#124 Second Class Journalists

March 8, 2016

CANADALAND

124

Should journalists have control over what other journalists have access to? Allison Smith is the publisher of Queen's Park Today, a daily news website that reports on Ontario politics. For the last four years, the Queen's Park Press Gallery - a group of journalists - has denied her membership on dubious grounds.

Allison Smith’s Twitter: @QueensParkToday

Full statement from Queen’s Park Press Gallery President Randy Rath, of CHCH:

Membership in the Queen’s Park Press Gallery is decided in a manner similar to other press galleries in Canada: by a vote of members, according to guidelines outlined in the Gallery constitution.
Some of the key provisions in the Queen’s Park Press Gallery constitution regarding membership include:
Media organizations eligible for Gallery membership “shall adhere to generally accepted journalistic principles and practices as are understood and determined by the Executive of the Ontario Legislative Press Gallery.”
“internet media” shall mean any internet service or site that is available freely or by general subscription. This does not include services that simply re-broadcast events that occur at Queens Park
The following professionals are ineligible for membership in the Press Gallery: Persons who receive money for lobbying; Persons who receive money for providing communications advice to a third party; (i.e. flacks or consultants)
A member may not represent the interests of, or provide communications advice to political parties, governments, extra-legislative groups or clients other than those defined in the membership bylaws.
Allison Smith’s website describes “Queen’s Park Today” as providing a daily report consisting of: “a summary of the previous day’s debates and proceedings, an agenda of the upcoming day’s business, summaries of important news releases, listings for political events and more.”
By voting to reject Allison Smith’s membership, a majority of Gallery members determined that her website “Queen’s Park Today” did not meet the criteria laid out in the constitution.
The Press Gallery has rejected several other applications for membership by sole proprietors of websites that failed to meet the stated criteria for membership.
Membership in the Press Gallery implicitly endorses a member’s journalistic legitimacy and credibility. As such, the Gallery must ensure that those who are granted membership adhere to journalistic principles.
A copy of the Queen’s Park Press Gallery constitution is attached for your reference.
Randy Rath
CHCH | A Channel Zero Company

Queen’s Park Press Gallery Constitution

More from this series

Is Jesse a Zionist? (editorial)

Canadaland publisher Jesse Brown has been asked to stop talking about antisemitism.

November 29, 2023

#940 How Flacks Spin Hacks

Journalists report the news. They hear about a story, write it up, verify the facts, and then hit “publish”. Except for the times when they publish someone else’s story…

November 27, 2023

#938 Thunder Bay: Post-Mortem, Part 2

Nine sudden death cases of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ontario were investigated so poorly that they had to be reinvestigated. But were they able to get it right this time?

November 20, 2023

#936 Thunder Bay: Post-Mortem, Part 1

For over five years, Canadaland has been investigating Thunder Bay, Ontario. Specifically, we have been trying to figure out why there were so many unanswered questions around the deaths of Indigenous people in this one Ontario town.

November 13, 2023

#934 The Aquanaut

It’s easy to imagine medical science and research being done from the safety of a lab with all the proper controls in place. But sometimes, it all starts with one person, going underwater, and exploring caves for unique and mysterious sea creatures.

November 6, 2023

The Newfoundlander: Chapter 1

While at a production of the hit Broadway musical Come From Away in 2019, reporter Justin Brake is confronted with an old story about his family’s history, a story that challenges his sense of identity. He decides to find out what was true in that story, and what was false.

October 30, 2023

#930 Alive At Ten

Canadaland’s official tenth anniversary celebration took place last Thursday at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, as part of the Hot Docs Podcast Festival. Today we bring you a condensed version of that event. Featuring appearances from all of the Canadaland hosts you know and love. Oh, and Jan Wong interviews Jesse for once… wait for it.

October 23, 2023

#928 How Connie Walker Won

The CBC once produced a podcast series that was an international hit. The broadcaster-turned-podcaster who made it, Connie Walker, recently won a Pulitzer Prize and a Peabody award for her work. Except she won those awards NOT for the CBC, but for Gimlet and Spotify. What happened?

October 16, 2023

All Podcasts

CANADALAND