“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.
Ginella Massa’s push into journalism began with her mother’s advice: “Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean you can’t be the first to do it.”
As community-focused storytelling becomes increasingly rare, zines offer readers connection and truth to niche subjects. While mainstream media often prioritizes clicks over community, zines like Rage, What Is to Be Done, and A Black Image Manifesto are carving out spaces where liberation movements can thrive and under-represented voices can flourish.
