In numbers there is strength – how big data can help close the gender gap in Canadian journalism
February 11th, 2019This article was originally published in The Ottawa Citizen We hear a lot these days about how artificial intelligence is taking away jobs and making it easy for foreign powers to hack democracy. But some scientists are hunched over their computers in an effort to harness the power of big data analytics for social good. A […]
Online tool gives media outlets incentive to achieve gender parity
February 5th, 2019This article was originally published in The Toronto Star Could the incentivizing power of a fitness tracker be adapted to help achieve gender equality in the media, enhancing Canadian democracy in the process? After a year of collaboration with a team of big data scientists, we’re about to find out. Despite the increasing attention paid to […]
In praise of academic media sluts – a New Year’s resolution
January 9th, 2019Are you a media whore? Or do you worry you might be labeled one by your colleagues – if not to your face, then behind your back? In the process of delivering hundreds of media engagement workshops, I’ve heard dozens and dozens of you express this fear, using precisely this language. You’ve made it clear […]
How will we spend the $1 trillion coming our way?
December 4th, 2018Did you hear about the woman who left her small fortune to a potted plant because it was “the only thing that listened to her”? As relatable as the sentiment might be, the truth is that women are a growing force when it comes to donating to charities generally, and to social justice causes in […]
Interview tips from best-selling author and media interview veteran Ann Douglas
November 13th, 2018Prolific author, volunteer advocate on mental health issues, mother of four — notwithstanding the demands on Ann Douglas’ time implied by all of those roles, she also regularly makes time to engage with media. In the course of promoting her best-selling parenting books, she’s done many hundreds of print, broadcast and online interviews. And she’s […]
How journalists and universities can make it easier for experts to say “yes” to media interviews
October 30th, 2018Nancy Worth is a rock star in our world. After participating in one of our Writing Compelling Commentary workshops a little over a year ago, the University of Waterloo professor asked us if we’d be interested in collaborating on some research about our work. Then she developed the proposal, successfully applied to the Social Sciences […]
Relentless change-maker Nobina Robinson: more than 3 dozen op eds in 6 years
October 19th, 2018You may not recognize her name, but chances are high that you’ve been influenced – if only indirectly – by her informed opinions. Nobina Robinson attended one of our Writing Compelling Commentary workshops in 2012. Since then, she’s authored or co-authored more than three dozen op eds. Her commentary has been published in a wide […]
Are students universities’ most effective means of mobilizing knowledge?
July 30th, 2018Now that Russian interference in the US election has been clearly established, many are concerned about the implications for democracy. But universities and researchers should be paying attention to another contributing factor to Hillary Clinton’s loss. By all objective criteria, she was more experienced and more knowledgeable, less narcissistic and less impulsive. She was also […]
9 tips to improve the chances of getting your op ed published
July 18th, 2018In the dog days of summer 2017, when many people were at the beach, or glued to the media coverage of Charlottesville’s neo-Nazi march and the shocking response from the leader of the free world, a small posse of women with informed opinions were speaking up to make change. University of Ottawa law prof, Liz […]
Women need to let go of perfectionism: it’s the enemy of good (and of engagement)
May 25th, 2018Why would 80 women who spend most of their working hours talking to people from the front of a room be nervous enough about their speaking ability to sign up for a presentation skills workshop? I asked myself this the first time the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) hired me to deliver such workshops. […]