Throughout 2017, deep frustrations drove painful, but necessary, public conversations about how bias and prejudices affect people’s lives. One of the most prominent conversations was about the sexual harassment and assault of women by influential men. The growing social outcry quickly transformed into the #MeToo movement, a rapidly expanding, international movement that spans age, industry and race with the objective to grow awareness about sexual violence and sexual assault against women, and open up the conversation about the inequalities that women face.

In exploring and publishing many different voices on this subject, Canadian magazines shone a light on the issues at play and helped shape our national conversation about the #MeToo movement from a variety of different angles.

WHAT THEY DID

From Canadian Living to Chatelaine, Fashion Magazine and Flare, to The Walrus, Canadian Lawyer and Maclean’s, many Canadian magazines covered the #MeToo movement. Magazines interviewed movement leaders, victims, perpetrators, experts in the field of sexual harassment and the law, and even polled their audiences.

Maclean’s made one aspect of the conversation—the gender pay gap—visual with two different newsstand covers for their March 2018 issue, which were priced differently based on gender; men were asked to pay more for their copy. The magazine also published an investigative report into sexual assault accusations against Ontario Conservative MP Rick Dykstra, with Dykstra resigning as a direct result of their breaking online news. From opinion pieces to a book review, Maclean’s continues to cover the movement with many mediums.

The Walrus launched “Year in Action,” a cumulative project with long-form articles added throughout 2018, including “Am I Complicit in My Own MeToo” and “What Consent Means in the Age of MeToo.”

B2B magazines also weighed in on the movement, particularly those within the legal sector. Canadian Lawyer, already a veteran in covering sexual assault from a legality point of view, produced the online article “#MeToo Pushing Accountability for Sexual Assault Outside the Courtroom” and are following it up with an upcoming workplace-themed June/July 2018 print issue featuring two articles centering on the #MeToo movement. Legal magazine Precedent responded with opinion pieces such as “Why hasn’t the #MeToo movement come to law?”

HOW THEY DID IT

Canadian magazines covered this international story across platforms and mediums.

Chatelaine launched #TheManSurvey, asking 1,000 Canadian men between 25 and 65 about growing up, work, fatherhood, sex, mansplaining, loneliness, #MeToo and more. They transformed the results into “What’s It Like To Be A Man In 2018?” an exhaustive piece that featured charts, gifs, videos and more, to look at how our culture defines masculinity. [Ed: For more on how Chatelaine conceptualized and produced this survey, read our case study “Chatelaine: Canvassing for Content.”]

Canadian Living gave the issue a pop culture treatment with their listicle-style piece “5 Ways to Make Sure #Metoo Makes a Difference.” They also covered the movement in interview style with “What #WeMust Do to Continue to Empower Women and Girls Everywhere,” asking Caroline Riseboro, the President and CEO of Plan International Canada, to discuss the impact today’s movements are having internationally.

Ryerson Review of Journalism got in on the conversation with their Pull Quotes podcast episode “Journalism after #MeToo,” asking Canadian journalists where they should take the movement next. “Podcast formats can work well for these kinds of wide-ranging discussions, providing a space for dialogue that isn’t always possible in print,” says Laura Howells, Chief Podcast Producer, Ryerson Review of Journalism.

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

One underlying challenge of covering the #MeToo movement is the sensitive nature of the subject itself. To cover the movement with accuracy and true insight required journalists to ask pointed questions of both victims and alleged perpetrators, discuss difficult topics, and wrangle with their personal feelings about the subject. This required sensitivity in use of language and careful consideration in what questions should be asked—and how.

Another challenge was the sheer velocity with which the movement propelled itself forward. National magazines were forced to balance getting to print with an ever-growing, and at times shape-shifting, international story. To produce well-informed and thoughtful content that informed and captured the magnitude of the movement—backed up against deadlines—was a real challenge.

Lauren McKeon, Digital Editor at The Walrus, was able to overcome the challenge of trying to keep up with moments of change despite having a small digital team. They launched “The Year in Action” and “created a dedicated landing page where [they] could cover all different angles with a long-term focus.”

Finally, #MeToo coverage directly affected and continues to affect the lives and reputations of sources and subjects. Canadian Lawyer‘s Senior Editor Tim Wilbur stresses, “Magazines need to ensure that they are doing rigorous fact-checking and, wherever possible, seek legal advice.” Responsible journalism requires utmost respect of the full impact of published content.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

When faced with covering a rapidly expanding movement, there are many things to consider.

Canadian Lawyer‘s Wilbur weighs in on the legalities of covering these kinds of subjects. “Legal requirements are different in Canada versus the U.S. Do some basic education on the legal issues and what kind of standards need to be upheld when reporting on something like this.”

