CANADALAND

Ep. 243 - What Does 'Off The Record' Actually Mean? The Toronto Star And BuzzFeed Explain.

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Confusion over "off the record" played a pivotal role in global affairs this past week. So — how does this oft-misunderstood agreement actually wor...

SHORT CUTS #178 - How Not To Interview Faith Goldy

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse talks to Graeme Gordon about his controversial interview with former Rebel personality, current Toronto mayoral candidate, and avowed white supr...

Ep.242 - Live Local News Neither Live Nor Local

27 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Tadich joins Jesse in the studio to talk about what it was like producing multiple cities worth of news from a windowless green-screen room in ...

Short Cuts #177 - The Dumb Fight Ahead

23 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Maxime Bernier fights diversity, then fights journalism. Justin Trudeau yells at a racist. Andrew Scheer wants you to know some people sometimes say s...

Ep. 241- Reporting In Ottawa Vs. Reporting In Washington

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

BuzzFeed’s Paul McLeod has covered politics in both capitals. Jesse reaches Paul in D.C. to speak about what it’s like to cover politics on both ...

SHORT CUTS #176 - The House Of Sad

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Saudi Arabia leads the charge in exposing the human rights violations of Jordan Peterson, Alex Jones becomes the latest casualty in the Info Wars, and...

BONUS: Wag The Doug Episode 1

02 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Wag The Doug, a pop-up podcast about Doug Ford. Hosts Allison Smith and Jonathan Goldsbie help make sense of the Ford era.Support CANADALAN...

Ep. 240 - How Marketing Conquered Food

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Food journalist Corey Mintz speaks with Jesse about how influencers, marketing and Instagram have impacted food writing and eating.  Check out the mo...

SHORT CUTS #175 - Conspiracy And Speculation In The Danforth Shooting

26 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The mass shooting in Toronto's Danforth neighbourhood quickly headed into conspiracy territory.   And should members of government be forced to endu...

NEW PODCAST: Taste Buds

17 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We are releasing a new podcast this week called Taste Buds. Food writer and former critic Corey Mintz sits down for a meal with chefs, cooks and resta...

Ep. 239 - Last Chance For Newspapers: Inside La Presse

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The newspaper business is in rapid decline. La Presse, Québec’s largest news-site, announced its plan to become a non-profit. Jesse joins Pierre-...

SHORT CUTS #174 - Tackling The History Of Slavery, Québécois Style!

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What's Wrong With White People Pretending To Be Musical Black Slaves? Answer: Everything. And the 18 year old story of the then goateed dude-bro, now ...

Ep.238 - Authors Are Getting Bloody In The Culture Wars

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The book world has been thrown into turmoil by sexual assault allegations, inter-generational fighting and questions over Indigenous ancestry. Is this...

SHORT CUTS #173 - The Aesthetics Of Rigour

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why should you trust the press when politicians have Twitter? And we read the Steven Galloway "article" in Quillette so you don't have to; turns out t...

Ep.237 - The Legend Of Weed Toque Girl

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Almost every news story about cannabis is accompanied by a stereotypical stoner pic. The same few photos are used again and again. Why? Who took these...

SHORT CUTS #172 - Be Like The Lamb That Jumps For The Knife

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Rogers Media's questionable new approach to publishing (hint: there's just less of it), Scaachi Koul's journey into the heart of Rebel darkness, and J...

Ep.236 - Jesse Meets WNYC's On The Media

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The weekly radio show On The Media was one of the main inspirations for CANADALAND. This week, their co-host Bob Garfield talks to Jesse about the Tr...

SHORT CUTS #171 - A He Said That She Said Story

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why is no one in Canada reporting on that Justin Trudeau groping allegation? How does The Globe & Mail go from publishing one of the most important pi...

Ep.235 - Taxing Porn (And Everything Else) To Pay For CanCon

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Canada's broadcast regulator has put forward a proposal to tax everything from porn to podcasts to help pay for Canadian content. Greg O'Brien, editor...

