Mission/Vision/History

Our Mission

Informed Opinions amplifies women’s voices for a more democratic Canada.

Our Vision

We’re aiming to ensure diverse women’s perspectives and priorities are equitably integrated into Canadian society by 2025.

Our Work

We motivate and train women to make their ideas more accessible to a broader audience and increase their impact. We deliver dynamic, interactive and practical workshops, engaging presentations, and professional editing support. And now, through the ExpertWomen database, we’re making it easier for journalists, conference programmers and others to find diverse women able and willing to offer commentary on a wide range of issues.

Women constitute more than 60 per cent of university graduates and hold senior positions in many industries. Their visible leadership – as provincial premiers, university presidents, national news anchors – speaks to the gains made in recent years.

And yet women’s perspectives still remain seriously under-represented in public discourse.

Recent research has found that women’s voices make up only 29% of those being heard on the air or quoted in print in Canada. And that reflects a mere 7% shift in the past two decades. The absence of women’s insight undermines democracy and denies Canada access to the analysis and ideas of many of its best and brightest.

Expert sources who share their ideas through the news media can have a significant impact on society’s policies and priorities. Their informed opinions can help to shape public attitudes and determine how governments spend tax dollars. It is also clear that those organizations and countries making effective use of women’s contributions are more competitive overall, and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Our goal is to ensure that women’s perspectives and priorities are equitably integrated into Canadian society. You can help. Join the database, sign up for the journalists’ mailing list, or donate.

HISTORY

Media Action (previously MediaWatch) is a national, non-profit charitable organization that has been using research and education to advocate for the improved portrayal and representation of women and girls in the media since 1980.

In 2010, former longtime president Shari Graydon founded Informed Opinions as a project of Media Action. The project seeks to bridge the gender gap in Canadian public discourse by 2025. Since 2010, it has helped amplify the voices of more than 2,000 women across Canada, supporting them in sharing their insights and analysis with a broader public.

As project Founder and Catalyst, Shari Graydon motivates and trains women with informed opinions to use media to amplify their voices. An award-winning author and women’s advocate, she delivers highly-rated conference keynotes and practical workshops across Canada to women in the public, private and non-profit sectors. In doing so, she draws on almost 30 years of experience providing commentary to print, broadcast and online media.