CANADALAND

He's the academic expert people love to hate. But he considers stirring the pot his moral duty. This week, CANADALAND brings you a profile of Amir Attaran.Amir Attaran might not be a name you know off the top of your head, but if you listen or read Canadian media, you've definitely come across him before.He is a professor at both the University of Ottawa law school and also its School of Epidemiology and Public Health. He's got a PhD in immunology from Oxford, along with a law degree from UBC.Attaran has been a real sh*t disturber throughout the pandemic, criticizing all levels of government for their public health responses, but he liked stirring the pot long before COVID-19 reared its head. He makes the case that it is his duty.The Prime Minister scolded him. Twitter deplatformed him. Journalists have largely stopped calling him… Well, that is, except for us. Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join or gift a subscription to someone else at canadaland.com/gift. Sponsors: Policy Me, DouglasSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The media is scaring the bejesus out of us about the Omicron variant, but being on perpetual high alert can backfire. And the case against feeding the hungry. Writer, activist and podcaster Nora Loreto co-hosts. Links:Toronto Star piece re: OmicronBlacklocks Reporter piece re: Minister Anita Anand's husbandNational Post: Capitalist ManifestoToronto Star piece re: Food BanksNora Loreto's book, Spin Doctors: How Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic.Sponsors: Kilne, Squarespace, Manscaped, HelloFreshSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 16, the day the restaurants died. Or did they? Food industry writer, Corey Mintz, dissects what COVID-19 and the rise of third-party delivery apps have meant for the industry and our culture surrounding food.Further reading:The Next Supper, Corey Mintz, PublicAffairs BooksThe truth about Uber Eats, DoorDash and Skip the Dishes, Corey Mintz, Maclean'sYou can support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join or you can gift an ad-free subscription to a friend or family member by visiting canadaland.com/gift. Sponsors: Kilne, Douglas and ArticleSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Indigenous delegation headed to the Vatican was canceled and the media seems most focused on a papal apology. And is coverage of the Ring of Fire simply echoing the Conservative party lines? Ryan McMahon sits in for Jesse this week with co-host Pam Palmater.Links:CAJ Diversity study CBC Indigenous piece re: Vatican visit  Toronto Star Local Journalism Initiative piece re: Vatican visit  CBC piece re: Ring of Fire Sponsors: Douglas, Kilne, Squarespace,Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano are freelance journalists who were arrested by RCMP officers on the morning of Nov. 19, 2021 while they were covering the demonstrations of Wet'suwet'en people and hereditary chiefs against the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The standoff on unceded territory was the top news story of 2020, until the pandemic hit. But since then, coverage has waned and in-depth looks have largely been left to freelancers and smaller independent news outlets that have fewer resources to fight charges in court.If the state police lock up members of the press for doing their jobs, can we really call Canada's media a free press?Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano join Jesse to dig into it.Further reading: RCMP arrest journalists, matriarchs and land defenders following Gidimt'en eviction of Coastal GasLink, The NarwhalVideo footage shows RCMP Wet'suwet'en raid, Michael Toledano for CBC NewsRCMP tracked photojournalist Amber Bracken in active investigations database, The NarwhalAmber Bracken honoured by Canadian Association of Journalists for Wet'suwet'en coverage, (June 2020) The NarwhalCanada's Supreme Court recognizes Wet'suwet'en law. So how is Coastal GasLink moving ahead?, National ObserverSponsors: Kilne, Douglas, FreshbooksSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest COVID variant offers mixed messaging about the severity of the virus. And an obituary to memorialize an alleged murderer does not sit right with Jesse and at least one of our listeners. Veteran journalist and freelance obituary writer Fred Langan co-hosts. Links:Daniel Schlafman's death notice can be found hereRadio-Canada's piece re: their deaths (French)Global News' report re: their deathsSponsors: Kilne, Squarespace, ManscapedSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support our work at canadaland.com/joinDid an Instagram account kill a vulnerable teenager? 6ixBuzz has unparalleled clout in Toronto with young audiences and it used that influence to make "Debby Gang" or "Debby Parkway" (real name Alexis Matos) a certain brand of local celebrity — the kind that is repeatedly filmed when spotted on the street, and is then is the subject of mockery and scorn.When Alexis Matos died of an apparent fentanyl overdose, hundreds immediately blamed 6ixBuzz and called for its cancellation. But is what 6ixBuzz does any different than how traditional media exposes and exploits people?Further Reading:The Secret Life of 6ixBuzz, in Toronto Life by Nichole JankowskiBullying, exploitation accusations follow death of homeless teen 'internet star', in the Toronto SunSponsors: Kilne, Policy Me, Manscaped, ArticleAdditional music by Audio NetworkSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The struggle against Coastal Gaslink was bigger news this week because journalists got arrested. And even CBC can't seem to avoid the wrath of covering WE Charity. Canadaland contributing editor Danielle Paradis co-hosts. Links:A rare Editor's Note from the CBC on covering WE CharitySince the time of recording, the CBC posted on Facebook saying Michael Toledano had been commissioned by CBC's The Passionate Eye to film a documentary at the time of his arrest.Sponsors: Kilne, Douglas, SquarespaceSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support our work at canadaland.com/joinFailure to protect hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Violent arrests at Wet'suwet'en and Fairy Creek. And now, Portapique. In recent years, controversy has hounded Canada's storied national police force. Reporter Jane Gerster has made it her mission to understand why these problems are happening, and she says that the Mounties  -  which originated as a paramilitary force to defend Canada's interests in the West -  must grapple with the nature of the institution if they can ever hope to be reformed.  Further reading:Jane Gerster's latest piece in the Walrus, “The Dark Side of the RCMP,”Jane Gerster's story in Vice about Kystle KnottCBC's Mounties on Duty: A History of the RCMPThe RCMP is Broken by Stephen MaherAdditional music by Audio NetworkSponsors: PolicyMe, DouglasSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support our work at canadaland.com/join As British Columbia assesses the damage from the downpour, what is the media's role when disaster strikes? And Jian Ghomeshi's lawyer is back in the news over a controversy but is Jesse too close to the story to critique it? National Observer columnist Sandy Garossino co-hosts. Sponsors: Douglas, Kilne, HelloFreshSupport CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.