(Credit: Toronto Star, screenshot)

Toronto Star public editor Kathy English reported that the Canadian newspaper’s “news bureaus in Ottawa, Queen’s Park and Toronto city hall” all told her they don’t allow “quote approval.”

As iMediaEthics has written, a July New York Times report highlighted quote approval practices in which politicians or their campaigns were getting to give a final OK or edit their quotes before reporters published.

According to English, the Toronto Star Queen’s Park bureau chief Rob Benzie commented that he was “surprised U.S. media outlets didn’t place disclaimers warning readers when stories contained such quotes” approved by campaigns.  English added that the Star’s Newsroom Policy and Journalistic Standards Guide “does not explicitly refer to ‘quote approval'” but does say:

“Never promise to read back an article to sources, including quotes, unless this has been approved by the managing editor, or ME designate.”