By now you would have to be dead yourself not to have heard about the latest drowning of 51 Sea Lions in the nets of a fish farm in Tofino Inlet. A gruesome death by all accounts. Seems the pesky creatures get in past two outer nets and suck out salmon from their holding nets. The sea lions then cannot find their way out through the holes of the outer nets and drown.

What True Tofino News asks is Why?
Why is this happening?
How much of it is happening?
How is the media reporting on this situation?

Here are two online news articles about this latest incident. Media 101 – are the articles balanced in their reporting? Did you read all the way to the end? Whose information is where in each article? Can you see a difference in the telling of this story between the two?

First article is from a local online news organization, The Westcoaster:
Unfortunately after this True Tofino News article was posted and brought to the attention of The Westcoaster they started blocking this website from having a link to the story. (*)
To read their story you’ll have to copy and paste the link below into your browser.
www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=1950

Second article is from a national news organization, The Globe & Mail:
The Globe & Mail: Fish-farm nets take toll on sea lions

Our local newspaper The Westerly did a good job of balanced reporting.
While we would have liked to see the story mentioned on the front page, they gave the best coverage, reporting not just on the actual event but also writing about what could be done about the situation and the different views on that solution. Equal space was given to the differing viewpoints and they were both presented throughout the article. Well done Westerly!
Unfortunately the paper is not online but we will try and get permission to run a copy.