For her part, The Walrus‘ McKeon takes a broader view and recommends honing in on what you do best a magazine. “From there, thinking about what kind of stories you bring that are unique and how you can cover the movement in a way that no one else can. Let your mandate inform your approach. Do what you do best. Think about how can you add that no one else can add. Don’t worry about playing catch up. You be you.”

For its 30th anniversary, Inuit Art Quarterly chose to create an ambitious portfolio of 30 Inuit artists. They asked 15 leading figures in Inuit art to nominate an early-career artist to watch and, in turn, those artists selected a senior talent who inspired them. The result, “30 Artists to Know,” is an expansive portfolio exploring the intergenerational, familial and community-based bonds that are made visible through art.

The multi-vocal, geographically diverse and deeply thoughtful piece features a broad range of contemporary and historical artists working across all forms of media.

WHAT THEY DID

The goal of IAQ‘s portfolio was to profile emerging and established artists in a way that felt innovative, responsive and engaging. They reached this goal by featuring artists in a wide range of practices, including film, photography, performance, graphic arts, fashion design, sculpture and textiles.

The magazine piece contains profiles of 15 early career artists and 15 elder artists; and a short excerpt on 15 leading figures in art who acted as nominators. It features narrative text and a feature image of one piece of art by each artist. The strong visuals were essential in allowing readers to draw their own conclusions about artistic influence and legacy. By only publishing one work from each artist, the editorial team hoped to pique the interest of their audience and encourage them to seek these artists out further.

“The Inuit art community—which includes artists, curators, gallerists, collectors and others—is relatively small and tight-knit and most everyone involved has been working with great enthusiasm for many years to raise the profile of these exceptional artists,” says IAQ editor Britt Gallpen. “It felt fitting to share this important moment and platform with them.”

It is not unusual for Inuit artists creating today to be working within a long, familial artistic lineage. The profiles as a whole provide crucial insight into personal connections between artists, whether professional, community-based or familial. This series of profiles is also geographically diverse, highlighting artists working in more than fifteen communities, hailing from coast to coast to coast and including urban Inuit working in the Canadian south.

HOW THEY DID IT

As a starting point, the editorial team drafted a large list of potential nominators with an eye to regional diversity and areas of expertise.

“It was important to us that artists working in various media and in various locations would be selected. Understandably, we started with a larger list that was whittled down based on availability and interest,” explains Gallpen.

Nominators were then asked to shortlist two exciting early career artists for inclusion in the feature. They were encouraged to select artists with promising practices who had not yet received much critical attention for their work. Crucially, the term “early career” was not associated with any type of age restriction. The team requested that nominators select artists who would be willing to write or speak with them about an inspirational artist. After the creation of a long list of next generation artists, it was cross-referenced for duplicates before assigning each nominator with a final artist to write about. In turn, these early career artists were asked to nominate an elder artist who inspired and motivated their artistic growth.

Images were carefully chosen to show the relationship between the emerging and established artists, while also highlighting each artist’s best known style and techniques. When possible, photos were used of artworks made using the same materials (for example, textiles from Fanny Algaalaga Avatituq and Ruth Qaulluaryuk, drawings from Tony Anguhalluq and Luke Anguhadluq, and etchings from Julia Manoyok Ekpakohak and Helen Kalvak) to best show the visual similarities (and differences) between the artists’ work.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Since the spring of 2016, IAQ had broadened the scope of the magazine. Readers accustomed to reading about textile, stone, bone and paper artists were hesitant to accept the inclusion of artists working in media such as film, installation, photography and performance. The “30 Artists to Know” piece presented the magazine with a unique opportunity to articulate and solidify a new vision for the magazine. And it gave readers a chance to acquaint themselves with contemporary artists working in a wide range of practices, and also to learn about their relationship with iconic artists who had come before.

This large-scale undertaking involved considerable logistics, which presented several challenges to the Inuit Art Quarterly editorial team of two.

Working with 30 contributors for the text required much communication and coordination. In some cases, contributors didn’t have phones or use email. The team used a variety of tools including Facebook Messenger, email, word-of-mouth and phone calls to reach artists, in most cases interviewing them prior to drafting entries for their comment and approval.

In addition, more than 27 individuals and institutions—both within Canada and abroad—were required to secure images.

“Some photos were particularly difficult to source, as was the case for Arnakallak Saimut, whose work is exceptionally scarce,” reports Gallpen. “The small carving reproduced in the article is from the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Spain, and was found very late in the editorial process. Other photos, particularly the video stills and photos of live performances, were difficult to source as existing documentation of historic Inuit musicians, actors and filmmakers is often not of exceptional quality.”

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

This type of feature requires that the editorial team rely heavily on non-industry contributors outside of their organization. Therefore, devoting considerable time and resources to a project of this nature is highly recommended by Gallpen.

