Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 29, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A13 B RISBANE - Fat, gin- soaked and forever encased in cheap suits and soup- stained ties, the print journalist is being mummified and gently lowered into the tomb. Last week the hurricane sweeping through global newsrooms roared into Australia, picking up discarded coffee cups and complacent journos and scattering them across the car park. Australia's largest newspaper companies have revealed business plans, which, however one cuts, slices or dices them, spell doom for the traditional newspaper journalist. Fairfax alone will axe 1,900 jobs, though not those of its most senior editors in Melbourne and Sydney, who on Monday saved the company the trouble and resigned. News Limited will also undergo a massive restructure leading to a still- unspecified number of redundancies, but all this sound and fury doesn't mean Australian journalism is finished. " Far from it,'' croon the executives who, armed their clipboards packed with positive market research, see information as the definitive sunrise industry of the 21st century. Both Fairfax and News Limited, which employ the bulk of Australian print journalists, see a bright new dawn of possibilities in an increasingly literate and connected world. But these sunny uplands will have little room for that paunchy, red- faced raconteur leaning heavily on the bar on a weekday afternoon, leering at nearby cleavage and affectionately patting a tattered notebook in his tattered pocket containing the scoop of the week. That print media are full of clich�s is no surprise given its practitioners have provided human clich�s ever since Pulitzer and Hearst ushered in that cheerful, beer- soaked world of yellow journalism. From the shambolic, drunken eloquence of Dutton Peabody, the newspaper editor in John Ford's classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance , to the idealism and intrigue of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in All The President's Men , even Hollywood has given a nod to newsroom stereotypes and the romantic appeal of the printed press. Australia took its cue from the English when it comes to journalistic tradition, and while there are thousands of sober, conservative, familyorientated print journalists, most of them have worked alongside one of the certified lunatics. We called them " hacks.'' Articulate, widely read, acerbic and often alcoholic, thousands of these aberrants who verged on the unemployable in the mainstream world found themselves a welcome, and even well- remunerated, home in the chaos of a newsroom. Deeply cynical, given to political conspiracy theories and dismissive of the fripperies of fashion, they provided us with a rumpled but occasionally robust line of defence against corruption in the democratic process. Now the public has firmly turned its back on the hacks in what is becoming the greatest revolution in print since Johannes yelled " start the presses'' and the world marvelled at all those Gutenberg Bibles. In the decade ahead, Australia's educated political class will demand quality news online and will probably end up paying for it. That may allow hard- copy, quality papers to survive with a shrunken but exclusive readership, targeted by high- end advertisers and written by elite journalists who claim gym memberships rather than bar tabs as expenses. The old hacks will be replaced by more focused content- providers churning out copy swiftly graded by the number of hits it generates on a website. Yet while the hacks lie moulding in their mausoleums - exotic exhibits from a distant past - they may well pull on a cigarette and give us the last laugh - one final cackling, emphysema- laden wheeze. For across this world they've sprouted millions of progeny, right now hunched over a computer in the spare room, spitting venom at the " mainstream press'' and pursuing strange yet intriguing conspiracy theories. Bloggers - the hacks' unknowing but natural heirs. Michael Madigan is the Winnipeg Free Press correspondent in Australia. He writes mostly about politics for the Brisbane- based Courier Mail. Fixing the blight The Free Press deserves commendation for again drawing attention to the problem of surface parking lots in our downtown ( The fight against the blight, June 25). If the city really wants more residential development, it will have to do something about the ugly appearance of these lots, especially when they are empty on weekends and look even worse. Many are badly maintained, with weeds growing in cracks, surrounds such as fencing neglected, shrubberies running wild and mingling with weeds and garbage. We who live downtown can't go for a walk without looking at these sights. It's galling to think that many of these lots are primarily for workers living in leafy suburbs, many of whom could well use buses. So some Americans, living in sunny Florida or elsewhere, own some of these parking lots? How did this happen? Who authorized these properties to be sold to people out of our country? Why does Canada continue to sell off so many of its assets to foreigners? Is it free trade or apathy? City council wrings its hands over the problem, but as the years go by, it seems to do nothing. HILDA WAGSTAFFE Winnipeg �� Pick any summer evening and walk in the shoes of a first- time visitor to our city and one can easily appreciate the " blight" of our downtown open space used for parking. Many of our guests in downtown hotels have commented on walking two blocks in any direction only to find a gravel or a poorly maintained