SHORT CUTS #170 - Doug Life

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We have reached peak batshit in the Ontario election. Ford suing Ford, octogenarians in "physical altercations" with seventh-graders while illegally c...

Ep.234 - Famous Anonymous: Celebrity Media In Canada

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do you cover celebrities in a country that's so bad at making them?Support CANADALAND: https://canadaland.com/joinSee omnystudio.com/listener for ...

SHORT CUTS #169 - The Devil Wears Pravda

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Never mind a Tesla in every Mars driveway, Elon Musk is going to save journalism, one truth at a time. The Toronto Sun has found Hitler's body – or ...

Ep.233 - Journalists Are Done With CBC Stealing Their Scoops

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

CBC has a reputation in Canadian media for reporting on other people's scoops without giving credit. Reporters at other outlets have often grumbled ab...

SHORT CUTS #168 - Daft Munk

24 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Keeping the "debate" out of the Munk Debates, getting the best Canadian coverage from American press, and serving Anthony Bourdain the unpalatable bes...

Ep.232 - How We Cover Israel

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why did every national news organization in Canada change its headline about the mass-killings in Gaza last week? And is the media biased for Israel, ...

SHORT CUTS #167 - Stephen Harper Would Like Some Attention

17 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

AMBER ALERTS. Stephen Harper's back! MP Christine Moore's ongoing public ordeal, and Doug Ford has found some standards (apparently).  Jan Wong co-h...

Ep. 231 - Robo Reporters and Blockchain Broadcasts

14 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

While journalists worry about Facebook algorithms and digital advertising, every other industry gets to be excited about technology. So today, we try ...

SHORT CUTS #166 - Doug Ford’s Magical World Of Make-Believe

10 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An update on our investigation into possible bias at Ford Nation Live, a look at the Ivory Tower's imperative to let absolutely anyone speak their min...

Ep.230 - The Pipeline Approval Was Rigged

07 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Whistleblowers from within the federal government revealed to National Observer reporter Mike De Souza how the Trudeau government effort pretended to ...

SHORT CUTS #165 - Jokes About Politicians That Don't Hurt Anyone's Feelings

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Canadian version of the White House Correspondents Dinner will never offend you (because you've never heard of it), new developments in the Steve...

Ep. 229 - The Manosphere

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How did an online subculture of lonely men inspire the murders of 10 people in Toronto?   After 10 people were killed in the Toronto van attack, a Fa...

SHORT CUTS #164 - All Eyes On Us

26 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why were some people so determined to label the Toronto van attack as Islamist? How is it that U.S. media are capable of breaking key points of develo...

Ep. 228 - What's The New York Times Doing In Canada?

23 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More than a year after their expansion into Canada, the New York Times is prospering here. And they're doing it with only three reporters. But what ex...

SHORT CUTS #163 - The Indoctrination Of Alexandre Bissonnette

19 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A look at the media diet of Alexandre Bissonnette, charged with the January, 2017 terror attack at a Quebec City mosque that killed six and wounded ni...

Ep. 227 - Journalism On Trial

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We talk to two Canadian journalists who are facing legal consequences --including jail time-- for doing their jobs. VICE reporter Ben Makuch is headin...

SHORT CUTS #162 - Not Paid To Be Classy

12 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Media coverage of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, a statement from the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression sets off alarms, and a fond farewell to ...

Ep. 226 - The Great Satan Of The CBC

09 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Stursberg was the most hated CBC executive in recent history. What advice does he have for Catherine Tait, the CBC's new president? And what d...

SHORT CUTS #161 - Never Underestimate Hatred For Toronto

05 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Toronto Star goes national, the CBC finally has a female president, and Canada's left mourns the loss of one of its most stalwart intellectuals. L...

Ep. 225 - Satirical News Site Fast-Tracks Reconciliation, Everything Fine Now

02 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Fontaine "set fire" to his journalism career last December, when he launched Walking Eagle News. After 20 years of covering tragedy and injustice...

SHORT CUTS #160 - Oh, So I'm The Idiot

29 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hot takes! If the CBC runs a picture of you without your consent, do they owe you a column? And why was one Canadian taxpayer-subsidized show availabl...

