The Global Journalism Innovation Lab (GJIL) researches new, unique approaches to doing journalism — and with the rise in digital media making it even easier to spread misinformation, it's important to think about how to present information in ways people can trust.
The lab works closely with The Conversation Canada, an independent news publication, the Canadian chapter of which was founded by UBC journalism professors and GJIL heads Dr. Alfred Hermida and Dr. Mary Lynn Young.
Marisa Sittheeamorn is a research assistant at the GJIL, and is currently part of the team working on Don’t Call Me Resilient, a podcast discussing topics around social justice and anti-racism.
Hosted by Vinita Srivastava, the podcast is now entering its eighth season — it started up during the peak of the pandemic, when the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining traction on social media after the murder of George Floyd.
“It was born during this time where there was a real sense of urgency to be having these conversations. Over the years, it's evolved,” Sittheeamorn said.
Now, it spans everything from addressing wars and their impacts to unpacking iconic pop culture moments like the release of Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER. It’s a holistic approach to discussing social issues and movements, meeting people where they’re at regardless of their existing knowledge and interests.
“Whether it's looking at the colonial roots of gardening, the student encampments or Bollywood has influenced politics in India, we really try to take this intersectional approach and be critical in the way that we look at issues,” said Sittheeamorn.
For the new season, the GJIL team decided to take the show to live audiences across Canada — the first two episodes were recorded in Toronto, revolving around the links between food and oppression and the rise of AI-generated influencers.
On March 5, people will have the opportunity to sit in on one of these recording sessions at UBC. This episode will feature education scholars Dr. Annette Henry and Dr. Michelle Stack, who will be speaking on what role universities play in fixing a world in crisis.
Sittheeamorn said they initially started by researching the international student caps, but the subject shaped into what she believes will be a “more philosophical, broader conversation about what the role of the university should be in a healthy, functioning democracy."
“There's been a shift away from the university as being a public good, to now being this privatized, corporatized model that basically prioritizes profits over the students," she said.
Don’t Call Me Resilient, from Sittheeamorn’s perspective, is especially important at a time when journalism is being taken over by “massive players, like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.” She recognizes that many people are finding it difficult to figure out who they can trust for truthful information.
She said she’s noticed a lot of media try to oversimplify complex issues. What she finds unique about Don’t Call Me Resilient is that it leans into nuance — it recognizes that there’s merit in detail, and that complexity makes these conversations “sustaining, and really important to tackle.”
"I think that having a transparent and all-encompassing conversation is really important ... to acknowledge the challenges, but also hopefully to ideate what some potential solutions could be."
The live recording of Don’t Call Me Resilient is free to attend and will take place on March 5 in the Irving K. Barber Library’s Dodson Room. More information can be found here.
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