Bag lady blues

Toronto Star readers were quick to react to Wayne Wulff's shamefully orchestrated and opportunistic "bag lady" con to collect a $1,000 reward for a lost $77,000 violin.

Seven of the Star's letters to the editor yesterday all dumped on Wulff for collecting the reward after giving the homeless woman $35 and a $40 pinky ring for the violin and case she found on the Queens Quay W. a week earlier and kept in her shopping cart.

We were hoping for a Toronto Sun story yesterday saying the homeless woman had been found and a wrong would be made right, but not a word. Rabble and other web sites are receiving a flood of comments about the story.

The only proper ending to this sad tale is for the homeless woman to be found and properly compensated. Brighten her day, make her feel special for a brief moment in time instead of victimizing her once again.

Had this woman not picked up the case at the streetcar shelter, someone else might have walked off with Jim Wallenberg's cherished violin - made for him by his mother in 1972 - never to be seen again.

Or, as one of the Star readers said, the homeless woman possibly prevented vandals from finding and destroying the violin.

Wallenberg, a Toronto Symphony Orchestra violinist, handed Wulff a $1,000 cheque on Wednesday. Wulff said he would be flying off to Las Vegas with his loot.

Wulff told the Sun, the Star and the National Post he would give the homeless woman something if he sees her again. Anything short of 50% of the $1,000 reward - less the $75 he gave her - will not do.

It was, indeed, a dark and stormy night in Toronto last night. Somewhere, a homeless woman slept close to her shopping cart carrying her worldly possessions and a $40 pinky ring.

The big difference last night? She was in the hearts of newspaper readers who went to bed in their comfy homes hoping Wulff will do the right thing.

If not Wulff, let's pass the hat.

Newseum opens

Updated re Bloomberg piece
Washington's glittering $450 million Newseum has been the news story of the week, leading up to today's grand opening.

The block party on Pennsylvania Ave. kicks off at 7 a.m. and events are planned throughout the day and well into the night. There will be Canadian content, in addition to the display of front pages from Canadian newspapers.

The 2 p.m. Newseum dedication ceremony guests will include Newseum founder Al Neuharth, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of the New York Times, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation, and for Canadian content, Michael Wilson, Canadian ambassador to the United States.

Today's Bloomberg.com piece by Karen Leigh compares media tools of the trade being used when the first Newseum in Arlington, Virginia, closed in 2002 and today's methods.

"When the Newseum was last open to the public in 2002, a prominent feature was Walter Cronkite's hulking TV camera," says Leigh. "Today, when the journalism museum reopens in Washington, a spotlight will be on Jamal Albarghouti's phone.

"Albarghouti used his mobile phone's camera to record video during last year's massacre at Virginia Tech University. The graduate student e-mailed his footage to CNN, bringing the news to the nation before the networks got anywhere near the scene."

Meanwhile, headline writers have had a field day this week:

The New York Times - Get Me Rewrite: A New Monument to Press Freedom

The Washington Post - Read All About It: Visitor-Friendly Tips for Navigating the Newseum

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Museum Fit for Print

Baltimore Sun: All the News Fit for a Museum

Express.com: News You Can Peruse: Newseum

The first Newseum in Arlington, Virginia, opened on April 18, 1997, and closed in 2002 after the new building project was announced.

Newseum's online front pages were first posted in September of 2001. The daily online version of "Today's Front Pages" began in August 2002.

To clarify content of previous TSF posts regarding Newseum's front page submissions for online display and at the museum, TSF contacted Kate Kennedy, Newseum's Front Pages editor.

"We invite general-interest, daily newspapers from around the world to participate in the gallery," says Kennedy. "Every front page that is sent to us is included in the online exhibit.

"The exhibit is accompanied by a weekday 'closer look' or analysis of the front pages.

"The Newseum receives more than 575 front pages each day. Today, we have more than 600 from 60 countries in six continents. From the 600, we select 80 front pages for a gallery on the sixth floor of the Newseum. Each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia is represented.

"The gallery also includes three national newspapers (USA Today, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal) and about two dozen international papers.

