Young women make waves – and inspire their mentoring peers in the process
Diversity Belonging + Inclusion
April 11th, 2022Greta Thunberg, in just 3 years, has shown the world a new way of doing things, of speaking up, of making a difference. She did what no one was able to do before: at 16 years old, she got the world to talk seriously about the climate crisis. Just weeks after Greta started her Fridays […]
read more...Young women make waves – and inspire their mentoring peers in the processBlocking Online Abuse: Q&A with Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick
Our Advocacy Work
January 20th, 2022In the context of Informed Opinions’ work to combat the #ToxicHush of online hate, we’re deeply conscious of how much abuse many outspoken women and gender-diverse journalists, bloggers and influencers receive. Noting a recent tweet by longtime feminist columnist, Heather Mallick about blocking words on Twitter, we reached out to learn more… Do you remember […]
read more...Blocking Online Abuse: Q&A with Toronto Star columnist Heather MallickOnline hate targeting politicians threatens democracy
Our Advocacy Work
January 11th, 2022If you’re a woman in Canada who pays any attention to politics, you already know the basic arc and many of the low points of the story below. In fact, you’re likely to have had a visceral experience of the events, even if you only ever saw them reported on the news or discussed on […]
read more...Online hate targeting politicians threatens democracyHow to Use #Ottertime to Fight Online Hate and Disorient Trolls
Our Advocacy Work
December 29th, 2021Esther Choo is a physician who does medical commentary on CNN, MSNBC and BBC. She has more than 192,000 followers. And because she’s a feminist, tweets about gender inequities, and is also Asian American, she gets trolled. But she’s smart and has a sense of humour, too. So here’s what she does when she gets […]
read more...How to Use #Ottertime to Fight Online Hate and Disorient TrollsDear Sheryl Sandberg: You can stop online abuse
Our Advocacy Work
December 15th, 2021Dear Sheryl, May I call you that? In your books and your TED talks, you come across as warm, accessible, and aligned with some of the values I hold dear. Your advocacy for women positioned you as a comrade-in-arms. Just like the legions of women who signed up for your lean-in circles, I feel I […]
read more...Dear Sheryl Sandberg: You can stop online abuseWhat do three years of data on the gender gap in news reporting tell us?
Our Advocacy Work
October 28th, 2021The following op ed, co-authored with Prashanth Rao and Dr. Maite Taboada, appeared on Poynter‘s website on 28 October 2021. Looking for silver linings in the midst of a pandemic is fraught. But here’s one that journalists need to pay attention to: Since March 2020, news media have devoted a lot more time and space […]
read more...What do three years of data on the gender gap in news reporting tell us?Let’s make this the last election in which our voices, realities, leadership capacities are absent, marginalized
Our Advocacy Work
September 27th, 2021The following op ed first appeared on The Toronto Star‘s website (17 September 2021) and in the print version (20 September 2021). The argument I make below is one we’re going to repeat, in collaboration with researchers and advocates across the country, many times in the coming year as part of our new initiative, Making […]
read more...Let’s make this the last election in which our voices, realities, leadership capacities are absent, marginalizedAn epidemic of interview requests — and she’s still standing!
Master Media Engagement
September 13th, 2021In the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Winnipeg-based epidemiologist Cynthia Carr began receiving many media calls. Although she had a lot of experience sharing her knowledge in public talks, she recognized that media interviews were an entirely different beast. Unable to wait for the next scheduled Informed Opinions’ workshop that would […]
read more...An epidemic of interview requests — and she’s still standing!Giving media interviews through trauma — and giving back to community
Diversity Belonging + Inclusion and Master Media Engagement
August 11th, 2021Lori Campbell, newly appointed Associate Vice President, Indigenous Engagement, at the University of Regina has a long history of advocacy. A survivor of the infamous “Sixties Scoop”, she has used her voice to amplify issues affecting Indigenous peoples for many years, responding to media interview requests despite the challenges of doing so. We […]
read more...Giving media interviews through trauma — and giving back to communityWhy are some people such jerks online? And how do you respond to social media attacks?
Our Advocacy Work
July 21st, 2021Is social media snark the gateway drug to full-on trolling? I wondered this a lot last month, scrolling through the hate-tweets directed my way. Had I condemned a respected religious leader? Body-shamed a feminist icon? Described COVID as a viable form of population control? No, I’d had the temerity to confess in a Toronto Star […]
read more...Why are some people such jerks online? And how do you respond to social media attacks?