parking lot void of trees, landscaping or anything architecturally pleasing. It's not much incentive to further explore our downtown and not a good return on our tourism marketing dollars. Without a strong civic policy, these vacant lots are a no- brainer for the developer. Tear down a building, level the ground and start collecting parking revenue almost immediately. Less investment, fewer taxes and problems and no incentive to do anything more. Do we need downtown parking? Absolutely. But most urban centres have insisted on building up into multi- storey facilities that fit into the local architecture, not an empty space of convenience that sends the message that we don't have any concept of what else to do with this prime piece of downtown real estate. JACK LAWLESS East St. Paul Paladin of justice Re: Time to get victims off the street ( June 27). I don't know how good James Jewell was at solving murders ( I suspect very good), but his blueprint to significantly reduce homicides involving women at risk is flawless. The man is a paladin of justice. Hire him, fund him and get it done. BARRY CRAIG Winnipeg �� It is no surprise to me that retired police officer James Jewell would advocate for more of a police state in order to clean up the streets. Persons in need of protection from themselves should be left alone in a free country rather than rounding them up and forcing them to adopt mainstream values as the Soviet Communists tried to do with the capitalists. Forced conversion of values works, but as the Spanish Inquisition and the Soviet gulag tells us, it does not work for many and is a very ugly business. How about we repeal drug prohibition? Then so- called addicts can acquire their drugs at the drugstore. Repeal would remove contact with the black market and the inherent violence associated with it. Prices would drop drastically, which means anybody working the streets for drug money would not face anywhere near the exposure they do now. CHRIS BUORS Winnipeg Misconceptions abound In the June 22 story Trustee irked by kids not in class , a Winnipeg School Division trustee expressed his concern about the amount of time students are spending out of class during the school year. To clear up some misconceptions, the date for final classes varies between schools. In fact, only a handful of WSD schools ended courses on June 12, with most others in the city doing so only for Grade 12s on that day. The reason the Grade 12 curriculum ends earlier than others is so students can complete exams, finish up assignments or work on course completion to ensure graduation. Also, Grade 12 marks have to be submitted weeks earlier than others to prepare for graduation. As for the amount of time students spend in class, study after study have shown that lecture- based instruction is the worst way for students to learn and that interactive activities provide a better learning environment. Also, if students are participating in a work- learning experience or practicum program, does that mean they have learned less than other students? Learning is always occurring. The focus should be on the quality of education rather than the quantity of time spent in a classroom. MATTHEW DARRAGH Winnipeg Look beyond accounts Jen Skerritt's June 26 piece Famed architect urges city to preserve his building prompts this brief comment. Quite aside from the sheer wastefulness of demolishing a perfectly usable and functional building, surely city fathers ( and I use the term loosely) could look beyond the account books and preserve some of the few esthetically pleasing buildings in the city. PAUL R. PANTON Winnipeg Gunning down stats Letter writer Ron Charach ( Using same tactic, June 26) claims that as many people in the United States are killed by guns as by car crashes. This is completely false. According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control statistics on causes of death released in 2009, the homicide rate per 100,000 people using firearms was 3.7. ( The rate for all homicides was 5.5.) The fatality rate from motorvehicle accidents was 11.8. By comparison, deaths from falling was 8.1. The death rate from gun accidents was 0.2. TOM MCAULEY Winnipeg Shift of convenience Canada Day is our national birthday and our national holiday. As such, it is an immovable date, along with Christmas, New Year's and Remembrance Day. Why then are stores allowed to open on Sunday, July 1, and close on Monday, July 2? Is Canada Day just not that important anymore? Shame on our legislators if they have condoned this shift of convenience in legislation. Can you imagine the uproar in the U. S. if July 4 celebrations were moved simply because they fell on a Sunday? For many, Sunday is a day of worship, and what better way to thank God and count our blessings that we live in this country than to celebrate the birthday of our nation by church attendance? J. HUGH MCMORROW Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTER OF THE DAY I don't think I can convince Scott Malabar that he is wrong ( Civil servants must serve, June 21), but I can chastise the Free Press for publishing his naive rant. Having worked for 33 years for the provincial government and volunteered on the Manitoba Service Excellence Awards committee for six of those, I can tell you that I am proud to be a civil servant and to work with some of the most dedicated, serviceoriented and creative people in Manitoba. Contrary to Malabar's position that we don't " even expect to interface with anyone other that other civil servants," most in the public sector provide outstanding and compassionate