“Giving yourself ample time, both for in-house production as well as for your contributors, is crucial. Additionally, creating backup plans should contributors fall through at the last minute is highly advisable,” advises Gallpen. “Be willing to relinquish authority and control and to embrace the unexpected.”

Gallpen also recommends that if a potential contributor is not available, ask them to suggest an alternate—this is an organic way to expand the magazine’s network.

This Showcasing Success case study was made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

In early May 2016, wildfires ripped through Fort McMurray, Alberta, leaving a wake of destruction. With an estimated damage cost of almost ten billion dollars, it was the single costliest disaster in Canadian history.

As a B2B magazine serving the nation’s insurance industry, Canadian Underwriter immediately began reporting on the insurance implications of the tragedy. What began as rapidfire coverage of Canada’s largest insured catastrophe unfolded into multi-year coverage spanning the B2B magazine’s print, web and social platforms.

WHAT THEY DID

Canadian Underwriter tackled the Fort McMurray storyline with a multi-prong approach. Coverage included print articles, infographics and online news. Content—everything from articles to news items to infographics to images—was created for the print magazine and website, and featured on social channels including Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

Because every segment in the industry was discussing the tragedy, the magazine explored all the viewpoints, expertise, opinions and outcomes, says editor David Gambrill.

From the day the fire broke out on May 3, 2016 to June 5, 2016, Canadian Underwriter staff produced 41 web stories about the fire. Canadianunderwriter.ca had 222,000 web page views during that time, reflecting a high reader engagement associated with the ongoing Fort McMurray coverage.

The editorial team honed in on specific, helpful and timely topics for their audience, such as:

• How to send cheques to people who have been evacuated, “Disaster planning: How to get insurance funds to evacuees.”
• How to assess damage without interfering with the fire operations, “Loss adjusting innovation emerging in light of insurance claims for forest fires: Cunningham Lindsey.”
• How rates should be adjusted to reflect Canada’s natural catastrophe risk, “Altered State.”

The last flames long extinguished, the editorial team continues to use this event to educate and inform their readers. Online and print stories about Fort McMurray within Canadian Underwriter—and references to the fire within stories—now number in the hundreds.

HOW THEY DID IT

Canadian Underwriter accomplished in-depth coverage by assessing what content was most suitable for each platform. They earmarked time-sensitive coverage for their website, reserved more complex ideas for print, and shared basic or picture-oriented concepts on their social media channels.

“Oftentimes we will write stories based on the information we receive and post shorter, focused pieces immediately,” says Gambrill.

The magazine has also made use of as many sources as possible to consider the catastrophe from every relevant angle.

“There is no end of statistics and information available from a variety of sources in the industry,” says Gambrill. “Information can come from individual insurance companies, adjusting firms, industry trade organizations, and industry research firms.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The sheer magnitude of the Fort McMurray wildfires produced seemingly endless angles and stories. This proved to be an opportunity and a test for Canadian Underwriter. On one hand, the event sparked endless angles and stories. And instead of dying out with time, the story continues to grow. With every new statistic or case law, comes the chance to produce more content. On the other hand, the impact of the wildfires tested the magazine’s ability to satisfy the varied interests of its readership.

“The challenge for any journalist is to make sure that the information and ideas you are presenting are relevant to your audiences,” says Gambrill. “I would write a different story about Fort McMurray for claims specialists than I would for insurance companies or brokers.”

Gambrill acknowledges there remain many unexplored lessons to be learned from the incident.

“Canadian Underwriter fulfills an education function for the industry—a place to get industry-specific business information about the event and its impact. This is always true of the publication; it’s just that the role became more important because of the magnitude of the disaster.”

Moving forward, Gambrill says they plan to dive into lessons learned with a video or webinar series featuring interviews with frontline adjusters who helped in Fort McMurray after the disaster.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

When deciding how much focus a magazine should invest in a certain event or topic, Gambrill simply encourages editors to follow their best instincts.

“Some things you just know are going to resonate with your readership,” Gambrill says. “There are very few instances when, as a magazine editor, I am able to justify publishing two daily online stories about a single event for a solid month.”

Much of the decision of how much coverage to dedicate to any given topic comes down to knowing the magazine’s audience and assessing how many different voices are joining the discussion.

“When a catastrophe like this develops, it’s hard to know at the outset what the outcome will be. You often get a feel for the magnitude by the many different voices and perspectives that emerge as you are covering the story. The more people who are touched by the tragedy—consumers and industry professionals alike—the more perspectives are represented in the coverage—and the more coverage there will be.”

Read Canadian Underwriter‘s coverage of the Fort McMurray disaster and its implications at canadianunderwriter.ca.

This Showcasing Success case study was made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.