Toughill, director of the School of Journalism at University of King’s College, moderated this discussion.

CJF J-Talk: Martin Baron in conversation with Anne Marie Owens

Toronto, Nov. 15, 2015 - The Washington Post has found some recent rare swagger. The storied newspaper—famous for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovering the Watergate scandal—now has the financial and digital backing of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Journalists and journalism observers hope he can inject energy and innovation while rethinking the business model. At the editorial helm is Martin Baron, the executive editor with enviable journalistic cred: three of his previous newspapers are Pulitzer Prize winners under his editorship. So what’s his vision for the Post? And can the venerable Washington institution be a model for other papers? Baron was in conversation with Anne Marie Owens, editor of the National Post.

CJF J-Talk: John Stackhouse and Craig Silverman

Toronto, Nov. 12, 2015 - John Stackhouse’s three-decade career with The Globe and Mail—including five years as editor-in-chief—spanned a period of massive digital disruption to traditional journalism. In his latest book Mass Disruption: Thirty Years on the Front Lines of a Media Revolution, Stackhouse recalls how the Globe and other news outlets experimented with different delivery models as the Internet, social media and digital upstarts fragmented audiences and ad dollars. At the same time, the goal of mainstream news organizations to provide authoritative coverage of news events was challenged by new, agile competitors. Among them: BuzzFeed, which aims to create viral content by covering news with unabashed humour—its listicles and videos key drivers of stories via social media. Earlier this year, BuzzFeed established a Canadian presence with Craig Silverman—best known for a career built on media accuracy—as its founding editor. In a conversation covering current challenges to the media and lessons learned, Stackhouse and Silverman discussed the future of journalism from their distinct perspectives.

CJF J-Talk: Jim Roberts on Mashable

Please note the audio begins a few minutes after the event begins. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Toronto, Nov. 17 - Jim Roberts, the executive editor and chief content officer of Mashable, was quick to recognize the power of social platforms for engaging with news. In recent years, he has attracted more than 150,000 followers to his @nycjim Twitter feed. Roberts now leads the editorial team and oversees editorial strategy and operations at Mashable, a popular news source for the “Connected Generation,” with 40 million monthly unique visitors and 19 million social media followers. This acclaimed digital leader was in conversation with Globe and Mail media reporter James Bradshaw to discuss his leadership journey from legacy media (The New York Times) to Reuters Digital to Mashable. He also discussed the challenges Mashable faces in balancing journalistic credibility with innovative forms of viral storytelling that connect with digital audiences.