"Front pages (for the gallery) are chosen for their geographic diversity. We also include front pages from among the top 20 papers in circulation size. We try to include tabs as well as broadsheets. We represent big-city journalism as well as community journalism.

"I find the international newspapers especially fascinating from a design standpoint.

"In addition to the inside gallery, we also display up to 64 front pages in cases outside the building along Pennsylvania Avenue. Some front pages appear in both the inside and outside galleries, although visitors might find a few different front pages."

Re Incredulous

TSF isn't perfect, although numerous reporters, columnists and editors in our audience prefer that we get it right the first time.

We appreciate criticisms and corrections, but we do have to challenge the sender of the following comment regarding the use of the word "incredulous" in our "Take a Flyer" posting.

"Suggest you investigate the difference between incredulous and incredible," writes Vic Deboni.

We were confident when we used "incredulous," but off we went to Merriam-Webster and the online dictionary agrees:

"Incredulous

in·cred·u·lous

1 : unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true : not credulous : skeptical

2 : incredible

3 : expressing incredulity incredulous stare> — in·cred·u·lous·ly adverb

usage Sense 2 was revived in the 20th century after a couple of centuries of disuse. Although it is a sense with good literary precedent—among others Shakespeare used it—many people think it is a result of confusion with incredible, which is still the usual word in this sense.

The key word is "usual." Let the countless other blogs be "usual." We prefer to be flexible.

But thank you for your comment, Vic.

Weepy GWB

Do you think maybe George W. borrowed Denny Crane's fake tear pump for that photo op that appeared in today's papers?

On last night's episode of Boston Legal, the Denny Crane lawyer character (William Shatner) uses a fake tear pump over dinner to impress his great love, Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen).

The Toronto Star's full colour photo on Page 3 made us gag while eating lunch on the quiet shores of Lake Ontario. The Toronto Sun's rather large black and white photo of weeping George W. was buried on page 34, where it belonged - if at all.

Hey, tears worked for Hillary Clinton - briefly.

Sherri Woodstock

Bob Bishop, a former Toronto Sun colleague of Sherri Wood, designed this logo to officially set in motion a tribute concert to honour the late club and concert writer.

Introduction of the perfect logo today by Bob, now at the Toronto Star, is fitting - it would have been Sherri's 29th birthday. She died on Easter Monday from brain cancer.

Bill Brioux, another former Sun colleague, is directing readers of his TV Feeds My Family blog to a new Facebook page set up to solicit ideas and recruit volunteers for Sherri Woodstock.

"To celebrate her memory and spirit, as well as nudge along plans for a fundraising music concert salute, a Facebook site has been launched in her honor," Bill says in his blog. "If you are already a Facebook member, please feel free to check it out. If not, join it, join us, and help make this event happen."

Bill says organizing the concert "will take ideas and inspiration from many sources."

Judging by the flood of emotions and online tributes to Sherri, there will be no shortage of ideas, inspiration and volunteers.

Stay tuned to Bill's blog, Facebook and TSF for updates.

TorSun awards

A TSF tip of the hat to Toronto Sun crime beat vet Rob Lamberti, reporter Don Peat and freelance photog John Hanley for winning Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association awards.

It is a bittersweet win for Rob, 50, and Don, 26, in the print media best story category - coverage of a townhouse fire that killed a mother and two young children.

John, 22, a Loyalist College journalism student, won best news photo in print for newspapers with circulation over 100,000 for a rooming house fire last fall.

The awards will be presented May 20 at the Palais Royale.

Take a flyer

Sensitivity 101: Drinking and driving and running down pedestrians is not the least bit amusing.

The above cartoon for a Winnipeg Sun used car dealership flyer clearly indicates the anti-drinking and driving campaigns of police and MADD still have miles and miles to travel.

In 2008, this ad is beyond belief. We'll let the description of the McDougall Auto Superstore ad by Winnipeg Free Press reporter James Turner set the scene:

"The full-colour, letter-sized cartoon insert depicts five red-nosed people partying in a car being driven irresponsibly by a wild-eyed man.

"As the driver speeds through a red light at a crosswalk, a police officer appears to be fleeing for his life as the vehicle tries to run him down.

