A guide to Faith Goldy and reporting on bad actors
For Canadaland on September 26, 2018 On January 25, 2018, Roosh V — real name Daryush Valizadeh, a rank misogynist and denizen of the so-called “manosphere” — hosted a live-streamed…
Alheli Picazo
Trudeau, #MeToo, and a poisoned discussion
For Maclean’s on July 23, 2018 #MeToo, in most respects, has been an undeniable force for good. This movement of education and empowerment, of courage and justice, has shattered the…
Anthony Bourdain, suicide, and lifelines
For the CBC on June 12, 2018 Many of us experience a heaviness in the early morning hours; a feeling that the Swedish word vargtimmen perfectly encapsulates. Robert Macfarlane, author…
How USAG destroyed young women
For Maclean’s on January 29, 2018 Beyond inherent ability and genetic advantage, success in high-performance artistic sport—gymnastics, ballet, figure skating—requires militant self-discipline and unwavering dedication to training. All talent begins…
On loneliness and the winter low
For Maclean’s on December 24, 2017 “Lonely people have a natural affinity for the internet,” wrote the late film critic Roger Ebert in a 2010 entry on his online journal.…
Of flawed men and dangerous ones
For the CBC on November 30, 2017 In early November, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston weighed in on the stunning allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Hollywood icon Kevin Spacey…
Confronting prejudice and changing minds
For Maclean’s on August 31, 2017 One year ago on C-SPAN, Heather McGhee—an African-American woman and the president of Demos, an equality-focused public policy organization—was the featured guest of a…
She’s someone.
For the Ottawa Citizen on October 12, 2017 In the wake of allegations swirling around Harvey Weinstein, a powerful, dominant figure in Hollywood, where the emerging picture suggests decades of…
On Charlie Gard, medical harm, and fate
For Maclean’s on July 18, 2017 It’s the most commonly cited phrase from the Hippocratic Oath, the binding document—one of the oldest in history—upon which physicians swear: “First, do no…
(Un)civil discourse
This column appeared on the CBC on July 31, 2017 “It is simply impossible to overestimate the love, bordering on worship, that reporters in Washington long had for McCain, and…
How the far-right co-opted “free speech”
This column was published at Maclean’s on May 1, 2017 It was the third time in as many months that supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Berkeley, Calif., the…
Carleton’s unbalanced approach to wellness
This op-ed appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on March 14, 2017. It’s hard to overstate the naïveté at the heart of Carleton University’s initial decision to remove the scale from…
On Homeopathy, Health Canada Must End The Double Standard
This column appeared on the CBC on December 11, 2016. Until recently, homeopathic remedies sold in the United States enjoyed many of the same privileges — including the freedom to…
Colin Powell’s Lesson For Republicans
This column ran in The National Post on August 11, 2016. Sixteen days before the 2008 presidential election, George W. Bush’s former secretary of state, Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.), appeared…
Re: Death By Pseudoscience – The Misinformation Campaign
First, a quick review of the facts: David and Collet Stephan are on trial for failing to provide the necessaries of life — for failing to seek medical care for…
Legitimizing Pseudoscience: What’s The Harm?
This column ran in The National Post on March 24, 2016. After weeks of trying “natural” extracts and homemade remedies like smoothies cut with ginger root and horseradish to cure…
#RefugeesWelcome
This op-ed appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on November 27, 2015. “This is not a federal project, this is not even a government project, it’s a national project for all…
No Scrutiny Please, They’re Saudi.
This op-ed appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on October 1, 2015. In 2014, on the shores of Lake Geneva and next to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for…