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The Magazine

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You Never Forget Your First

When that first story finally comes together, it’s not the masterpiece you imagined. You wince at the phrasing, obsess over the structure, and brace yourself for feedback. Then you see your name in print and realize that your voice can reach an audience. It ignites a hunger to tell more stories, refine your craft, and chase the next byline, because now you understand the power of being heard.
the word "fake" glitching over the word "face".

Where Did You Hear That? The Importance of Fact-checking in the Age of Social Media

Last summer, I was at a work dinner when our conversation turned…
A man stands in a colourful crowd at a pride parade while he is in all grey

Pride & Politics

In the summer of 2024, thousands gather in downtown Toronto for Canada’s largest Pride celebration. The crowd surges forward, and for a moment I lose myself in the sea of colour, pressed shoulder to shoulder near Church-Wellesley Village. It’s then I see rainbow flags waving high in the air and hear the raucous cheers of spectators growing louder and louder. The parade has started. The air hums with excitement as performers in extravagant costumes twirl and dance on the floats. Food vendors and community booths line the streets, serving everything from rainbow popsicles to pamphlets on 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and resources.
A photo of the ctrl, alt, delete buttons on a keyboard

Why Does Everyone Hate Us?

We are not the “enemy of the people,” we swear! I open…
A cheese platter and champagne glasses with a 'The Walrus' tag on it

How to Survive a Publishing Apocalypse

The evening begins in a cheery reception room. Lined with appetizers and sparkling wine, and framed by tall ceilings, it seems much too formal and well-orchestrated for a magazine event. It’s December 2, 2024, and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is welcoming attendees to The Walrus Talks, a national event series hosted by The Walrus.
Stevie Cameron sits on a park bench with her dog at night

Sharp Pen, Soft Heart

In August 1999, Karlheinz Schreiber sat in a corner of a bustling Toronto hotel restaurant, gesturing enthusiastically to National Post reporter Philip Mathias about an instant spaghetti cooking machine he was promoting. It was a strange scene for the German-Canadian businessman, whose name was synonymous with high-stakes deals involving planes, tanks, and whispers of political intrigue. Mathias, who had initially broken the story that connected former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to the Airbus probe, listened carefully for the possibility that Schreiber might let something slip.
A blue sky with painted white clouds is illustrated as the background, green grass is pictured on the bottom of the image. A white rabbit is at the centre, with three black lines behind it signifying the rabbit jumping from the right to the left. The rabbit is leaping towards a patch of grass, that has objectivity written in yellow text, against a black block. The rabbit holds a notepad in its right paw, and yellow pencil in its left.

Down the Rabbit Hole of Objectivity

Can journalism be objective in a complex world—and should it? Objectivity, as…
Four shadowed out figures are positioned around a brown-colored stage, with black curtains framing two sides of the image. A large golden trophy with a question mark is at the centre, and four headlights at the top of the image.

Behind the Curtain

Have you ever nominated yourself for a journalism award and started second-guessing whether you made a typo? What exactly goes into picking a winner, anyway? Who decides? What does the competition look like? When will I receive my cash prize?
A woman in distress reading social media comments

Don’t Read the Comments

“Okay, ma’am,” a crackling voice interrupts the caller. “Ma’am, can I talk?” Minutes into her report to the Ottawa Police hotline, journalist Rachel Gilmore feels exasperated. She is reporting a violent email sent to The Hill Times’ Erica Ifill—a name-dropping salad of verbal abuse such as “woke,” “cunt,” and racial slurs—including death threats.
A man looks out at a sinking ship while on a rowboat

Lost at Sea

August 26, 2024, was one of the worst days of Pam Sword’s working life. The paper where she had been the web editor for over a decade—The Chronicle Herald, Halifax’s 150-year-old daily broadsheet—had been sold to Postmedia, Canada’s national news behemoth.