2019 Conference Sessions

An international array of speakers will converge in Toronto for Worldviews 2019, bringing perspectives from around the world. The theme and content of the conference will draw delegates from media and higher education who bring a wide range of experience, insight, and opinion. Speakers will engage the audience with lively commentary and debate, and, working with organizers, focus on fostering an environment that encourages participation and direction from attendees, rather than just from the front of the room.

Download the full conference agenda, browse the sessions by theme below, or download the Worldviews 2019 app.

Planned sessions

Opening of Worldviews 2019

Screening of the new documentary film, “The Corporate Coup D’etat”
Wednesday, June 12 | 6:30–8:30 pm

  • Moderator: Rick Salutin, Novelist, Playwright, Journalist and Critic
  • David Altheide, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of the School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University
  • Maude Barlow, Honorary Chairperson of the Council of Canadians
  • John Ralston Saul, CC OOnt, Writer and Political Philosopher

Communicating in a ‘post-truth’ world

Higher education and media in ‘illiberal democracies’: Which way forward? – Keynote session
Thursday, June 13 | 9–10 am

  • Moderator: Sonya Fatah, Assistant Professor, Ryerson University School of Journalism
  • Amira Hass, author and Ramallah-based Haaretz Newspaper correspondent for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Michael Ignatieff, President and Rector of Central European University, Budapest
  • Maria Ressa, CEO and Executive Editor of Rappler.com and former CNN bureau chief in Manilla, Philippines
  • Matias Spektor, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Fundação Getulio Vargas’s School of International Relation, Brazil
  • Janice Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto

Cognitive dissonance: The response of higher education and media to the clash of democratic and populist values
Friday, June 14 | 2:20–3:20 pm

  • Moderator: Greg Kelly, Executive Producer, CBC Ideas
  • Tom Nichols, Professor of National Security Affairs, US Naval War College, author of The Death of Expertise
  • Lynn Pasquerella, President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities
  • Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania; author of Democracy and Truth
  • Nermeen Shaikh, Co-Host and News Producer at Democracy Now!, author of The Present as History: Critical Perspectives on Global Power (Columbia University Press)

The democratization of expertise: What does the future hold?
Thursday, June 13 | 10:05–11:05 am

  • Moderator: Janice Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
  • Max Boykoff, Director, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Tom Nichols, Professor of National Security Affairs, US Naval War College, author of The Death of Expertise
  • Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University co-author of Democracy Divided: Countering Disinformation and Hate in the Digital Public Sphere 

Scientific research, ‘post-truth’ and fake news: What’s next?
Friday, June 14 | 12:20–1:20 pm

  • Moderator: Ivan Semeniuk, Science Correspondent, Globe and Mail
  • Max Boykoff, Director, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Jane Lytvynenko, Journalist, BuzzFeed News
  • Sandra Quinn, Professor and Chair, University of Maryland School of Public Health, co-author of “Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter bots and Russian trolls amplify the vaccine debate”
  • Ivan Semeniuk, Science Correspondent, Globe and Mail

The social, cultural, and political underpinnings of the ‘post-truth’ world: Making Orwell fiction again
Thursday, June 13 | 11:20 am–12:20 pm

  • Moderator: Shanto Iyengar, Professor of political science, Stanford University
  • David Altheide, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of the School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University, author of Terrorism and the Politics of Fear
  • Megan Boler, Professor and Chair, Social Justice Education, University of Toronto-OISE
  • Amira Hass, author and Ramallah-based Haaretz Newspaper correspondent for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Shanto Iyengar, Professor of political science, Stanford University
  • Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania; author of Democracy and Truth

Promoting media and higher education as a public good (Keynote)
Friday, June 14 | 9–10 am | Keynote

  • Interviewer: Rob Cribb, Investigative and Foreign Affairs Journalist, Toronto Star
  • Maria Ressa, CEO and Executive Editor of Rappler.com and former CNN bureau chief in Manilla, Philippines
  • Nermeen Shaikh, Co-Host and News Producer at Democracy Now!, author of The Present as History: Critical Perspectives on Global Power (Columbia University Press)

Creative initiatives in promoting media literacy and critical thinking: current initiatives and future possibilities
Friday, June 14 | 12:20–1:20 pm