Ep. 224 - How To Un-F**k The Internet

26 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Creative Commons CEO Ryan Merkley still believes in the dream of The Internet. Remember that dream? Before Russian troll-bots, “fake news,” Cam...

SHORT CUTS #159 - You Can Beat Me With a Hose

22 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is all of your Facebook data up for sale? What do the Cambridge Analytica revelations mean for Canada? When does journalism cross the line into crimin...

Ep. 223 - The Misery Beat

19 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In an age of sensationalized true crime podcasts and Netflix docudramas—and with no end in sight—can longform crime reporting reach beyond morbid ...

SHORT CUTS #158 - The Conspiracy Provisions

15 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Another populist businessman turned politician defeats a more-qualified female candidate. Will the Competition Bureau actually do anything other than ...

Ep. 222 - How To Slander Friends And Libel People

12 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Brown announced last month that he would be suing CTV, after they published a report of his alleged sexual misconduct — but whether or not ...

SHORT CUTS #157 - The Haunted Dungeon Of Q

08 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Has Tom Power gotten an easy ride? Facebook finds a new way to manipulate the news. And with so many awful people on Twitter, how are they choosing wh...

Ep. 221 - Indie Journalists On The Government News Bailout

05 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After two years of reports and stuffy consultations, the slow-moving train-wreck that's been the "news bailout" has made its way into the proposed 201...

Short Cuts #156 - Rogue Indian Elements

01 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why did CBC News let Justin Trudeau use them like a cheap tool? Why did Patrick Brown quit (this time)? And what's up with the newspaper bailout plan?...

Ep. 220 - We Need To Talk About Reddit

26 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After years of dodging emails about the internal politics of the country's largest subreddit, r/Canada, Jesse finally jumps down the weirdo-message-bo...

Short Cuts #155 - Patrick Brown Totally Has Sisters

22 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Did CTV actually f**k up its Patrick Brown exposé? Can we reverse engineer his crisis communications PR strategy? When can we talk about anythi...

Ep. 219 - Where Is Rock Bottom? Live From Saskatchewan, Before The Trial (Rebroadcast)

19 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On February 9, Gerald Stanley — the farmer accused of killing 22-year-old Cree man, Colten Boushie, in Battleford, Saskatchewan — was acquitted of...

SHORT CUTS #154 - Patrick Brown vs. His Reputation

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Gerald Stanley verdict was a crucial moment - was the media equal to it? Was Patrick Brown set-up by CTV? And why is the newspaper bailout a thing...

Ep. 218 - Robert Jago: Decolonizing Canada In His Spare Time

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After ending the campaigns of several Tory candidates with his muckraking during the 2015 federal election, Macleans dubbed Robert Jago, "the most da...

SHORT CUTS #153 - Paikin Care Of Business

08 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Denise Balkissoon co-hosts. Topics: Tina Fontaine and Colten Boushie: why must the news media disrespect and blame dead Indigenous kids? And the alleg...

Introducing OPPO, with Jen Gerson vs Justin Ling

06 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Subscribe to our new politics show here (Apple Podcasts):  https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/oppo/id1344871955 Or here (RSS): http://oppopod.libsyn...

Ep. 217 - The CANADALAND Guide to Jordan B. Peterson

05 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why did an obscure Canadian psychology prof suddenly become an international media star? It's a much better question than "is he right or wrong?"   —...

SHORT CUTS #152 - Slow News Week

01 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ontario's political scene lately - why so boring?! Jordan Peterson was a guest on CBC. The media's angle on the ongoing coverage of Toronto's accused...

Ep. 216 - As If It Never Even Happened

29 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One year ago today, a 27-year-old white man, named Alexandre Bissonnette, walked into the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City and opened fire on ov...

SHORT CUTS #151 - You'd Think A Serial Killer Would Be A Bigger Deal

25 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In which we discuss the media's bizarre long-term silence on the disappearances from Toronto's gay village, the Rogers-Vice Canada fallout, and Toront...

