Recent hateful targeting of journalists – predominantly women of colour – has sparked condemnation by community and political leaders. But for columnists, who share their opinions for a living, this isn’t a new issue. While the digital age has brought unprecedented access to information, our society has also seen a proliferation of online harassment, especially for those in the public domain.
At the next Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) J-Talks Live free webcast on Thursday, October 28 at 1 p.m. ET, newspaper columnists Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, Shree Paradkar, Toronto Star and Elizabeth Renzetti, The Globe and Mail, will explore the contemporary challenges faced by columnists.
Daphne Bramham has been a columnist with the Vancouver Sun since 2000 and has written extensively about the rights of children, women, and animals. Bramham’s 2008 book, The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada’s Polygamous Mormon Sect, was a finalist for three national, non-fiction book awards.
Shree Paradkar writes on anti-oppression and social justice issues. Paradkar is also the Toronto Star‘s – and Canada’s – first internal ombud, a position created to develop an anti-racist newsroom. Winner of two Amnesty Awards for Human Rights reporting, Paradkar is the author of Betrayed: My cousin’s wrongful conviction for the murder of her daughter, Aarushi.
Elizabeth Renzetti’s column runs weekly in the Globe and Mail where she is also a feature writer. She is the author of two books, the essay collection Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls and the novel Based on a True Story. In 2020, she won the Landsberg Award for her reporting on gender equality.
Together, they will be in conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti, one of Canada’s best-known journalists and host of the CBC podcast More.
