Summary of the News article
This news article is about Toronto Governor Rob Ford and his latest victory on winning the appeal on his Conflict of Interest case last January 25th. Due to this recent court victory, he will remain as the incumbent governor of Toronto and end the qualms about a vacant position and possible reelection.
Ford got into this dispute because of a 2013 case when “Toronto resident Paul Magder's complained that Ford violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act during a council vote last year” . All of this happened because of Ford’s actions at a council meeting in February of 2012. The Governor voted in favor of excusing himself from a $3,150 penalty as repayment for improperly sought donations to a football charity foundation which Ford was supporting. In the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, any politician is prohibited from voting on a council with an issue that is related to a personal financial interest. In November of the same year, the Superior court decision ruled that Ford be removed from his office because of this infarction.
However, the Friday ruling of the 3 person panel of the Divisional court ruled in favor of Ford’s petition. According to the panel, the panel does not have the proper power and authority to order Ford to return the $3,150 money in question. Hence, Ford’s vote on the council was considered void and no further legal actions will be taken against the governor . Therefore, Ford will remain in office and complete his term and even has the possibility of a reelection if he decides to run. This recent turn of events has ended the qualms of an expensive sequel of events like an emergency election for the vacant term and other political raucous.
The three news agencies and their different angles on the story
In order to study this news story, we will compare and contrast the same news story as it appeared in three different news agencies namely: The Toronto Star, CBC News and The Globe and Mail.
The Toronto Star
The first news agency who was able to publish their analysis of the story was the Toronto Star. Several things were noticed from their news story. An important thing to note is its use of the traditional inverted pyramid style of news story reporting. They started with a short paragraph with only two sentences: “Rob Ford has won his conflict of interest appeal. He will remain mayor” . This is a quick and easy opening sentence that summarizes the most important updates that people need to know about the news. The story transition is also smooth because it focused on the more recent events regarding the case but also discussed important past events that relate to the story in the middle part of the article. The inclusion of this back story works perfectly in putting the story into perspective, especially for new readers.
It is also noticeable how each paragraph has a space in between that contains a hyperlink to a related story published by the same news agency. This can be both a pro and con for this news feature. It works great for people who want to learn more about the back story and other related news but it can be a little annoying and distracting to a reader who only wish to focus on the news at hand.
It can also be commended for doing its part on being fair and balanced in news reporting. The opinion of Ford and his appeal was given along with the opinions and direct quotations from Clayton Ruby, the lawyer who tried against Ford.
However, the down side to this story is that it is a little too long for a news article published online. Too many details and names mentioned, and it can be too long for the average reader to read through until the end.
CBC News
The second news report that we will look into is CBC News’ version of the Ford story. The CBC template is cleaner than Toronto Star’s. It does not have the distracting related article hyperlinks beneath every paragraph. Instead, all related articles are seen in a small section on the right side. This served as a big factor in de-cluttering the entire news page.
In addition to a neater structure, it also makes use of videos and a variety of slide shows for this article. It is often said that pictures can communicate a story far better than a thousand words. The addition and proper use of slides and related pictures worked in making the reader understand the story better.
Despite the clean template and the effective use of pictures, the story presented by CBC News feels a little more slated towards Ford and his associates. Much of the content of the news was about Ford’s assumption to office and his statements on a possible reelection. There was minimal effort to publish the opinions of the panel decision and Clayton Ruby’s stand on the matter. The only quotes associated with Ruby appeared as: "We believe that there are serious errors of law in the judgment, and we will ask the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal to that court," Ruby said Friday in a statement.
"It must be acknowledged that such appeals are not easy, but this remains an important issue for all citizens."
Ruby is a very important player in this whole story and in order to publish a fairer and more balanced article, he should have been quoted more.
The Globe and Mail
The third news agency story about the same feat from Ford that we analyzed was The Globe and Mail’s. Their story also has a clean outline just like the CBC News. There were no distracting hyperlinks within the article text. It feels just like reading a print periodical.
It is noticeable that this particular news story makes use of many emotionally charged adjectives and idiomatic expressions in order to lure the reader into reading the article. Take these statements for example:
“The court case – and the prospect of a snap by-election or struggle among councilors to appoint a mayor – has kept the city on tenterhooks. The expectation that Mr. Ford could be ousted was a constant distraction, even during heated budget debates earlier this month. Friday’s ruling brought Mr. Ford back from the brink, with many of his council colleagues characterizing it as an opportunity for everyone to turn the page” .
While it can be commended for its effort in making the news story stand out and become more interesting, it can draw away from the main message of the news.
Despite the article length, this news article lacks many important details like names of the people involved and other important dates.
Which news agency presented the story best and why?
After a careful analysis of the pros and cons of the three news agencies on their report for the same news event, I have come to a conclusion that the Toronto Star gave the best presentation for the story. It was direct in discussing the most important elements and is also detailed enough for the readers to understand what was really going on. It also had the most professional and objective way of discussing news but at the same time, maintaining a smooth and readable flow within the article. As compared to the other two news agencies, it created the most balanced views on the topic by quoting sources even though they have different perspectives and opinions. The sense of fairness and accuracy was more evident in their account of Ford’s case appeal win. However, it can be a little better if The Toronto News condensed the lengthy article a little bit more without losing its substance in order to qualify as a shorter and more reader friendly news story .
References
CBC News. (2013, January 25). CBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/01/25/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-decision.html
Church, E., & Dhillon, S. (2013, January 25). The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-wins-appeal-will-stay-in-office/article7848448/
Dale, D. (2013, January 25). The Toronto Star. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from The Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1319970--mayor-rob-ford-wins-appeal-will-stay-in-office
Kinsley, M. (2010, February). Atlantic Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2013, from The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/01/cut-this-story/307823/
