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HEY THERE 👋

Anita here. Welcome to my online home! I’m a longtime journalist who's known for
my work in journalism innovation, as well as a media consultant, educator and
entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada.

I have over a decade of full-time experience as a multi-platform journalist in
three major markets: Toronto, New York City and Ottawa. I started out my career
as a reporter and editor at Canadian legacy outlets, including The Toronto Star,
The Globe and Mail and CBC. After that, I served in management-level roles at
American digital media outlets, such as Fusion, Complex and Mashable. Most
recently, I was director of communities at The Discourse, a disruptive player in
the Canadian media scene that fills in gaps in coverage for news deserts and
other underserved communities. In this hybrid editorial-business role, I oversaw
consumer revenue growth, and led coverage for Scarborough Discourse.

Currently, I am a full-time consultant and educator. I also occasionally
freelance, with my op-eds and articles appearing in New York Magazine, Poynter,
Policy Options and other publications across North America.

Over the course of my career, I’ve edited coverage and reported on a wide range
of topics, from courts, crime and politics to entertainment, technology and
science. Highlights include: elections at various levels in the U.S. and Canada,
the Ukrainian crisis, the Academy Awards, the Superbowl, the Mars Curiosity
rover landing, and social movement protests such as Black Lives Matter, Occupy,
#MeToo and the climate crisis, among many others stories. I’ve also had the
privilege of interviewing cultural and political leaders, such as Mike Myers,
Michaëlle Jean, Miranda July, Michael Ignatieff, Jim Flaherty and Guillermo del
Toro.

When it comes to my strategic experience, I was an early adopter and proponent
of audience engagement and analytics in journalism. Since 2012, when I joined
Mashable, I’ve developed successful strategies to ensure my teams effectively
interpret social and search analytics so they can better understand our target
audiences. I leveraged Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms
to engage and grow followers, monitor trending topics and better connect with
different internet subcultures. Beyond these basics, at The Discourse, I created
and refined the publication’s online and in-person engagement efforts to attract
and retain paying supporters. Colleagues and industry leaders also regularly
consult me for my thought leadership on serving diverse and underrepresented
groups through community-driven journalism.

As an instructor, I teach journalism innovation at Ryerson (X) University and
community-driven journalism at Centennial College in Toronto. I also provide
training on audience engagement and business models to media executives and news
entrepreneurs at the City University of New York's Craig Newmark Graduate School
of journalism.

In addition to teaching and guest-lecturing at schools across North America, I
consult clients such as the American Press Institute, CBC Manitoba, Institute
for Nonprofit News, Pink Triangle Press, Journalists for Human Rights, Toronto
Public Library, Carleton University, Indiegraf, Liisbeth, Informed Opinions and
Google's Project Oasis via Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers. I
also coached legacy and startup media outlets as part of the Facebook Journalism
Project’s Sustainability Accelerator. Finally, I'm a media entrepreneur myself,
having recently launched The Green Line, a local Toronto-based news
outlet, and The Other Wave, a Canada-focused journalism innovation newsletter.

Outside of work, I co-founded Canadian Journalists of Colour, a rapidly growing
support and resource-sharing network that's best known for co-releasing seven
calls to action to diversify Canadian media with the Canadian Association of
Black Journalists in January 2020. Since CJOC’s founding in 2018, we’ve
attracted 1,300 members and established chapters in cities and at postsecondary
schools across the country. In my role as co-founder, I oversaw CJOC.net, our
Facebook group and Slack channel. I also organized ongoing meetups, events and
workshops for our members, as well as led collaborations with other Canadian
journalism groups and media outlets. I stepped down from CJOC's executive
committee in 2021, though I remain an active member of the organization. 

As for other professional journalism organizations, I’m a member of the Online
News Association’s board of directors and a member of the Canadian Association
of Journalists’ ethics committee. I’ve also served on the judging panel for
several journalism award competitions, including the Online Journalism Awards,
the Digital Publishing Awards and the Canadian Journalism Foundation Awards.

Given my unique background, industry leaders recognize me as an expert in
journalism entrepreneurship, audience engagement, media business models,
community-driven journalism, editorial and technological innovation, journalism
ethics, and diversity, equity and inclusion in media. I’ve spoken in press
interviews and at journalism conferences worldwide, including the International
Journalism Festival, ONA Insights, CBC’s The Current and TVO’s The Agenda.

But don’t take my word for it — here are some nice things people have said about
me. Jeffrey Dvorkin, senior fellow at Massey College and former National Public
Radio ombudsman, endorsed me as “one to watch” in journalism. Kathy English,
chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation and The Toronto Star’s former public
editor, said, "I strongly recommend Anita Li for a newsroom leadership role in
this time when newsrooms require smart, multi-platform digital journalists who
understand the importance of diverse newsrooms and innovative thinking about
journalism and communities.” Anita Zielina, CUNY’s director of strategic
initiatives and a former European media executive, called me “one of the
smartest and most thoughtful minds in the journalism innovation space.”