"Passengers in the vehicle are also depicted to be consuming what appears to alcohol and smoking - others vomit out the car’s window into the street.

"The flyer, placed in the Winnipeg Sun by McDougall Auto Superstore, a city used auto dealership, asks readers to “steal a deal off our lot.”

What is more incredulous is the ad appeared a week after Tony Lanzellotti, 55, a Winnipeg cab driver, was killed when a stolen SUV ran a red light and crashed into his taxi.

Readers complained to the Sun; Winnipeg police complained to the dealership; Sam Katz, the city's mayor, said it was "in very poor taste"; Kevin Klein, Sun publisher and CEO, apologized to readers and the car dealership cancelled plans to repeat the ad.

"We certainly apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this ad," Klein said in Tuesday's Sun.

Klein said the Sun doesn't review insert ads for content but "we need to review our policy for inserts."

Say what, Kevin? A hard core porno flyer, hate literature or other objectionable material could be inserted without the knowledge of management?

OK, but what the hell was the "outside agency" that created the ad for the car dealership thinking and the dealership for approving it?

Yes, sad to say, police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have a lot more work to do.

OttSun countdown

The Ottawa Sun has launched a five-month countdown to its 20th anniversary on Sept. 4.

"We plan to celebrate right up to our anniversary date, beginning today with a 20th anniversary slash affixed to our front page," Rick Gibbons says in today's Ottawa Sun.

"In the course of the next few months, we'll highlight some of this newspaper's many achievements, including some memorable front pages. We'll even plan a party or two to mark two decades in Ottawa."

Gibbons also updates Ottawa Sun readers on the refurbishing of its printing press, abandoned with the questionable move to a new Quebecor printing plant in Mirabel in 2006.

"In the past few months, we've been busy refurbishing and re-opening the Ottawa Sun's printing press so that Ottawa's best tabloid is again printed in Canada's best city," he writes.

Gibbons also says the Ottawa Sun wants reader input and next Tuesday "a senior manager" will be taking calls from readers from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A 20th anniversary, a return to Ottawa presses, an open line for reader feedback. Positive news in 2008, in contrast to the downturn in staff numbers and morale in previous years.

Scribes invasion

Downtown Toronto will be thick with newspaper types in the week leading up to the May 9 National Newspaper Awards ceremonies at the Westin Harbour Castle.

The large number of publishers, editors, columnists, reporters and photographers from across Canada will be gathering for two events: the Canadian Newspaper Association's annual conference, May 7, 8 and 9, and the annual Canadian Press dinner on May 8.

Sun staffers feeling left out in the cold in the NNA nominations department can still mingle with the print media masses on awards night for $175, or book a table for 10 for $1,750.

"The evening offers an excellent opportunity to meet and mingle with people from the daily newspaper industry," the CNA says in a CNW Group press release.

While no Sun entries are up for awards, one of two guest emcees on awards night will be Christina Spencer, Sun Media's parliamentary correspondent.

Spencer will be sharing emcee duties with the Toronto Star's Linwood Barclay, a Stephen Leacock award nominee and best-selling mystery writer, says the CNW press release.

The gala begins with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by a banquet dinner at 6:30. and then the awards, with "prominent newspaper personalities from the past and present" presenting the NNAs.

The NNAs, with 63 finalists in 21 categories, are being held in Toronto for the first time since 2003.

For awards night reservations, e-mail Bryan Cantley at bcantley@cna-acj.ca or Lee White at nna@cna-acj.ca

We're OK Jack

You would think all of the media gloom and doom south of the border would be mirrored in Canada, but not so says a new Canadian Newspaper Association report.

A CNW Group press release says Canada's daily newspapers remained stable in 2007, "with robust growth in online ad sales offsetting a mild decline in print advertising."

"This is in sharp contrast to the U.S., where a contracting economy helped drive print ad revenues to the biggest year over year fall in more than half a century," says the CNA report.

The CNA report contains revenue results from circulation, print and online activities from 93 daily newspapers, representing over 95% of daily circulation in Canada.

As a TSF reader says: "Maybe the sky isn't falling after all."