Irene GentleVerifizierter Account

If this outlet is your choice, here is a link to help. Thank you for your time, and for supporting journalism. https://www.thestar.com/subscribe 

Whether you appreciate the breaking news aspect of journalism, or the deep investigative stories, media outlets increasingly rely on the support of readers. All original journalism is expensive. To help ensure it continues, please consider supporting an outlet of your choice 17/

Watchdog journalism, local journalism, accountability journalism, journalism that aims to help you know more about your city or the world you live in, journalism that aims to keep you informed on what is happening as it happens, all serve a purpose 16/

...amid diminishing resources and the increasingly fractured attention of readers who are inundated with information, news or otherwise, credible or otherwise. 15/

...are not interested in the deeper dives of slow journalism, unable to spare the time or attention at this stage in their lives. A substantial challenge of journalism in many outlets is providing the fast news for those who want it, and the deep, enterprise dives for others 14/

The business model of journalism has taken a beating over the last many years, with both legacy and digital native media facing continual challenge, change, downsizing. Some feel shattered by fast journalism, the endless news cycle and torrent of news. While others 13/

Climate change is a big topic, with few easy answers. For some it can feel like an issue out of their control, or far in the future. This series, in part, aims to show there are things you can do - and people do them. That it is not far in the future, it is impacting lives now 11

Big thanks to @theresaboyle who led the Star's reporting on this throughout those long five years, with multiple judicial fights. Also to the team who has been working since the Supreme Court chose not to hear the appeal for the series of stories to come. 9/

The media industry is also cash-strapped. But @TorontoStar felt your right to understand how a major chunk of the provincial budget was being spent was worth the cost of time, resources, court fees. This is slow journalism, and public service journalism. 8/

As doctors will rightly tell you, billings are not salary. They include overhead, which can be significant, such as 'salaries of professional and administrative staff, office space and supplies, medical equipment and ongoing training.' 7/

'An internal Ministry of Health audit dug into questionable billings of 12 top billing doctors. The audit flagged concerns involving seven doctors over “upcoding,” charging OHIP using fee codes for more expensive procedures, or charging for services that weren’t provided. 6/

'A 2016 report by Ontario’s Auditor General called oversight of the physician billing system “weak,” and found serious issues, including that the ministry doesn’t even bother to go after a lot of doctors with questionable billings because it’s too resource-intensive.' 5/

This story is the 'first of a series examining the data, revealing how tax dollars are spent and pressing for greater accountability in a cash-strapped health system.' Here's why that matters... 4/

A simple request for these billings turned into a 5-YEAR (!) odyssey, from the privacy office to the doors of the Supreme Court. 'In April, the Supreme Court sided with the Star, ending the protracted battle waged by doctors who wanted the names kept secret.' 3/

Thread: Journalism has lots of fast news - something breaks, journalists mobilize to give you the most clear, accurate information when facts are scarce & confused. But for a bit here I hope to talk about slow news, work that can take weeks, months, even years to accomplish 1/