On Israel-Palestine and our role as journalists in times of crisis

And our role as Canadians and as human beings.

Hi everyone, I’ve been in a reflective mood this past month, as I’m sure many of you have been during this challenging time.

Several days ago, I attended the “Power of One | Power of Us” event hosted by the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) where I listened to a panel that encapsulated exactly how I’ve been feeling about local discourse surrounding the Israel-Palestine crisis, as well as the resulting Islamophobic and anti-Semitic hate crimes happening across Canada. Moderated by MaRS Discovery District CEO Yung Wu, and featuring speakers Minister Karina Gould, leader of the government in the House of Commons, and Nabeela Ixtabalan, executive coach with The Marshall Goldsmith Group, the panel didn’t speak directly about the crisis, but rather focused on the impact it had on the way we relate to each other as Canadians and as human beings.

Two comments, in particular, struck a chord with me. “We have to look at each other as fellow Canadians,” Gould, who is of Jewish faith, said, emphasizing that we can’t hold each other accountable for actions of entities around the world. Meanwhile, Ixtabalan, who is of Muslim faith, said, “You don’t have to know the answer [to the crisis] to be compassionate.” Both acknowledged that the trauma and grief experienced by both communities is legitimate, and that it’s essential for Canadians to see each others’ humanity in order to help — rather than inflame — the situation.

Living in a uniquely multicultural and pluralistic city like Toronto means we feel the impact of geopolitical conflicts much more acutely in the city compared to others because conversations are much more fraught, given the close connections that many Torontonians have to their places of origin or ancestors' homelands. It’s almost as if fault lines are drawn, so Torontonians can feel the shadow of war on our soil. This is accentuated here compared to, say, similarly diverse major U.S. cities because Canada is a “tossed salad” to America’s “melting pot.” You can name any number of recent conflicts that illuminate this problem, including India-Pakistan, China-Hong Kong and more.

This issue is also coming up in newsrooms, and in fact, it’s been on the mind of my young team of journalists at The Green Line. During one of our recent weekly editorial meetings, I asked how they were feeling, and we had a conversation that touched on the escalation of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism here. Several of them expressed a desire for peace and for polarization — driven by both uninformed opinions and rampant mis/disinformation online — to stop, given the mounting hate crimes on our soil.

Before I get further into this, I want to make a few things clear. First, I strongly believe that journalism upholds democracy, which is essential to creating an environment that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms like peaceful protests. We cannot and should not choose which democratic ideals we uphold both here in Canada and abroad, and we need to remain steadfast in that. That means civilians should be protected against acts of war. That means a ceasefire is a no-brainer. I also believe during these fraught times now more than ever, we must model what it looks like to treat our fellow Canadians and fellow human beings, more broadly, with respect. As a journalist, my role isn’t to share my non-expert opinion because that can cause further division here, especially since there are increasing numbers of people who judge others solely based on what they say rather than on how they act; any meaningful contribution I make will be through the journalism I produce methodically and thoughtfully.

At my meeting with The Green Line team, I reinforced the fundamentals of journalism, especially the fact that we should never tell people how or what to think, but rather provide them with rigorously reported information that enables them to come to their own conclusions and make their own decisions. We must also be responsible in the way we deliver this information; positioning opinion as fact does a disservice to the public and inherently feels antidemocratic. 

I emphasized to my team that it takes courage to uphold truth at all costs, including in the face of heavy criticism from some people who convey their opinion as objective reality. Many of us got into journalism to fight injustice, and the best way to achieve that is for journalists to do their jobs.

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Shout-out

Many thanks to Tanmayi Desmukh, The Green Line’s departing audience innovation intern who’s been so integral in building out The Green Line’s audience strategy. Her internship, facilitated through Parsons School of Design in New York City, ended earlier this month.

And huge congrats to The Green Line’s former news innovation fellow Stephanie Bai who was just hired as associate newsletter editor at The Atlantic! Many of our former innovation fellows have gone on to work in impressive roles in the journalism industry, including at Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, and as Joan Donaldson Scholars at CBC.

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The Green Line: We’re looking for a contributing editor and long-form pitches

The Green Line is looking for a part-time contributing editor who can support me in editing multiplatform journalism content (i.e. articles, videos, etc.), and help me manage assignments for my team of 11. If you’re interested, please send me your resume, cover letter and links to three examples of your editing work.

We’re also interested in long-form pitches from experienced investigative and/or feature reporters based in Toronto that tackle the systemic issues in the city through a solutions lens. We offer highly competitive freelance rates. If you’re interested in pitching, please send me your resume, cover letter and links to three clips (longform features are preferable).

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Quick and Clean

“In my community” and “Cool stuff I like” will be back… 

• I highly recommend reading "Israel-Palestine: Avoiding Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic Hate Speech - Think Before You Post" by Solutions Not Sides, a UK-based education program.

• I’m incredibly honoured to receive the Aspiring Innovator of the Year Award by the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism; CILAR is a diverse group of Canadian leaders committed to creating equitable pathways into the innovation economy for BIPOC Canadians. 

• Video of my Ignite Talk at Newsgeist 2023 in Phoenix, about how community-driven journalism is encouraging civic engagement, is out now on YouTube so check it out. 

• Read the comprehensive “Funding Journalism: A Guide for Canadian Philanthropy,” which was recently released by Inspirit Foundation, one of my earliest supporters.

• I’m thrilled for Calgary Journal, a community news service produced by journalism students at Mount Royal University in Calgary, for publishing their Student Housing Housing Project, inspired by The Green Line’s Action Journey model.

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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.