Can I tell you about someone many in journalism/media law know but maybe you don't. He has been our secretish @TorontoStar weapon for a long time. He is Bert Bruser & every time I type his name in my phone it makes it BERT. After almost 9 years I'm going with it. Lets talk BERT

BERT is our in-house lawyer, with us through magnificently epic stories & adventures, helped us traverse dangerous legal grounds & always always championed the public right to know & a journalist's right to report. You'd think those are secure premises in Canada, yes? But no

The last many years has been a steady battle against growing secrecy in our courts, our governments, almost stupendously creative interpretations of access to information rules & needless court appearances on access issues that few outlets can afford. Who loses in this? You do!

Who is there for you? BERT is. He takes things like this, and source protection, and general journalistic integrity so seriously it makes his teeth hurt. OK I don't know that last part but I bet its true. He was behind this seismic ruling. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/public_editor/2010/01/16/supreme_lessons_in_journalism.html

Since I've been at the Star he has been available at all hours from first thing in the morning until late at night. He's there when there's an emergency (& no one wants a legal emergency) and for pre-emptive talks to help avoid a legal emergency. He is a human guiding light

Prone to slow newsroom wanders & slow pronouncements as well as explosive expletives & no brakes speech. Lack of clarity is 'gibberish.' Something dumb is the dumbest 'in the HISTORY of the WORLD.' When feeling expansive, even the dumbest in the history of the UNIVERSE

Journalists (not columnists) are careful with words. No torquing, no exaggeration, just clear, accurate. This personal grandness is dizzying. My household has borne my declaring things the biggest, weirdest, whateverest in the history of the WORLD for years now. Thanks, BERT

My household has also borne late calls with me & BERT fighting for something (journalism, story) & against something (disaster, mostly). Those feel a little surreal, almost cinematic. There are few STOP THE PRESSES moments but each decision impacts the rep of Star & journalism

It's a trust & responsibility & BERT lives that with every ounce. He's ferocious & kind, generous & demanding. Prone to crumpling up & tossing out even the stories he likes, a legendary media lawyer & to those lucky enough to work with him, a legendary editor.

He also has a corduroy suit, which means nothing but I like it. Like I like talking with BERT & hearing him talk. And now, you probably know where this is going, Bert is retiring. Amid a pandemic when I can't even hug him goodbye (don't tell HR I said that)

I had less than 10 yrs with BERT but he feels like a piece of the Star, of journalism and justice and democracy and that means he feels like a piece of me and my heart hurts. He is not on twitter so he won't see this which is good because he would HATE it. BUT

Don't let me have all the fun. BERT helped form some of the best journalists Canada. Most will have a BERT story & some will even be printable. He may not see them but the rest of us will so please share & we can all read them & think of the best in the history of the UNIVERSE