  • Moderator: Philip Glennie, Director of Marketing & Communications, Academica
  • Philip Glennie, Director of Marketing & Communications, Academica Group
  • Ursula Gobel, Associate Vice-President, Future Challenges, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
  • Alan Miller, CEO, News Literacy Project (Washington)
  • Shannon Sampert, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Media Centre for Public Policy and Knowledge Mobilization, University of Winnipeg

Communicating during a crisis: the challenges for media and higher education
Friday, June 14 | 11:15 am–12:15 pm

  • Moderator: Paul Axelrod, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education at York University
  • Rob Cribb, Investigative and Foreign Affairs Journalist, Toronto Star
  • David Estok, Vice President, Communications, University of Toronto
  • Erin A. Hennessy, Vice President, TVP Communications
  • Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed (Washington)
  • Graeme Stewart, Director, Communications, Office of the President, York University

Technological change in higher education and the media: Impact, implications and future directions

MOOCs and Social Media: A Tale of Two Trajectories (Keynote)
Thursday, June 13 | 2:10–3:10 pm

  • Moderator: Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed
  • Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia, author of Anti-Social Media

Digital technology’s impact on how media and higher education communicate
Friday, June 14 | 3:25-4:25 pm

  • Moderator: Jeffrey Dvorkin, Director of the Journalism program, University of Toronto, Managing Editor and Chief Journalist for CBC Radio
  • Jeffrey Dvorkin, Director of the Journalism program, University of Toronto, Managing Editor and Chief Journalist for CBC Radio
  • Cam Gordon, Head of Communications, Twitter Canada
  • Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada Research Chair, Social Media Data Stewardship, Director, Social Media Lab, Ryerson University

Using social media in the 21st Century: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Thursday, June 13 | 4:25–5:25 pm

  • Moderator: Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University co-author of Democracy Divided: Countering Disinformation and Hate in the Digital Public Sphere
  • Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications and Associate Professor, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University co-author of Democracy Divided: Countering Disinformation and Hate in the Digital Public Sphere
  • Sandra Quinn, Professor and Chair, University of Maryland School of Public Health, co-author of “Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter bots and Russian trolls amplify the vaccine debate”
  • Heidi J. S. Tworek, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of British Columbia
  • Rodrigo Zamith, Assistant Professor Journalism Department University of Massachusetts Amherst

Metrics, analytics and the brave new world of news media
Thursday, June 13 | 3:20–4:20 pm

  • Moderator: Nicole Blanchett Neheli, Professor of journalism, Sheridan College
  • Admire Mare, Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication, Namibia University of Science and Technology
  • Nicole Blanchett Neheli, Professor of journalism, Sheridan College
  • Kevin Siu, Managing Editor, Longform, Features, Opinion, the Globe and Mail
  • Rodrigo Zamith, Assistant Professor Journalism Department University of Massachusetts Amherst

Innovations in journalism and news rooms
Friday, June 14 | 10:10–11:10 am

  • Moderator: Catherine Wallace, Assistant Managing Editor, Toronto Star
  • Natasha Grzincic, Senior Editor, Motherboard
  • Anita Li, Director of Communities, The Discourse, and Editor-in-Chief, The Other Wave
  • Jane Lytvynenko, Journalist, BuzzFeed News
  • David Skok, CEO and Editor-in-chief, The Logic 
  • Catherine Wallace, Assistant Managing Editor, Toronto Star

Systemic uncertainty: Precarious work in media and higher education and prospects for the future
Thursday, June 13 | 4:25–5:25 pm

  • Moderator: Maggie Reid, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Producer, King Squared Media Inc.
  • Nicole Cohen, Assistant Professor, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology, University of Toronto, author of Writers’ Rights: Freelance Journalism in a Digital Age
  • Fay Faraday, Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
  • Nicole Blanchett Neheli, Professor of journalism, Sheridan College

Democratization and the recognition of multiple voices in media and higher education

Now and in the future: Promoting greater diversity in media and higher education
Friday, June 14 | 11:15 am–12:15 pm

