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.