I’m just going to say it. I need a sign. I’ve been reporting in one way or another for more than twenty-five years, and except for about ten of those, in which I was employed as a senior researcher in the non-profit sector—and was still underpaid—I’ve never made a living wage. I sometimes joke that after three degrees, two books, and hundreds of articles and in-depth reports, I’m not much further ahead in terms of pay than when I was 15 and working at Canada’s Wonderland, auditioning to be a smurfette in Hanna Barbera Land! Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true.
Working in “medieval games,” paid a paltry $2.90 an hour, but it was my first summer job and it was a lot of fun. A smurfette made $10/ hour — but since it was very hot in one of those costumes, the hours were much reduced — so in the end, the paycheques would have have ended up being about the same. As it turned out, I didn’t get the smurfette gig. They only needed a couple and there were well over a hundred applicants, all of us petite enough to fit into the costume and willing to sweat buckets for three hours at a time. The point I’m trying to make is that once you plug that wage (roughly $3/ hour) into the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator, comparing its 1981 value with what it would be worth in 2023, it turns out that sitting in the “drench a wench” dunking machine sporting a tunic and badly fitting floppy hat, or walking around a theme park in a heavy blue and white suit handing out balloons, paid better than being a freelance journalist today! At least, this freelance journalist.
Smurfette (third from left), Hanna Barbera land, Canada’s Wonderland.
I suppose I could chalk that up to the nature of being a freelancer — it is precarious and insecure work — a type of work that has been on the rise in many sectors over the last several decades. Economic insecurity has become an important feature of neoliberalism. So, I know I’m not alone. I also know there are successful (ie. fairly remunerated) freelance journalists out there. Many of them are now on Substack in fact! But I learned early on, that if you write long, challenge the prevailing narrative, avoid groupthink, and instinctively question authority, you may find yourself in a very lonely place. I try not to let it bother me. I’m buoyed by the fact that in the twenty-five years of writing about forest issues in Nova Scotia, for instance, where I was always writing from the margins, I see that some of the mainstream press has finally caught up and now report regularly on habitat loss, and forest liquidation, and occasionally on the influence and power of vested industrial interests.
There have always been significant challenges to being the kind of journalist I continue to aspire to being. But there are also some new challenges, or if not new, they are now on steroids.
In my recent three-part series, Remote Control, I reported on how— in the words of Shoshana Zuboff—the digital century might not be compatible with democracy. In part 3 I reported on how the US security state has become an arbiter of what constitutes dangerous information, categorized as either misinformation or disinformation. Many journalists including Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald, Aaron Mate, Max Blumenthal, Chris Hedges, and others have pointed out that the US government (indeed all governments) “routinely lie” about an array of issues, and that it’s highly questionable whether they should be the judge of the quality of information. The job of the media— at least in my estimation — is to expose lies, and provide the public with an honest, and sometimes nuanced, representation of what is going on. But instead, the corporate media outlets have partnered with the intelligence community and are some of the biggest purveyors of disinformation themselves.
Take a look at Part 3 of the aforementioned series for more on this, but suffice it to say, disinformation isn’t just coming from buddy in his basement, it’s coming from very powerful institutions. Also worrying is that stories that are actually true can be labelled misinformation if they conflict with the official narrative at the time. For example, despite being labelled misinformation, the pandemic may have originated from a lab accident, natural immunity does protect against the virus, and the vaccines never did stop transmission.
We are also seeing a lot of propaganda by omission. Stories run, but crucial information is left out. Or important stories are noticeably absent. I know none of this is new — but I do feel we are seeing a crisis in the field of journalism right now, and it seems to be getting harder to do it properly.
In her 2003 essay about the attacks of 9/11, “Fixed opinions, or the hinge of history,” Joan Didion wrote, “we had suddenly been asked to accept, and were in fact accepting, a kind of reasoning so extremely fragile that it might have been based on the promised return of the cargo gods.” Didion — someone whose voice we desperately need now — wrote about how discussions about root causes of the attacks were “short circuited,” and questions had become “unraisable, potentially lethal, the conversational equivalent of an unclaimed bag on a bus.”
“We take cover. We wait for the entire subject to be defused, safely insulated behind baffles of invective and counter-invective. Many opinions are expressed. Few are allowed to develop. Even fewer change.”
It is in the spirit of open, honest inquiry, attuned to injustices of all kinds, that I try to do this work. In the end, I’m just trying to stay true to the job description. That often takes me outside of the mainstream narrative — because of course I’m always questioning it — and places me closer to the margins. It’s obviously been my choice, to some degree. But I think the marginalization of dissenting voices is also by design.
I want to thank all of you who have shared my work, taken out a paid subscription, or sent emails of support, or even critique. I value it all. I cherish dialogue and unfettered discourse.
If you value this kind of work consider taking out a paid subscription, if you haven’t already.
As Thomas King always said at the end each episode of “Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour” — one of my favourite radio shows ever — “stay calm, be brave, wait for the signs.”
If you value the work I’m doing, give me a sign.
Thanks everyone!
