TV makeover
The new faces of Global News,
Global TV anchors Farah Nasser and Alan Carter are in the middle of the North York newsroom of the Canadian broadcaster, posing for a photographer.
“I think I have more pictures of you and me together than my entire family,” jokes Nasser to Carter.
Whether it’s on billboards or television, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Nasser and Carter in the future. The pair were front and centre after launching a rebranded suppertime hour Global Evening News To
ronto at 5:30 and 6 this week, which they are coanchoring for the first time.
But there is one elephant absent from the room. That’s the ghost of former senior news anchor Leslie Roberts. He resigned in January after a Star investigation into conflict of interest allegations involving a public relations company that he coowned.
The resignation led to some soul searching at the broadcaster, as well as a major shakeup of their news-team lineup. The most visible result is the hiring of Nasser from CP24 and promoting Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Carter to the anchor desk.
It is also something of an exercise in risk management: Moving from Roberts’ solo anchor to a two-anchor desk means that power isn’t concentrated in one person. But how do you rebuild trust with a jaded public who are more skeptical than ever about the news they consume? The Star met with Global management and the new team as they discussed the process in exclusive interviews.
“A lot of us worked closely with Leslie, and certainly it was a difficult period in the newsroom,” says Mackay Taggart, news director of Global News Toronto. “We were learning something we didn’t know and we were surprised to know. There were two internal investigations and at the end of those investigations, Leslie resigned. It wasn’t an easy chapter in our newsroom, but it has also provided a real opportunity for renewal.”
Taggart says internal policies have changed in the wake of Roberts’ resignation. All employees were required to sign an ethics and standards document, but now it is required every six months.
“It was one of the first things given to me when I signed on,” says Nassar.