Une étude révèle les hauts et les bas de l’indépendance journalistique
Connexion Stéphane Baillargeon 24 mars 2014 Société / MédiasUne étude révèle les hauts et les bas de l’indépendance journalistique Photo : Jacques Nadeau - Le Devoir Sept journalistes sur dix au Québec jugent que des contraintes d’ordre économique (publicitaires, commerciales ou corporatives) « ont déjà généré de la pression » sur leur travail. C’est déjà beaucoup. Chez les médias de Gesca (La Presse, Le Soleil, etc.), à peine un journaliste sur dix (10 %) affirme que les propriétaires, les dirigeants du média non affecté à l’information ou le personnel des ventes publicitaires interviennent « régulièrement » ou « souvent » dans les décisions de la salle de rédaction. Dans les médias de Québecor, la part ombragée gonfle à 20 %. Il faut dire que TC Média possède beaucoup d’hebdomadaires régionaux, et encore plus depuis l’achat de 73 hebdos de Québecor en décembre dernier. Étude inédite Ces données se trouvent dans une étude sur l’indépendance journalistique dont Le Devoir a obtenu copie.
Notes from a Wanderjahr | Reports and musings from a year spent traveling the world on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship exploring holistic sustainability and vibrancy through the ecovillage, Permaculture, and Transition Town movements
A machine for jumping to conclusions
To Daniel Kahneman, PhD, the human mind is a marvel, but a fallible one. Kahneman, who is best known as the only psychologist to win a Nobel Prize (in economics), has spent decades investigating people's automatic thought processes. He has found that what he calls our "System 1"—our automatic, intuitive mind—usually lets us navigate the world easily and successfully. But, when unchecked by "System 2"—our controlled, deliberative, analytical mind—System 1 also leads us to make regular, predictable errors in judgment. Considering those errors in the 1970s led Kahneman and his longtime collaborator Amos Tversky, PhD, who died in 1996, to develop the Nobel-prize-winning theory that explains why human beings often make economic decisions that aren't perfectly rational—in contrast to what economists had long believed. Kahneman spoke to the Monitor about his new book, "Thinking, Fast and Slow," which sums up his life's research on human judgments, decision-making and, most recently, happiness.
Where the heart is: What it means to buy a home
I wanted to buy the house for its description alone: “3Br Victorian W/Sympathetic Modern Influences of Fancy Charm.” It was, like the best real-estate ads, a dating profile couched in the language of home ownership. Fall in love with my original mouldings; stay, when the passion ends, for my brushed-steel appliances. It was unclear whether the urinal in the red bathroom represented a sympathetic modern influence or fancy charm. Both, possibly. Urinals seem to be a thing these days in chic urban spaces. The house at the end of my block had just gone on the market. This story is about my street, but it could be everyone’s street, especially if you live where house prices are climbing out of sight of the naked eye. Housing stock is ridiculously tight in downtown Toronto. Because it is a good investment. Even the innumerate become Stephen Hawking when thoughts turn to real estate. I apologize for how relentlessly middle-class this preoccupation seems. E.M.
Bhutan aims to be first 100% organic nation
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, famed for seeking "happiness" for its citizens, is aiming to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100 percent organic. The tiny Buddhist-majority nation wedged between China and India has an unusual and some say enviable approach to economic development, centered on protecting the environment and focusing on mental well-being. Its development model measuring "Gross National Happiness" instead of Gross Domestic Product has been discussed at the United Nations and has been publicly backed by leaders from Britain and France, among others. It banned television until 1999, keeps out mass tourism to shield its culture from foreign influence, and most recently set up a weekly "pedestrians' day" on Tuesdays that sees cars banned from town centers. Elsewhere, the fertilizer urea is sometimes added to soil, while a fungicide to control leaf rust on wheat is also available. "We have developed a strategy that is step-by-step.
Dan Ariely on 23andMe and the Burden of Knowledge - Scott Berinato
News broke Friday that 23andMe, the provider of genetic testing services built around a $99 kit you can use at home, would cease providing health information to consumers while the product underwent a Food and Drug Administration approval process, because the FDA considers the test a medical device that requires regulatory review. While the FDA reviews the product, 23andMe will continue to provide customers ancestry data and raw data. Coincidentally, right when the news was posted, I was speaking with celebrated behavioral economist Dan Ariely about 23andMe. What was it about the results that made you think that the 23andMe service warranted more attention? So I got all these results about my future health and illness, and didn’t know how to digest them. What was the reaction to the kits in the lab? One person did not take the test, because she didn’t want to know. So it was dissatisfaction with the presentation of results. It was more than that. You said people were sort of frightened.
La qualité de l’air est mauvaise | Brossard Éclair
BROSSARD - La qualité de l’air en Montérégie est plus mauvaise que la moyenne du Québec, affirme la directrice de la santé publique, Dre Jocelyne Sauvé. Pour la mesurer, Brossard compte sur l’une des 15 stations de la qualité de l’air au Québec. Les chiffres du ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs (MDDEFP) démontrent que la Montérégie a compté 39 jours de mauvaise qualité de l’air en 2011, soit le double de la moyenne pour l’ensemble du territoire québécois. Il s’agit néanmoins d’une importante amélioration par rapport aux 55 jours de mauvaise qualité de l’air enregistrés en 2004. La station du parc Océanie permet au gouvernement de documenter la problématique grâce à l’indice de la qualité de l’air ambiant, selon la porte-parole du ministère, Geneviève Lebel. «La station est en activité depuis avril 1993, avance Mme Lebel. Corridor de vents dominants 450 décès par année
Mission - Sustainable Economies Law Center
Legal education, research, advice, and advocacy for just and resilient economies. Our Mission SELC cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment. Or as Lady Justice says it: How We Create Change Learn how all of SELC's work interrelates to create systemic change for community resilience. The New Economy in Practice We strive to model the change we want to see in the world. Based in Oakland, California, SELC is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Ventures, a California 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
