“Journalism Voltron”

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Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00

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“Journalism Voltron” r1 We have officially launched our new three-person dream team Ontario bureau! Led by the incredible Denise Balkissoon with Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh ... BECOME A MEMBER SEPT. 16, 2021

Say hello to our newest Narwhals

Our new three-person dream team will be led by journalism heavyweight Denise Balkissoon and driven by the dynamic reporting duo of Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh

Here at The Narwhal, we thrive on good vibes and luckily there have been plenty to go around lately! Some of you might have already seen the Twitter lovefest earlier this week, but for those of you who are (smartly) off social media, here’s the big news…

We have officially launched our new three-person dream team Ontario bureau! It will be led by the incredible Denise Balkissoon and rounded out by the dynamic reporting duo of Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh. We know — we can hardly believe it ourselves.

Denise comes to us with a wealth of experience and journalism know-how from serving as the executive editor of Chatelaine and her previous work as a columnist and editor at The Globe and Mail. We particularly loved her 2020 Atkinson lecture on the concept of objectivity in journalism and how it can prevent important stories from being told.

And boy are there a lot of environmental stories in Ontario that are flying under the radar. Thankfully, we have two Big Time Reporters™ who are prepared to fill that gap.

Fatima and Emma both bring with them reporting experience from stints at the Toronto Star and Canada’s National Observer. During the pandemic, Fatima has produced groundbreaking reporting for Toronto-based non-profit health news outlet The Local while also somehow finding the time to host the Canadaland politics podcast The Backbench. Emma, meanwhile, made waves with her 2019 investigation into an oilsands leak that affected Fort McKay First Nation, work that earned her a Canadian Association of Journalists’ award for human rights reporting. We can’t wait to see all the muckraking that these two will get up to at The Narwhal.

One of the best parts about this announcement is we know we’re diving into Ontario with the backing of our readers. Just ask the more than 10,000 of you who signed up for this newsletter to support our non-profit online magazine’s expansion eastward!

This launch was only possible because of the outpouring of support from our generous members and support from the McConnell Foundation, the Metcalf Foundation and the Echo Foundation. If you, like us, can’t wait to follow the work of our Ontario bureau, please consider signing up as a monthly member to support their journalism!

We’ll leave the final word to Denise: “Journalism as a whole needs to find new ways to fund meaningful reporting, but despite how urgent the problem is, there’s been a real lack of risk-taking and innovation in Canada. I’ve always believed that audiences are smarter and hungrier than legacy media gives them credit for, and it’s been nice to watch The Narwhal run with that idea, and succeed.”

Take care and fund the news,

Josie Kao
Assistant editor
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Narwhal in the world

We’ve never been one to hoard the good vibes. Here are some of our favourite reactions from around the Twitterverse and from our 40(!) incredible new members who signed up after our big announcement.

“I just saw the announcement about the power trio you’ve hired to launch your ON bureau. I’m in.”

“You added an ON bureau that includes some of my fav journalism people.”

“What you do is important. Canada is broken. The only hope is with organizations like yours.”

Ask a Narwhal: Why did you become a member?

“We need critical, independent coverage on key issues like climate justice.”

The Narwhal gets a nod

The good news just doesn’t stop around here! Photojournalist Amber Bracken has been nominated for a Covering Climate Now Journalism Award for her photo essay on Wet’suwet’en matriarchs.

As Covering Climate Now writes, “This series beautifully captured the stark visual contrast of Wet’suwet’en women in traditional garb juxtaposed with the militarized male presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers as they confronted one another in a remote, frozen landscape.”

We are thrilled that Amber’s work is being recognized by this international collaborative, which counts over 400 news organizations — including The Narwhal — as partners. Award winners will be announced in early October.

This week in The Narwhal

Three Black farmers and the fight for diminishing land in southern Ontario
By Ramona Leitao
Black and Indigenous households are vastly more likely to experience food insecurity in Canada. But when it comes to bringing local food to Black communities in Toronto, farmers say access to land remains one of the biggest hurdles.

READ MORE
Where Canada’s federal parties stand on three big climate and environment issues ahead of the election
By Emma Gilchrist
READ MORE No longer a rainforest: B.C.’s Sunshine Coast improvises to survive long-term drought
By Judith Lavoie
READ MORE

What we’re reading

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