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    We shouldn’t allow online hate to silence diverse voices

    Nicole Brumley Special to the RJRC May 1, 2018 As a student journalist, I’ve been afforded the protection of speaking to a mostly liberal audience through campus newspapers. But, as a black female journalist, I know this protection will crumble when my work is showcased in larger publications. Having an opinion on social media while being visibly racialized opens the floodgates for abusive trolls. I know deep in my bones, however, that using my voice as a young black woman to talk about difficult issues and tell difficult stories is important. A 2018 report by Amnesty International referred to Twitter…

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    Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is part of a journalist’s job, say panelists

    BY MADDIE BINNING Staff Reporter Young journalists – and even industry veterans – can feel uncomfortable reporting controversial stories on topics like race, gender and LGBT issues. Some may even shy away from reporting on these topics to avoid the social media blowback that could follow. But feeling uncomfortable while reporting on some communities and situations is part of being a good journalist, said Toronto Star investigative reporter Jim at the Ryerson Research Centre’s (RJRC) recent panel, “Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.”  “If as a journalist you’re feeling comfortable all the time, you’re not doing good journalism,” said Rankin. “You should be able…

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    Kamal Al-Solaylee’s new book explores the complexities of having brown skin

    BY: ALLISON RIDGWAY Staff Reporter When Kamal Al-Solaylee saw a group of Filipina maids enjoying a picnic in a Hong Kong park during their time off work one Sunday afternoon in 2011, the concept for his next book began to form. That idea solidified when, back home and riding the subway in Toronto, he again saw a large group of Filipina workers talking together and realized that both groups, though an ocean apart, shared two things in common: their work and their skin colour. “I started thinking about the connection between skin colour and work,” explained Al-Solaylee, a professor at…