Funded Projects
An Exploration of Independent Journalism’s Epistemologies: Enhancing Democratic Resilience in the Age of Disinformation (EDIT)
Independence is considered a critical value of high-quality journalism in democratic societies. In an era where citizens struggle to discern trustworthy content, independent journalism is more important than ever. Simultaneously, independent journalists worldwide face physical, psychological, and economic attacks at increased rates. This situation underscores the need to emphasize the role of independent journalism in various contexts, its fundamental role in democratic societies, and its limitations. This project brings together experienced and emerging researchers based in Brazil, Canada, South Africa, the UK, the Netherlands and the US as collaborators and Co-PIs to study how independent journalism enhances trust and democratic resilience (the ability to uphold the quality of democratic institutions and practices). The project posits that independent journalism is not a monolithic construct and its meanings, perceptions, and interpretations are highly reliant on specific contexts. Therefore, this trans-Atlantic partnership will identify differences and similarities in how researchers, citizens, independent journalists, editors, founders of independent news organizations, and governments perceive and implement independent journalism. Thus, we explore the tensions that the core value of independence generates across various contexts to understand the multiple conditions and meanings of independent journalism as a core pillar in democratic societies. The emphasis of the project is on dialogue across countries between academics and organizations representing and advocating for independent journalism.
EDIT is one of 18 successful projects in the Democracy, Governance and Trust call of the Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Sciences and Humanities and is financed by SSHRC, NRF and UKRI, and has also received complementary funding provided by FAPESP.
Laws Regulating the Use of News Content and their (Un)intended Consequences for Journalism
In this project, we investigate the dynamics and modes of decision-making and their consequences for the frameworks in which news organizations and journalists operate. With this, we aim to contribute to neo-institutional theories addressing explanations for change and continuity in media institutions. Meta’s decision to block Canadian audiences from accessing news on their platforms is one immediate consequence of the Canadian Online News Act (Bill C-18). Australians also could not access content on Facebook for a week when their News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC) was on the table in 2021. However, laws regulating the use of news content will develop implications on journalism beyond changing ways of how and where audiences access news. Changes might affect the infrastructures used for news production, the way newsrooms are being organized and financed, the type of collaborations news organizations engage with and the way journalism is being thought of from within the industry and within society at large. Here, the premise is that regardless of whether they will be fully implemented or not, the processes and debates surrounding these laws lead to (un)intended consequences for journalism. Therefore, data is needed to examine the broader consequences laws, such as Bill C-18 and NMBC, have on news organizations and journalists to help inform public debates, future policies and strategic directions shaping journalism.
Cultural Industries in Acute Crisis
The Cultural Industries in Times of Acute Crisis Project brings together students, academics and organizations of the arts and cultural industries. We study emerging questions addressing the short- and long-term consequences of concrete, challenging situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, for the sector, its organizations, workers, and citizens, as well as related policy initiatives and processes.Our work links insights from media and communication studies, political sciences, sociology and economics and combines empirical and conceptual work. Some of the questions we are interested in are: How has the pandemic shaped the sector in the short and long term? What have been models of resilience resulting from the pandemic, and which factors help shape resilience in the cultural industries? Which impact has the pandemic had on community building and outreach activities in the sector? How has the community responded, and how have patterns of cultural activities been shaped throughout the pandemic? What role has cultural consumption and engagement with culture had in young adults’ pandemic everyday lives? Through these questions we explore links between cultural economy, cultural policies, community and cultural democracy as important pillars in society.
Past Funded Projects:
Building Audience Centered Resilience Models for Arts and Cultural Organizations in Acute Crises (2022-2023) SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant in Partnership with the VSO
Learning from others: The influence of other countries' experiences on Canada's digital platform policies (2021-2023) SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Cultural Industries in Times of Acute Crises (2020 – ongoing) Institutional Grant
Media Governance.
A Cosmopolitan Critique (2019-2021) SFU Publication Fund
Platformed Journalists (2018-2020) Institutional Grant