Vivian Song, a former Toronto Sun reporter who has been prolific as a Sun Media national bureau writer, has left the building."Just heard Vivian Song was fired," says a reliable TSF source. "Not sure why. She left the union to work for National."
Vivian has been high profile as a Life/Green Planet writer/blogger since 2007 and participated in coverage of the recent Great Canadian Sex Survey series.
"She is a very talented reporter," says a TSF reader who worked with Vivian at the national bureau.
Drop us a line, Vivian. We'd like to hear your side of the story.
Vivian's Green Planet blog bio reads:
"So here's my spiel.
When asked to write a weekly environmental column, Green Planet in 2007, I took on the mission with gusto.
I would provide readers with updates on the latest climate change science, dispel myths perpetuated by front organizations for big oil companies, and inspire Canadians to make behavioural changes which cumulatively would make an impact.
I would challenge readers to eschew the consumer-driven society we live in, and compel them with my stories to recycle the beejeezus out of their garbage.
But here's my confession dear readers: when I took on the column, I was no treehugger, in the strict Birkenstock-wearing sense of the word.
I was and can still be, notorious among friends for my fiendish shopping appetite. What can I say, new shoes give me joy.
I live in a condo and can't compost my organic waste.
I own and drive my 1997 Mazda clunker when my destination is off the subway line, a relic from my days as a general assignment reporter at The Toronto Sun."
So the question is - pace our friend Mr. Anonymous - which demographic was affected, and was it union or non-union? Oh yeah, it says right up there, she left the union to work for "National"
ReplyDeleteWhat upsets me about Vivian and people like her is that they're lured to (or frightened into) this parallel non-union "newsroom," with statements like 'Oh, if you stay on the union side, you'll be the first to go if there are layoffs because you're young.'
Maybe our student feature writer would like to start there.
Anyway, Vivian deserved better.
Jim
The Sun is going downhill from here...
ReplyDeleteThe've fired most of their talented writers...
And its run be ppl who dont care about newsreporting...rather how to make a quick buck...not reading the sun anymore...just not interesting and fun to read with so many of its writers gone!!!
Looks like Vivian is still out there..
ReplyDeletejust came across an article she wrote in the Star about Infomercial pitchmen:
http://www.thestar.com/article/669715
Good to see you're still writing, Viv!