More journalistic problems at The Globe?

Did Globe and Mail columnist Leah McLaren cross the line in her latest?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Did Globe and Mail columnist Leah McLaren cross the line in her latest piece?

Why bother with a classified ad when you own prime real estate in Canada's national newspaper?

Perhaps that's what Globe and Mail columnist Leah McLaren was thinking when it came time to sell her home. In a recent column, she extols the charms of her "red brick Victorian row house" in Toronto's Bell Woods Park area.

McLaren goes to great lengths describing how she whipped her "modest little worker’s cottage" into a "sparkling jewel" — insulating the attic, building firewalls, rebuilding the front porch, updating appliances, painting and landscaping.

All for just $599,000.

But at what cost to her journalistic credibility?

"It would seem as though she is abusing her position of authority in the press to further her own economic interests: selling her house," writes Michael MacDonald at Canada.com. "Unless, of course, her home happened to be the most interesting home for sale that week."

To be fair, McLaren's column appeared in the Globe's real estate section, entitled Home of the Week.

But it couldn't come at a worse time. The Globe is still reeling from a plagiarism scandal involving star columnist Margaret Wente.

For McLaren, at least, there may be a happy ending with Twitter reports suggesting her house has since sold — at more than the asking price.