Written by How can the microcosm of the classroom prepare us for the world at large? Today on the show I am joined by news entrepreneur Anita Li.
My friends, you are in for a real treat today with this episode. If you have been listening to this podcast for any amount of time, you likely know a few things about me: 1) I am obsessed with journalism. 2) I deeply believe that unpacking our identities matters in regards to how we read and write the world 3) that I see digital literacy as an essential skill in today’s world.
So it makes sense that I have been following Anita Li’s work for some time now. Anita is the publisher, founder, CEO, and editor in chief of The Green Line Toronto: a hyper local independent news outlet. I first encountered her when I had my students watch her TedX talk on the power of digital journalism–and not only did my Grade 8 class at the time deeply appreciate her message on digital composing, but they kept coming back to her ideas related to why representation matters in newsrooms.
In this interview we cover a lot of ground: we get into the ever-evolving nature of journalism, how growing up in Scarborough prepared her for a career of curiosity and connection, as well as some of the ways that the shift towards digital composing may have transformed writing for the better.
Even if you don’t teach journalism explicitly to your students, this is an important conversation about identity, digital composing, and the role of place in our writing.
Things Mentioned in This Episode:
What Is Journalism (from the Canadian Association of Journalists)
Binders Full of Journalists
Sign Up for Anita’s Newsletter (The Other Wave)
BIPOC Journalists Youth Internship