Sun Media prefers shock value, not accountability

The Vancouver Sun:

The departure of the Sun Media chain of newspapers from Ontario's print media watchdog is a blow to the accountability of Sun publications and does not bode well for the company going forward, says the executive director of an international group of media ombudsmen.

Jeffrey Dvorkin of the Organization of News Ombudsmen said the letter from Sun Media's vice-president of editorial, which stated the "politically correct mentality" of the Ontario Press Council is "incompatible" with the direction of that company's newspapers, strips the company of much-needed transparency required to maintain public trust.

The council, which was formed in 1972 and has a membership of more than 200 newspapers across the province — including nearly 40 daily publications — receives public complaints about news stories. Issues are heard by the council chairman, as well as a group of 20 members — comprised of 10 representatives from member papers and 10 members of the public.

Dvorkin said he wasn't surprised by the move because Sun Media's parent company — Quebecor — previously pulled out of a similar watchdog group in Quebec. He called the timing odd, given the recent explosion of a United Kingdom phone-hacking scandal that put the venerable News of the World out of business and focused renewed attention on media ethics.