How to reinvent election coverage for modern times
Plus! The Green Line is hosting a special Toronto election event in partnership with the Centre for Social Innovation and the Royal Society of Arts.
Hey y’all! Anita here. There are just two weeks remaining before the Toronto municipal election on Oct. 24, so a friendly reminder to my Torontonian subscribers: Get ready to vote! 🗳️
As someone who was born and raised in Toronto, this election cycle has been the quietest I’ve seen in all my years here. Typically, there’s a lot of buzz and public discussion of emerging mayoral candidates and policy platforms leading up to Election Day, so this recent lack of energy around the upcoming vote is noteworthy and concerning.
What’s more, the COVID-19 pandemic left many Torontonians feeling exhausted, disconnected and polarized, so I wanted to host an election-focused event that fostered a sense of civic connection and helped locals work through those feelings.
That’s why The Green Line is hosting SIX Degrees: Toronto Talks Election 2022 in partnership with the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) Toronto and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Canada. The political speed-dating event, which takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. at CSI Annex (720 Bathurst St.), matches up Torontonians with opposing political views who are willing to have constructive conversations. Our goal? To provide a model for healthy discourse of political issues, and to generate community-driven solutions for increasing voter turnout among younger generations, which has been declining for decades. City Council candidates for University-Rosedale (Ward 11) will also be in attendance.
To participate and get matched with another person, all you have to do is complete a quick and fun questionnaire that determines where you are on the political spectrum. The questionnaire is hosted by My Country Talks, an app whose mission is to connect people to discuss the issues that divide and unite them. According to its website, My Country Talks’ “scientifically proven methodology can reduce polarization and build empathy through the power of dialogue.”
The Green Line will be the first news outlet to bring My Country Talks to Canada. It’s the brainchild of ZEIT ONLINE, the website for German newspaper of record Die Zeit, which has since exported My Country Talks to more than 30 countries around the world. I first learned about it during a dinner at the International Journalism Festival this past April where I met project lead Hanna Israel.
In addition to SIX Degrees: Toronto Talks Election 2022, our team is taking a uniquely Green Line approach to reporting on the election, so be sure to look out for our coverage, which will roll out over the next few weeks. Expect a rundown of the track records of the top mayoral candidates, as well as video interviews with Mayor John Tory and candidates Gil Penalosa and Chloe-Marie Brown that explore their respective characters.
Paid opportunities: TGL producers and freelance pitches
The Green Line is currently hiring News Innovation Fellows who specialize in TV broadcasting and have experience in news production. We’re also interested in long-form pitches that tackle a systemic housing issue in the city through a solutions lens, especially from experienced investigative and/or feature reporters based in Toronto who specialize in housing issues. We offer competitive freelance rates.
If you want to learn more about any of these opportunities, feel free to contact me for more information. Or if you’re interested, please send me your resume, cover letter and links to three clips (multimedia is preferred for Fellowship applicants and longform is preferred for housing pitches).
Quick and Clean
“In my community” and “Cool stuff I like” will be back…
A friend who just moved to Toronto told me they recently saw Turning Red by Scarborough’s own Domee Shi to get a sense of the city. That reminded me of this podcast episode of They Call Me Bruce where I spoke with The Atlantic’s Shirley Li, Angry Asian Man’s Phil Yu and Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Yang about the film.
I loved this Margaret Atwood essay in The Atlantic titled “Your Feelings Are No Excuse,” which includes a life mantra we should all follow: “Don’t panic. Think carefully. Write clearly. Act in good faith. Repeat.”
I recommend reading this Time column titled “Why the Career of the Future Needs a Portfolio Approach” by S. Mitra Kalita who perfectly describes my current career path and the new wave of work (something I also tried to articulate in this vintage TOW newsletter).
Back in 2008, I was chosen by Canada World Youth to attend the 4th World Youth Congress in Québec City as a Young Journalist — a life-changing experience where I had the opportunity to interview former governor general Michaëlle Jean. Unfortunately, CWY has fallen on hard times and is closing its doors due to lack of funding. Please sign this petition to help save the organization!
How you can support The Other Wave
My professional mission has always been to support the global movement towards more thoughtful, impactful news coverage, and all the ways that manifests. If The Other Wave gets you to think even a little differently about journalism, especially in Canada, then I will have accomplished what I set out to do. And if TOW gets you to take action and support Canadian media outlets — especially ones that strive to be innovative and inclusive — I will have exceeded my expectations.
If my values and goals resonate with you, please consider supporting fiercely independent media analysis that fills in gaps in coverage of the Canadian journalism landscape. How? Feel free to provide feedback, pass along resources, donate money or simply share this newsletter with your friends.