You made it all the way to the end of my bio — kudos! Thanks for taking the
time, and don’t hesitate to connect. 🌊






VIDEOS

TVO



DIGITAL NEWS DISRUPTION

Digital news was supposed to save the struggling newspaper industry. But
companies like BuzzFeed and Vice, who were considered industry leaders,

Digital news was supposed to save the struggling newspaper industry. But
companies like BuzzFeed and Vice, who were considered industry leaders, are now
laying off thousands of staff. Will Canada's media bailout help or hinder the
Canadian news landscape? To help assess that and other challenges facing the
future of digital journalism, The Agenda invited the following experts for a
panel discussion: Canadaland’s Jesse Brown, Postmedia CEO Andrew MacLeod, Anita
Li of The Discourse along with professor Colette Brin, a visiting scholar at the
Ryerson School of Journalism.

Read more

CNC



HISTORY OF JOURNALISM:FROM REPORTER TO FAKE NEWS

Directed by Paris-based journalist and writer Bruno Masi, the documentary is a
compelling look at the evolution of the role of media in society.

Directed by Paris-based journalist and writer Bruno Masi, the documentary is a
compelling look at the evolution of the role of media in society. It also
features interviews with journalism experts from around the world, including
Anita Li, Alice Antheaume, Renate Schroeder, Alan Rusbridger, Jeff Jarvis,
Victor Pickard and more.

Read more

CBC NEWS



RACE AND THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

What role has race played in this year's election campaign? Have race issues,
and the way they've been handled, swayed your vote?

MASSEY COLLEGE PRESS CLUB



OBJECTIVITY IN CANADIAN MEDIA, IN THE WAKE OF BLACK LIVES MATTER

The recent BLM movement has intensified the debate in Canada and elsewhere
around how the media can better reflect the diversity of the

The recent BLM movement has intensified the debate in Canada and elsewhere
around how the media can better reflect the diversity of the communities it
purports to serve. This question necessarily asks not just how news coverage is
shaped, but also considers who is doing the shaping. Intertwined with this is an
even more challenging but unavoidable question that takes aim at a core tenet of
journalism: objectivity. Are journalists being partisan if they say Black Lives
Matter? Is it preferable or not for newsrooms to send an Indigenous journalist
to cover a protest for Indigenous rights? Can reporters legitimately refuse to
cover people who have unsavory views? Under what circumstances can journalists
shed the need to adhere to “both sides-ism?” Is it possible to be both activist
and professional, or are those roles incompatible? Featuring panellists Anita
Li, Rachel Giese, Adrian Harewood, Jeffrey Dvorkin and Duncan McCue.

Read more

TEDX



THE POWER OF DIGITAL JOURNALISM

Anita Li navigates the evolving landscape of digital journalism by brainstorming
creative ways to cover news online.

Anita Li navigates the evolving landscape of digital journalism by brainstorming
creative ways to cover news online. Anita's TEDx talk has been taught in
universities around the world, reshared by reputable industry publications like
Editor & Publisher, and written about in dozens of blogs and social media posts.
It was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently
organized by a local community.

Read more





AUDIO

CBC RADIO’S THE CURRENT



'MISSING VOICES AND MISSING PERSPECTIVES'

Many say Canadian newsrooms must tackle race head-on — and employ more diverse
reporters. Anita Li appears on a panel.

CANADALAND



FACEBOOK FANGORIA

Beware of the FANG! And how to cover Chinese infiltration — or anti-Chinese
infiltration? Anita Li co-hosts this episode of Canadaland's "Short Cuts."

CANADALAND



CANADA IS WORKING EXACTLY AS INTENDED

A front-page story tells us that Canada is broken. Is it, or is this exactly how
the country was designed to work? And, as a senior editor leaves the CBC, our
national broadcaster pivots to audience. Anita Li co-hosts this episode of
Canadaland's "Short Cuts."

CBC RADIO ONE



IS THE CANADIAN MEDIA SYSTEMICALLY RACIST?

How the murder of George Floyd affected Black journalists here in Canada.
Featuring an interview with Anita Li, co-founder of Canadian Journalists of
Colour.






ARTICLES

THIS CANADA DAY, THE COUNTRY MUST REFLECT ON ITS HISTORY TO WRITE ITS FUTURE

CANADIAN MEDIA LACKS NUANCE, DEPTH ON RACIAL ISSUES

A GUIDE TO BUILDING DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITIES YOU COVER

HOW WE TALK ABOUT RACE

WHY CANADA’S MEDIA INDUSTRY IS IN MORE DANGER THAN YOU THINK — AND WHAT WE CAN
DO TO SAVE IT

THE SHATTERED MIRROR

PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN WOULD FIND FRIENDLIER MEDIA IN CANADA BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO
ESCAPE SCRUTINY





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 * Testimonials
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 * The Other Wave
 * Contact


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