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I just wanted to comment that you are among a very small group of investigative journalists who blow everyone else out of the water. It's frustrating and even sad that some of the hardest working journalists in this country are greatly underfunded as they work for the smaller news publishers who are not very well supported. That's where some of the best journalism is taking place. I don't really know what it will take to change that. I do what I can to support that kind of journalism - subscribe or make donations to several publications like Halifax Examiner, Narwhal, etc.. and encourage others to do so. However, I have a feeling that people are just sort of fatigued by news - especially bad news - to the point that I'm not sure how many are reading everything anymore. I probably spend an inordinate amount of time reading up on and trying to follow environmental issues, especially anything to do with forestry and wildlife habitat loss and related issues, but I must confess that even I'm getting weary to the point of barely being able (or wanting) to follow stories anymore. I don't think it's that I'm not spending as much time reading as that there is just so much coming at us from every direction that it is wearing us out -- even the hardcore news readers. A week or so ago, I made a list on the Annapolis group, of all the Nova Scotia environmental issues that the facebook groups are currently addressing. It is a very long list. I realized that I have only been following about 2/3 of the issues as there are just too many. I think the sheer volume of it is causing a lot of people to turn off. I've noticed it on some of the environmental FB groups where I am the admin. The "good news" stories get quite a few views, likes and shares. Increasingly, the "bad news" stories many less views and almost no likes and shares. That's a real switch from 3 or 4 years ago when everyone seemed keen to keep on top of things, write letters, sign petitions, submit comments on the HPMV. It feels like there is some kind of shift going on. I was feeling sort of down about what seemed like apathy, but now I'm thinking it's just part of wherever it is we are all headed. It feels like people want to be doing something positive -- like going out to do a beach clean-up, or do bird counts or blitz for lichens, or put up lawn signs - but have sort of given up on trying to address the government as it seems futile. Anyhow, I don't know if anything I've written makes much sense. This is all just stuff I've been thinking about lately -- and I'm not alone in this as I've discussed this with several others who have worked very hard on a lot of issues. We're all feeling weary and as though the bottom has sort of fallen out of the "support" from those who may not have been as involved in the past, but at least showed some interest. Maybe there's just too much going on in the world. Strange times.
I hold a great deal of respect for a journalist who is willing and able to look below the surface. I also am firmly convinced a free press is crucial and has tremendous power. Perhaps I am naive but it appears to this old lady that journalism “which I believe has a role to “hold power to account” is sadly lacking in todays world. In Canada , I suspect some of this problem is taxation supported journalism, and the other is large conglomerates that set the tone. In the old days advertisers perhaps set the tone, today it seems Government sets the tone -yes kick ass journalism not only should be supported but I suspect is desperately needed!
I just wanted to comment that you are among a very small group of investigative journalists who blow everyone else out of the water. It's frustrating and even sad that some of the hardest working journalists in this country are greatly underfunded as they work for the smaller news publishers who are not very well supported. That's where some of the best journalism is taking place. I don't really know what it will take to change that. I do what I can to support that kind of journalism - subscribe or make donations to several publications like Halifax Examiner, Narwhal, etc.. and encourage others to do so. However, I have a feeling that people are just sort of fatigued by news - especially bad news - to the point that I'm not sure how many are reading everything anymore. I probably spend an inordinate amount of time reading up on and trying to follow environmental issues, especially anything to do with forestry and wildlife habitat loss and related issues, but I must confess that even I'm getting weary to the point of barely being able (or wanting) to follow stories anymore. I don't think it's that I'm not spending as much time reading as that there is just so much coming at us from every direction that it is wearing us out -- even the hardcore news readers. A week or so ago, I made a list on the Annapolis group, of all the Nova Scotia environmental issues that the facebook groups are currently addressing. It is a very long list. I realized that I have only been following about 2/3 of the issues as there are just too many. I think the sheer volume of it is causing a lot of people to turn off. I've noticed it on some of the environmental FB groups where I am the admin. The "good news" stories get quite a few views, likes and shares. Increasingly, the "bad news" stories many less views and almost no likes and shares. That's a real switch from 3 or 4 years ago when everyone seemed keen to keep on top of things, write letters, sign petitions, submit comments on the HPMV. It feels like there is some kind of shift going on. I was feeling sort of down about what seemed like apathy, but now I'm thinking it's just part of wherever it is we are all headed. It feels like people want to be doing something positive -- like going out to do a beach clean-up, or do bird counts or blitz for lichens, or put up lawn signs - but have sort of given up on trying to address the government as it seems futile. Anyhow, I don't know if anything I've written makes much sense. This is all just stuff I've been thinking about lately -- and I'm not alone in this as I've discussed this with several others who have worked very hard on a lot of issues. We're all feeling weary and as though the bottom has sort of fallen out of the "support" from those who may not have been as involved in the past, but at least showed some interest. Maybe there's just too much going on in the world. Strange times.
Thx LP, for never giving up your passion.
I hold a great deal of respect for a journalist who is willing and able to look below the surface. I also am firmly convinced a free press is crucial and has tremendous power. Perhaps I am naive but it appears to this old lady that journalism “which I believe has a role to “hold power to account” is sadly lacking in todays world. In Canada , I suspect some of this problem is taxation supported journalism, and the other is large conglomerates that set the tone. In the old days advertisers perhaps set the tone, today it seems Government sets the tone -yes kick ass journalism not only should be supported but I suspect is desperately needed!