In a news landscape littered with layoffs, executive bonuses and increased deference to power, it can be a bleak time for those in the industry. In a journey to focus on reporting on justice, systems of power and the law, De Facto Journalism Co-op hopes to become a new leader in Canadian reporting. Emma Arkell, award-winning labour reporter at PressProgress and editor of the Shift Work newsletter and David P. Ball, an award-winning reporter, editor, podcaster and photographer join Scott to discuss their new worker-owned outlet, how legacy news media has failed to adjust to the times and the challenges and triumphs of launching a Canadian news media co-op in 2026.

BC journalists launch new worker-owned investigative publication - De Facto Journalism Co-op

Vancouver cops are calling border enforcement more than ever. Community members fear that puts them in danger - De Facto Journalism Co-op

De Facto Bluesky Links:

De Facto Journalism Co-op

Emma Arkell

David P. Ball

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/launching-worker-owned-news-ft-de-facto-journalism-co-op-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

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After Amazon pulled "The Camp of Saints" from their storefront, the publisher raised a stink online of censorship. This was quickly picked up by right-wing forces like the Washington Examiner and former Alberta premier Jason Kenney as an attack on free speech. Amazon has since returned the book to their marketplace and a white supremacist screed, describing nonwhite people as violent inhuman criminals inherently motivated to kill and rape, has entered the mainstream. Amidst all this, National Post columnist Jamie Sarkonak described the book as "highly relevant today in light of Canada’s own situation." Carmen Celestini, lecturer in Religious Studies at University of Waterloo and author of the upcoming book God’s Angry Men: The Political Legacy of the John Birch Society joins Scott to actually discuss the contents of the book, its use by far-right forces and how Sarkonak and the Post helped bring hateful fascist conspiracies into the mainstream.

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God's Angry Men: The Political Legacy of the John Birch Society

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/national-post-praises-white-supremacist-novel-ft-carmen-celestini-podcast/

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

Outro Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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You know what this is about, don't be coy.

04/27/26- Correction/Clarification: Mark Bourrie has reached out to me to inform me that the phonecall I reference in the Canadaland podcast is not the phonecall made on March 19, but one from 2021.

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Sources and further reading:

https://readthecatch.ca/monologue-why-do-we-talk-about-jesse-brown-podcast

Artwork by Zo at Studio Bonjourhi

Intro Music: Vigilante - Cross Dog

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.