Ep. 215 - They Asked Me To Join The Militia

22 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Conspiracies! They're out there... and Vice Canada's Mack Lamoureux is getting to the bottom of them. You name it, he's covered it: The Berenst(a)ein...

SHORT CUTS #150 - Creeping Sharia, Bitches!

18 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On coverage of the hijab cutting hate crime that never was and the job of journalists in reporting stories of sexual harassment. Naheed Mustafa joins ...

Ep. 214 - Black Mirror Canada

15 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you thought Bill C-51 was concerning, boy do we have an update for you! Bill C-59 is the Liberal government’s national security reform bill, an...

SHORT CUTS #149 - CanLit is Crawling With Creeps

11 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Novelist and poet Zoe Whittall joins Jesse to talk creepy professors, racist letters, and predatory men. @zoewhittallSupport CANADALAND: https://canad...

Ep. 213 - How Facebook Bought-Off Canada For Peanuts

08 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Governments around the world are cracking down on Facebook. But not Canada's. Forget taxes and regulations — Trudeau's Ministers are getting photo-o...

SHORT CUTS #148 - We March On Loblaws At Dawn

04 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian grocery store billionaires duped us for 14 years— Vive la gift card!! Joshua Boyle, former Taliban hostage, faces 15 charges including se...

The Imposter - Aliya Tries Comedy

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of this season of The Imposter, Aliya will do a live comedy set onstage at Second City.   But first—she needs to learn how to tell a jok...

The Imposter - I Pity The Country Part 1

28 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Imposter's "I Pity The Country" sits alongside Radiolab and The Heart on Constant Listener's 8 best podcast episodes of 2017. You can read that li...

COMMONS - Invisible Victims: How Police Botched The Robert Pickton Case

25 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Over the holidays, we're presenting some of the best episodes from across CANADALAND Media.   "If the police don't want you to see a file, you're nev...

SHORT CUTS #147 - Officially Suspicious: The Sherman Deaths

21 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman were found dead in their Toronto home. As we parse through language in the press like "suspicious" an...

Ep. 212 - Meet the New Partisan Press

18 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

PressProgress calls itself "Canada’s most shared source for progressive news and information." They get real scoops, using the traditional tools of...

SHORTCUTS #146 - Terrible Documentary Silenced by Basic Decency

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A terrible BBC documentary about transgender kids was pulled from CBC scheduling. A journalists' materials were seized from a Niagara Regional Council...

Ep. 211 - Inside A Right-Wing Meme Machine

11 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After working in media, PR and politics, Jeff Ballingall understands the political power of Facebook. His top Facebook page gets more engagement than ...

SHORT CUTS #145 - News From The Upside Down

07 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Globe and Mail recently launched their re-designed newspaper much to the dismay of old people everywhere. Editor-in-Chief David Walmsley claims th...

Ep. 210 - Why Newspapers Don't Have To Die

04 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After 34 newspapers were abruptly killed by Postmedia and Torstar last week, Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey made the case that it was just part of an inev...

SHORT CUTS #144 - I'll Kill Your Newspapers If You Kill Mine

30 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of Canadians lost their community news this week, after two news giants traded 41 newspapers and shut nearly all of them down. Postmedia CEO Pa...

Ep. 209 - The Man Behind The Paradise Papers

27 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Gerard Ryle is the director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who are behind the Paradise Papers, the Panama Papers and ot...

SHORT CUTS #143 - Goddamnit, Fine, Let's Talk About Jordan Peterson

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A Master's student was reprimanded for showing her students a public TV clip of psychology professor/YouTuber Jordan Peterson explaining why he refus...

Ep. 208 - Ahead Of The Times: Jezebel Reporters On Louis CK

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Reporters Anna Merlan and Madeleine Davies were investigating and writing about Louis CK well before the New York Times story came out. And they faced...

SHORT CUTS #142 - The Erotic Adventures Of Bill Morneau

16 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Morneau tries to turn down the heat through tales of his spicy past, CBC takes a stand for landlord rights and Jagmeet Singh tries out some slam ...

