Time to look back on the news stories and PR snafus that had us all talking and tweeting in 2019. What can we learn? And, what trends can we expect in 2020?

We take a deep dive into artificial intelligence and its impact on journalism around the world. How is it shaping news production and should we be scared that the robots are taking over?

With shifting sands in media and communications, what’s the best strategy to hire and get hired for the jobs in the middle? Are journalists & communications people becoming interchangeable? What are the skills young people need now to survive in the future?

The volume and variety of podcasts has increased dramatically over the last year. What’s the point though if everyone has a pod? How can podcasters breakout? More importantly, can you make money at it?

What is the current state of fact-checking both in and beyond the newsroom. Who is ultimately responsible to get things right? Does anyone care about the truth anymore?

Is the volume and velocity of content rewiring our brains & attention spans to the point where creativity might be choked? How can we protect creativity in a noisy world?

Trust in CEOs is low. Purpose-driven business is lacking. The audience is in control. In a world where, power does not necessarily mean influence how should business leaders respond?

How is social media use impacting audiences? How is the audience behaving online? From performance anger, to trolling, to stress around an online profile, how is it impacting PR & journalism?

The news moves by so fast that it’s difficult to see patterns and trends while we’re in the thick of it – so the end of the year is a good time to pause and reflect on the world around us. Join host Sophie Nadeau as she looks back at 2018 and takes a leap forward into 2019 trends with two favourites from our first season: Columbia Journalism Review’s Mathew Ingram and the City of Toronto’s chief communications officer Brad Ross.

Being original has never been easy. And in a world where everybody gets a channel, what does it mean to be creative? We’re long past the influence of Mad Men telling us what’s cool and fresh. It’s also never been noisier. What does it take to cut through? On this episode of the Middle, is creativity dead? Join host Sophie Nadeau as she dives into creativity in the digital age with Google Canada's Miles Savage and Edelman Canada's Andrew Simon – two guys who haven’t given up on chasing a...

Let’s be honest. For most of modern storytelling history, white men held the pen and the power. Because they did, the stories we devoured in fiction and journalism came from that perspective. The Internet & social media – for all their problems – has also opened the flood gates to new voices in storytelling. It’s never been easier to find the full rainbow of lenses on story. But, are the established media ecosystem players doing enough to shift to a new normal? On this episode of the...

You’d think the boss would want to talk more. But, the truth is – in Canada at least – business leaders are among the most difficult group to convince to do media interviews or other forms of public engagement. Their reluctance isn’t helping trust numbers for business leaders in Canada. On this episode of the Middle, the business of being the boss. Host Sophie Nadeau discusses the challenges of engagement with Derek DeCloet, an executive editor with the Globe and Mail, and Lisa Kimmel,...

Newsrooms & journalists use their stories to drive reach, subscriptions, and their social license to be in business. Their copy is their product tho they don’t describe it that way. But, news brands, companies and platforms have other ideas. The short hand in the backrooms is mixed and confusing: sponsored content, native, advertorial. For many, all of it a series of dirty words dripping in bad writing and ugly stock photos. Content that brands and corporations pay for is definitely some...

Consuming news feels like a constant effort these days. A common refrain: There is so much of it. Mostly stressful & bad. The daily drum beat of bent truth, misinformation, fake news, & agendas is so overwhelming it’s hard to believe. The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer tells us that not only is trust in key institutions is diminished in this environment, Canadians are tuning out to cope. 54% of Canadians are disengaged checking the news less and once a week. In episode 5 of the Middle...

On today’s episode, the challenge of news at the speed of Twitter. Navigating the speed and voracity of the channel while avoiding risk. I’m joined by two folks who spend way more time on Twitter than you do and still manage to stay sane. Cam Gordon is the Head of Communications for Twitter Canada, a job he’s held for 3 and a half years. It’s his job to explain and defend the platform. Before that, he worked a decade in PR agencies helping clients navigate media and communications...

If you put content up on the web and no one is around to read it, does it still provide value? That’s the existential question facing every corner of the media ecosystem. A tough nut to crack. If you’re an established content creator – a big media company like the NYTimes or a super popular commercial brand like Unilever – you’ve got a head start. An advantage. In this space, new guys are scrappy renegades who can tell us a lot about what works and doesn’t work. David Skok the Editor in Chief...

The phone rings. On the other end, an investigative reporter. What do you do? Well, turns out that decision might just be one of the most important you make. Brad Ross, Executive Director of Corporate and Customer Communications for the Toronto Transit Commission and Kevin Donovan, Chief Investigative Reporter at the Toronto Star, join host Sophie Nadeau, Edelman Canada’s National Media Lead, to talk through just how to approach talking to journalists. If you’d like to continue the...

What does the future of media look like? Okay, that's a big topic. But our media geeks still take it on, talking fake news and "trumours," ultra-niche content distribution, and where trust fits in. Steve Rubel, Edelman's Chief Content Strategist and Mathew Ingram, Chief Digital Editor at the Columbia Journalism Review join host Sophie Nadeau, Edelman Canada's National Media Lead, to shed some light on what media might look like in our increasingly digital - and polarized - world.