Sofia Mikhaylova

Game over

Game over

Writing about video games may sound like a dream job, but the Canadian video game journalism industry is in a dire state

Matt Demers knows one thing is true of freelance video game journalism in Canada: “It’s not glamorous.” The path the former freelancer chose wasn’t glam at all—from the low pay to the competitive nature of the industry. A few months ago, he was trying to get back on his feet after having one of his […]

 Sofia Mikhaylova

For your (very, very specific) information

For your (very, very specific) information

Browsing through Indigo or the World’s Biggest Bookstore (rest in peace, sweet angel), I’d always come across many industry or niche interest magazines. Perhaps a breed-specific dog rag, a newsletter all about ghouls or one geared specifically for fans of early 1920s black-and-white films. Who really reads these? Who makes this? Why? I’d flip the […]

 Sofia Mikhaylova

Dear Worn: I will always love you

Dear Worn: I will always love you

Worn Fashion Journal was my first and only proper internship. The day I found out I had an interview, I had been fired from my job at American Apparel and I was miserable. Not because of the job, but because I wanted to buy some more stuff with my employee discount. I showed up to […]

 Deborah Campbell

Snapshots of Reality

Snapshots of Reality

What I gained as an immersion journalist in Iran

At a smoke-filled bar in the Gulf city-state of Dubai, the Filipino cover band rocks out to Guns N’ Roses as Canadian sailors on leave from patrolling the Gulf of Oman decorate their table with empty long-necked Budweisers. One of the more gregarious sailors is describing the lessons he’s learned since arriving in the Middle […]

  Trevor Cole

Death of a ”Gotcha” Journalist

Death of a ”Gotcha” Journalist

How I lost my taste for blood

The first story I wrote for a national magazine got a successful man fired. He was an accidental casualty, because the sad irony is that this story was titled “How to Stay Hired.” Written for Report on Business magazine, it explored the roles of communication and office culture in determining how long a new executive […]

 Jennifer Fong

Ants Invade Picnic … Details at 6

Ants Invade Picnic … Details at 6

Why did the newsroom at CityTV Edmonton take such a hard lite turn? An investigation into why major media mergers weaken the local little guy

Thomas showed up late but didn’t need a formal announcement to know why the Breakfast Television studio was filled with crying colleagues. He received a package: inside was severance information with a letter that read, “As of today, your services are no longer required….” Thomas surrendered his security card and was denied access back into […]

 Regan Ray

Dynamic Duel

Vancouver Sun editor Patricia Graham and Tyee editor David Beers are "oil and water." They fight, they feud and, through the heat of competition, they've improved the city's news culture

The floor-to-ceiling windows in the editor-in-chief’s office at The Vancouver Sun face northeast, beyond the white sails of the city’s convention centre to the North Shore Mountains. In early spring 2000, then editor-in-chief John Cruickshank stared out the windows while his two to p editors argued. A simmering power struggle between managing editor Patricia Graham […]

 Dana Lacey

To You, I’m Fluff …

But is there more to Reader's Digest?

To you, I’m fluff. I kill time in doctors’ waiting rooms. I’m the magazine your grandmother subscribes to. No one can remember a time when I wasn’t here. You probably don’t know anything about me, but people trust me. Every month I show up in nearly a million mailboxes. I’m read by eight and a […]

 Angela Kozak

The Numbers Game

So much work goes into the Maclean's university issue and other rankings, but what does the reader really learn? A look at our rank obsession

One September evening during my last year of high school, I went up to my room with a pack of stickies in one hand and Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities 2002 in the other. Like thousands of other 16-year-olds, I needed advice on my educational future. No one knew more about Canadian universities, it seemed, […]

 Lauren McKeon

Into the Wild

An incredible journey deep into the heart of Walrus country

In its premiere issue almost four years ago, The Walrus magazine introduced a front section called Field Notes. Its purpose: to offer Canadian readers a peek into indigenous cultures abroad. In scientific circles, the term refers to the notes taken by scientists during or after their observations of the phenomena they are studying. These types […]

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