Ep. 207 - Village Of The Sprawling Phoenix: New Models For Local News

13 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is local media doomed? We speak to three entrepreneurs who are making a go of it with three very different models.   Dave Bidini publishes the West E...

SHORT CUTS #141 - Team Kill Rich People

09 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

CBC's flagship TV newscast The National is revamped with a four-host format and released into the world. The Paradise Papers reveal what the Toronto...

Ep. 206 - Jeremy Scahill: Mistrust First, Then Verify

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Objectivity for the sake of objectivity often means make sure that the powerful always get their say. And sometimes Caesar shouldn’t have his say...

SHORT CUTS #140 - Weekend With Bernie

02 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A series of media scoops have shown that some politicians are actually rich people who want to keep their money. Bernie Sanders comes to Canada to tel...

Ep. 205 - Out Of My Depth With Adam Gopnik

30 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Gopnik lived out a certain Canadian fantasy. He left the country and became a prominent New York intellectual. He writes about the move in his ne...

SHORT CUTS #139 - Distorted Sermon, Coercive Mattress

26 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Quebec passes a racist law. A bunch of media outlets ran a story that used video manipulation and questionable translation to make it look like an im...

Daniel Dale

23 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Toronto Star's Daniel Dale has become one of the most-watched journalists in Washington in part by simply enumerating Donald Trump's lies (Dale c...

SHORT CUTS #138 - Andrew Scheer Does Not Want His Name In Headlines With The Rebel

19 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Conservative Party leader walked away from a scrum when pressed about his campaign manager working in far right media company The Rebel's office d...

My Awkward Date With Sarah Polley

16 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Polley talks about how she helped Jesse break a major story.  And she discusses domestic abuse, sexual harassment and assault, and the culture ...

SHORT CUTS #137 - Sour Gas, Racist Soap

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An "unprecedented national collaboration" between The National Observer, Global, The Toronto Star and more exposes the dangers of sour gas in Saskatc...

It's The End Of CanCon As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

09 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The way we make culture in Canada is finished. The CanCon system was built around radio frequency and cable subscriptions. That's done.  Heritage Min...

SHORT CUTS #136 - Will You Denounce Terry Milewski's Moustache?

05 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Co-host Omar Mouallem lives in the Edmonton neighbourhood where the terror attack took place over the weekend. He discusses what he saw in the news ve...

Ep.201 - Saudi Arabia Is Using Canadian Weapons Against Its Own Citizens And Nobody Seems To Care

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When we found out the Trudeau Government was selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, despite their terrible human rights record, there was little ...

SHORT CUTS #135 - It's Important To Kick These People When They're Down

28 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This American Life ponders the question:Is Gavin McInnes actually racist? We help them find the answer.   The Globe and Mail launches a project to te...

Ep.200 - Blame Michael Enright

25 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Enright got Jesse his first job in radio. He was also CANADALAND’s first ever guest, drinking bourbon and talking sh*t about the Canadian m...

The Wab Kinew Situation

21 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Indigenous writer and activist turned politician Wab Kinew scored a historic victory last weekend by decisively winning the leadership of the Manitob...

Ep.199 - TIFF Is A Monster That's Eating Itself

18 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For one week every year, the Canadian press transforms into movie industry experts. Our newspapers run glossy red carpet photos of Hollywood stars and...

We Support You, Hostile Idiot!

14 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jagmeet Singh gracefully responded to a racist idiot, which proves he can lead a major political party, we guess. Also, racism is totally not a prob...

Ep.198 - Punching Nazis... With The Law!

11 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Who thought we'd have a Nazi problem in 2017? Richard Warman did. Years before the current "Should I punch a Nazi" debate took off, he was taking neo-...

Enough About Antifa, Let's Fight Fascists

07 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Post columnists pen truly offensive shit; another media outlet lays off workers; Donald Trump has us all scrambling.  Another day, another 81¢ (...

I Don't Speak Sports

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's clear that sports journalism is facing many of the same issues as other facets of the industry: declining ad revenues, job insecurities, and too ...