Spencer Izen (he/him)
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spencerizen.bsky.social
Spencer Izen (he/him)
@spencerizen.bsky.social
deputy managing editor and opinion editor @ubyssey.ca. researcher @bcfipa.bsky.social. http://SeeDisclaimer.com
Postmedia quietly whittles away local viewpoints from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post j-source.ca/no-room-for-... via @jsource.bsky.social
No room for debate - J-Source
Postmedia quietly whittles away local viewpoints from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post
j-source.ca
November 8, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Find out what @canadajrp.bsky.social plans for the 3rd wave of the @jrpproject.bsky.social, including content analysis of Cdn. news stories & insights on use of AI in journalism in this new article in @jsource.bsky.social by @nicoleblanchett.bsky.social
#jrp #jrpcanada #journalism #research #data
j-source.ca
October 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Spurred on by local supporters and backed by their union, four laid-off journalists established a workers’ non-profit co-op to create a new community-focused publication. Freshet News launched its website and weekly newsletter last week.

thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...
Is Print the Future of Local News? This Co-Op Thinks So | The Tyee
Freshet News, owned by workers, has launched to cover Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities.
thetyee.ca
October 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I'm going to make sure this takes off in the office lol
This is actually a perfect meme.

Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
October 23, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Friendly reminder to interim U.S. attorneys
October 21, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Eby says B.C. tried to involve private owners in Cowichan Aboriginal title case cheknews.ca/eby-says-b-c...
Eby says B.C. tried to involve private owners in Cowichan Aboriginal title case
British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province previously tried unsuccessfully to get private property owners involved in the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title case.
cheknews.ca
October 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
What happens when a celebrated scientist is accused of fabricating results to promote his patented product? We’ve obtained a leaked investigation report into misconduct at UBC, and we’re making the findings public for the first time.

theijf.org/ubc-misconduct

#bcpoli #science #CBC
October 15, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
A single Vancouver police officer made $397,258 last year, making $239,258 in overtime on top of their base pay of up to $158,000.
This is the wildest FOI I've seen in a long time. Well done Liam Britten for digging this up. #CBC
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
47 VPD officers made over $100K in OT last year — and one banked $239K, FOI data shows | CBC News
A single Vancouver police sergeant was paid $239,258 in overtime alone last year, on top of the rank's base pay of up to $158,000. The figure comes from a freedom of information request filed with the...
www.cbc.ca
October 6, 2025 at 4:37 PM
“The pope has condemned clickbait as a “degrading” part of journalism”

Well there you have it folks.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... via @theguardian.com
You won’t believe what degrading practice the pope just condemned
Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists
www.theguardian.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Raphael Lemkin Coined the Word Genocide. What Would He Say Today? via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
Raphael Lemkin Coined the Word Genocide. What Would He Say Today? | The Tyee
The haunting story of the refugee driven to name and prevent the greatest crimes of all.
thetyee.ca
September 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
“We have long-term plans to study all 10 provincial and three territorial cabinet systems …”

This is really important and exciting work.

policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/09/cabi...

@policyoptions.irpp.org
Why provincial cabinets deserve more attention in Canadian politics
Premiers may be more powerful than the PM within their provinces. Research shows why provincial cabinet governance deserves more study.
policyoptions.irpp.org
September 28, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Recommendations from the Audit of the University of British Columbia's Duty to Assist.

Full overview text: www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/in...
September 25, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
There are folks who like to take "sides" in local media, cheering for or against organizations or journalists like they're heroes or villains in the ongoing struggle for truth.

But in B.C., it's more like an ecosystem. There are places you might like less or more, but they all contribute.
Global is a really important part of BC’s news ecosystem

Just to name one example, they were able to break a series of important stories about the Noelle O’Soup case globalnews.ca/news/9032414...
September 11, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Global is a really important part of BC’s news ecosystem

Just to name one example, they were able to break a series of important stories about the Noelle O’Soup case globalnews.ca/news/9032414...
September 11, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Global News laid off 26 journalists in B.C. and Alberta today.

In B.C. the layoffs include virtually all of the online team, along with many others.

The business is increasingly cruel, and the hollowing out of newsrooms providing fair and reliable information continues to suck.
September 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
I think this is part of it, but only part. The other part is an information environment of rampant, unrestrained mis & disinformation and a society filled with people primed to read less and not just not care, but take pride in ignorance.
We simply do not hold premiers to account in this country. All attention and blame gets directed to the federal government regardless.
A big chunk of this is the media's fault, but opposition parties, federally and provincially, also own a share of this problem because they go along with it.
Doug Ford's popularity is also sky high, despite objectively horrible performance.

I worry we've lost any semblance of accountability or civic knowledge/engagement in this country.
September 2, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
The Global Reporting Centre joins @RSF_inter and 150 fellow media outlets in calling for Israel to #ProtectJournalistsInGaza and #LetReportersIntoGaza.
September 1, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
Urgent ideas for defending press freedom in Gaza, the world’s deadliest place for journalists. By @azmatzahra.bsky.social, @meghnadbose.bsky.social, and @laurenwatsonjourno.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/feature/urge...
Urgent Ideas for Defending Press Freedom in Gaza
Letters, condemnations, and Israeli court cases have failed to change the world’s deadliest place for journalists. We’ve cast out for a new approach.
www.cjr.org
August 18, 2025 at 11:33 AM
The sovereign individual and the paradox of the digital age
aeon.co/essays/the-s... via @aeon.co
The sovereign individual and the paradox of the digital age | Aeon Essays
Data has created a new and paradoxical social order: the promise of emancipation is made possible by classifying everything
aeon.co
August 23, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Charleigh's Case Shows Why Politicians Shouldn't Usurp Medical Experts via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2025...
Charleigh’s Case Shows Why Politicians Shouldn’t Usurp Medical Experts | The Tyee
Evidence, not political pressure, should determine funding for costly treatments.
thetyee.ca
August 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Spencer Izen (he/him)
I have studied the targeting of journalists for many years, but the scale and public display of these killings is truly shocking: “Israel admits deliberate attack on the journalist, known for frontline coverage, in a strike on a tent outside al-Shifa hospital“

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Anas al-Sharif, prominent Al Jazeera correspondent, among five journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza
Israel admits deliberate attack on the journalist, known for frontline coverage, in a strike on a tent outside al-Shifa hospital
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 7:26 AM
el oh el
August 12, 2025 at 3:24 AM