service to our clients and come to the job eager to provide customer- focused services. We deliberately recruit for previous customer service and emphasize the need for good service. Civil servants provide health care, social services, legal advice and many other essential services to Manitobans. The staff in many departments see the absolute worst of what human beings can do to each other and still come to work and do their best. We rise up to unexpected challenges of pandemics, natural disasters and human tragedy with selfless service, creativity and strength. Many of us deliberately join the service to provide Manitobans with what they need and deserve ( not for the " job security" Malabar claims - which, by the way, might be refuted by 19,000 federal servants). We take verbal and physical abuse from many people, and unlike a business owner, we cannot refuse service. Yet still we serve. Would Free Press editors publish such a letter if it denigrated all reporters? I think not. Please do not publish these hurtful and unfounded letters. SUSAN BOULTER Winnipeg Winnipeg Free Press Friday, June 29, 2012 A 13 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION What is your reaction to RIM cutting 5,000 jobs? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION What's the best way to beat the heat? Air conditioning 35% Swimming, sprinklers 9% Lie in shade, try not to move 3% Cold beverages 7% Just remember January 9% Beat it? I'm enjoying it 24% It's hot out? I'm in a cubicle 13% TOTAL RESPONSES 5,512 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 140 NO 226 2012 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher MARGO GOODHAND / Editor JULIE CARL / Deputy editor A public health nurse administers a vaccination. We are proud to serve R EPORT cards are an important part of children's lives. But there are significant numbers of children who never get a report card - they have dropped out. Norquay School, for example, with a terrific caring principal, has an attendance rate of 92 per cent. You can imagine the principal and teachers distress when they learn half the children they have nurtured and educated have dropped out of school in Grade 7. Yes, Grade 7. That's approximately 12 years of age. This is normal in our inner city. Any child who drops out of school at Grade 7 is doomed to a life of poverty and, if they are a boy, probably a life of crime. Four years ago I led a delegation to the Winnipeg School Division to ask them to live up to their responsibility to ensure every child gets 200 days of school a year. The school board unanimously passed a motion asking the superintendent's office to work with the delegation from North Point Douglas to improve the absentee situation. I faithfully, as a volunteer, attended meetings with representatives of the division and the province for two years before I realized no one was really committed to reach out to these lost children. They just talked. My wife is a retired school teacher; my granddaughter is finishing her education degree. We know how important an education is to achieve a sense of economic and social self- worth, as well as being a contributing member of society. So we have 92 per cent attendance at elementary school in the inner city. What's it like at junior high and high school? Well, R. B. Russell, which is a technical training school, had huge attendance problems last time I checked. Dare I mention St. John's High School, where most kids from North Point Douglas go for junior and senior high? Last I checked, absenteeism on some days was more than 30 per cent. Whether this includes children who have been suspended from school for nonattendance is unclear. What we do know is many parents and foster parents are unable or unwilling to get their kids to school. Raising teenagers is not an easy task. I still have a few emotional bruises to prove it. However, I watch neighbourhood children who rarely make it to school in the morning. A local teen informed me she was going to live with an aunt so she could go to a school in the Maples. She said that so many kids skipped school and misbehaved at her school it was impossible to learn. This is a self- motivated kid who is on her way to university. While the parent and then the child are responsible to make it to school, it is society at large, particularly the inner- city society, that suffers from these individual failures. Education Minister Nancy Allan has introduced more requirements for reporting attendance and raised the school leaving age to 18, but it is up to the school division to ensure attendance. If school divisions don't accept their responsibility to provide 200 days of school to all students, then drastic action is required. Currently, school divisions receive funding from the province based on the number of students enrolled on Sept 30. Instead, split the funding so they get half of their money based on enrolment on Sept. 30 and the other half based on enrolment on Jan. 30. It is sad when you think we need a monetary penalty to get school divisions to act to provide a basic education. All that ethical and educational talk has produced is a large number of children skipping school. How do we reduce poverty and crime rates if we refuse to ensure our children get an education? All kids should get a report card. Sel Burrows is an activist in North Point and a longtime New Democrat. Death of a newsroom stereotype MICHAEL MADIGAN Withhold grants from schools that fail to stop dropouts SEL BURROWS A_ 15_ Jun- 29- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A13 6/ 28/ 12 8: 34: 53 PM ;