National Conference Program

Friday, May 25th
 

07:30 – 08:30     Registration & BYO Breakfast
 

08:30 – 09:45     Plenary Session 1: Journalism and the Trust Factor 

Telling our audience that we are truth tellers and only report the facts is not enough anymore. This session will explore the value of journalism, both as a business and as a profession and how we can regain the public’s trust.

The Edelman Trust Barometer has been measuring trust globally for 18 years.  John Clinton will provide an in-depth look at this year’s report and what it means to journalism. 

The world is moving apart in trust. In previous years, market-level trust has moved largely in lockstep, but for the first time ever there is now a distinct split between extreme trust gainers and losers. No market saw steeper declines than the United States, with a 37-point aggregate drop in trust across all institutions. At the opposite end of the spectrum, China experienced a 27-point gain, more than any other market.
 
Moderator: Fiona Conway, Initial F
Presenter: John Clinton – Chair Edelman Canada – North American Head of Creative and Content

 
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09:45 – 10:15     Coffee Break    

Career Booths: Have your work critiqued by a News Leader
 
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10:15 – 11:45     Plenary Session 2  

The annual bear pit session with news leaders.  Leading off with an exclusive RTDNA/IPSOS Poll. 

Are News Organizations out of step with the world today – what is the public perception of news organizations today in the era of fake news?
 
Moderator: Andrew Coyne, Columnist – National Post 
Panelists: 
Troy Reeb, Senior VP, News, Radio and Station Operations  –  Global News
Jonathan Whitten, Executive Director – CBC
Wendy Freeman, President – CTV News 
 
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11:45 – 13:00     Keynote Luncheon
 
Sam Gill commissioned the Knight Foundation’s (Gallup) poll “AMERICAN VIEWS: TRUST, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY”. 

Moderator: Kevin Newman, Host, Managing Editor – CTV’s W5
Panel Guest: Sam Gill, VP/Communities and Impact – Knight Foundation

 
13:00 – 13:45     Breakout Sessions A1 – A2

A1: The Resurgence of Local News
 
Moderator: Stephanie Smyth, Managing Editor, Breaking News Producer – CP24
Panelists: 
Dave Budge, VP of News –  City TV
Fred Mattocks, GM of Local Services – CBC
Cathrin Bradbury, Editor in Chief – Metro Newspapers
Cindy Clyne, Group News Director – MBC Media
 

A2: New Content Models – Podcast$ Make Money – Here’s How
 
Moderator: Lindsay Michael, Co-host and Producer – CBC Podcast Playlist
Panelists: 
Leslie Merklinger, Sr. Dir. Content Development – CBC 
Jeff Ulster, Chief Content and Technology Officer – The Podcast Exchange  
Chris Duncombe, Director of Streaming and Podcasting – Corus Entertainment

 
13:45 – 14:30     Breakout Sessions B1 – B2 

B1: Managing Opinion 
 
Moderator: John Moore, Host “Moore in the Morning” – NewsTalk 1010
Panelists: 
Ron Waksman, Vice-President, News Content – Global News
Robyn Urback, Columnist, Opinion Producer – CBC News
Andrew Philllips, Editorial Page Editor – Toronto Star
 

B2: The Platform Debate – Are the Platforms the News Industry’s Saviour?
 
Moderator: Erika Tustin, VP Content – Diply.com
Panelists: 
David Skok, CEO & Editor-in-Chief – The Logic
Cameron Gordon, Head of Communications – Twitter Canada
Richard Kanee, Executive Director, Digital – CBC
 

14:30 – 15:00     Coffee Break
Career Booths: Have your work critiqued by a News Leader
 

15:00 – 15:45     Breakout Sessions C1 – C2

C1: Audience Metrics 2020 – Looking ahead to the New Revenue Models 
 
Moderator: Keith Robinson, Director, Digital Products & Business Development – Global News/Corus Radio
Panelists: 
Jennifer Bergen, Director, Digital Sales and iHeartRadio Operations – Bell Media
Robin Neufeld, Director of Content Marketing – CBC
Mladen Raickovic, Head of Canada, Global Partnerships – Google 

C2: The Future of Wire Services
 
Moderator: George Browne,  Director News Content – Global News 
Panelists: 
Pierce Wright, Managing Editor News – Getty Images
Malcolm Kirk, President – The Canadian Press 
Marisha Goldhamer, Senior Editor, Web and Social Media for North America – AFP
Katrina Kordowski, Media Account Manager – North America – Reuters News Agency
 

15:45 – 16:30    RTDNA Canada Annual Meeting
 
 Moderators: RTDNA Canada Board of Directors

 
 
17:00 – 18:30     RTDNA Canada & CJF Special Presentation – Fixing Newsroom Culture: A Conversation with Lara Setrakian 

Lara Setrakian is co-founder of Press Forward, an organization looking to improve newsroom culture in the wake of media-industry sexual harassment allegations—including her own against journalist Mark Halperin while at ABC News. She is also co-founder and CEO of News Deeply, a digital media company that mixes investigative reporting, expert analysis and community insights to create single-theme platforms that cover topics such as Syria, refugees and water. Setrakian will be in conversation with Farah Nasser, anchor of Global News at 5:30 & 6.

RTDNA conference attendees and President’s Reception ticket holders can attend this event for free. To attend this event only please click here to register. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fixing-newsroom-culture-a-conversation-with-lara-setrakian-tickets-44572438363 
 
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18:30 – 20:00     President’s Award Reception   

President’s Award
Distinguished Service Award
Bill Hutton Award
Central Lifetime Achievement Awards
Murrow Awards
 
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Saturday, May 26th 
 

08:30 – 09:00 Registration & BYO Breakfast

 
09:00 – 09:45     Plenary Session 3: Career Booth – Have your work critiqued by a News Leader
 

09:45 – 10:15     Coffee Break
 

10:15 – 11:45     Plenary Session 4 – Special Presentations
 
1 – Latest in Live Event Streaming 
 
Bogdan Frusina, Founder – Dejero 
 
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2 – How 360-degree storytelling is helping the world with empathy and understanding of global events.
 
Kris Hodgson, Interim Chair of the School of Media and Design, Lethbridge College

 
3 – Presentation by Kiran Chandran, Director of Product, Data and Insights – Getty Images
 
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11:45 – 13:00     Keynote Luncheon: The View from Down South

A conversation about the challenges journalists face covering the Trump era, the RTDNA First Amendment Initiative, Trust and Local News.
 
Moderator: Fiona Conway – Initial F
Presenters:
Dan Shelley, Executive Director – RTDNA USA
Scott Libin, Chair – RTDNA USA 
 

13:00 – 14:00     Breakout Sessions D1 – D2

D1: Be a Better Investigator/ Accountability Interviews 
 
Moderator: Litsa Sourtzis, Executive Producer – CBC Marketplace
Panelists:
Stewart Bell, National Online Journalist – Investigative – Global News 
Avery Haines, Investigative Journalist – CTV W5
 

D2: New Content Models: How to Remodel Your Radio and TV News Broadcasts
 
Moderator: Daryn Jones, Evening Host – 92.5 KISSFM, Comedian, Videographer, Podcaster
Panelists:
Francis D’Souza, Anchor & Senior Manager, Editorial – CityNews
Michael Gruzuk, Senior Director Content Experience – CBC News
Natalie Alcoba, Managing Editor – VICE News Canada
 

14:00 – 18:00     Conference Adjourns
 

18:00 – 19:00     Pre-Awards Cocktail
 

19:00 – 23:00     RTDNA Awards Gala

 
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