  • Moderator: Anita Li, Director of Communities, The Discourse, and Editor-in-Chief, The Other Wave
  • Kathleen Cummins, Film, Television & Journalism, Sheridan College
  • Ruth María López, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Houston
  • Shree Paradkar, Race and Gender Columnist, Toronto Star
  • Maija Saari, Associate Dean, Film, Television & Journalism, Sheridan College
  • Vinita Srivastava, Culture, Arts, Critical Race Editor, The Conversation

Truth, ‘post-truth’ and reconciliation in North and South America and Australia: The responsibilities of media and higher education
Thursday, June 13 | 3:20–4:20 pm

  • Moderator: Adrianne Xavier, Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Global Development Studies, Queen’s University
  • Shane Motlap, Analyst, Indigenous Policies and Programs, Charles Darwin University and Chair of the National Tertiary Education Union’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee
  • Karyn Pugliese, Executive Director of News and Current Affairs, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
  • Jennifer Wemigwans, Assistant Professor – Adult Education and Community Development program, University of Toronto, author of A Digital Bundle Protecting and Promoting Indigenous Knowledge Online

Truth, ‘post-truth’ and reconciliation in South Africa and the Middle East: The responsibilities of media and higher education
Friday, June 14 | 10:10 –11:10 am

  • Moderator: Jesse Rosenfeld, Journalist and contributor to The Nation, The Daily Beast, Al-Jazeera, The Intercept
  • Amira Hass, author and Ramallah-based Haaretz Newspaper correspondent for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Melissa Levin, Lecturer in development, African studies and project co-ordinator of a Jackman Humanities Centre/Centre for Humanities Research collaboration, University of Toronto
  • Teboho Moja, Professor and Director, Higher Education Program, New York University
  • Morgan Waters, Story Editor/Content Consultant Al Jazeera Digital, former Executive Producer, Al Jazeera English

Understanding bias and changing perceptions: 18 questions
Thursday, June 13 | 10:05–11:05 am

  • Pallak Arora, Program Director, Mosaic Institute

Free speech, academic freedom, democratic values and minority rights: Prospects for enhancing understanding
Friday, June 14 | 2:20 –3:20 pm

  • Shannon Dea, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Waterloo
  • Brian Chama, Associate Professor, Communication and Cultural Studies, Sheridan College

Fatal attraction?: Media coverage of work, unions, and labour relations: Current and future possibilities
Thursday, June 13 | 1:20–2:00 pm | Lunch & Learn

  • Moderator: Tom Parkin, Journalist and Political Commentator
  • Nasr Ahmed, Associate Membership Program Coordinator, CWA Canada
  • JP Hornick, Coordinator of the School of Labour at George Brown College and Chair of the last Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology-Academic (CAAT-A) Bargaining Team

Directions in media and higher education collaboration now and in the future

Current innovations: The Conversation, EvidenceNetwork.ca, Academic Minute
Thursday, June 13 | 5:30– 6:30 pm

  • Moderator: Shannon Sampert, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Media Centre for Public Policy and Knowledge Mobilization, University of Winnipeg
  • Lynn Pasquerella, President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities
  • Stavros Rougas, Co-founder of expertisefinder.com
  • Shannon Sampert, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Media Centre for Public Policy and Knowledge Mobilization, University of Winnipeg
  • Scott White, Editor, The Conversation Canada

Promoting investigative journalism in and beyond the academy
Thursday, June 13 | 11:20–12:20 pm

  • Moderator: Karyn Pugliese, Executive Director of News and Current Affairs, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
  • Ebyan Abdigir, Journalist and Producer
  • Alan Miller, CEO, News Literacy Project (Washington)
  • Patti Sonntag,  Director, Institute for Investigative Journalism, Concordia University

Podcasting for academics and journalists
Thursday, June 13 | 1:20–2:00 pm | Lunch & Learn

  • Nana aba Duncan, Host, CBC Fresh Air and Media Girlfriends podcast
  • Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Professor and Head of the Human Computer Interaction Group, TU Wien, Austria and host of podcast Changing Academic Life
  • Maggie Reid, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Producer, King Squared Media Inc.

The future of higher education media
Friday, June 14 | 3:25–4:25 pm

  • Moderator: Teboho Moja, Professor and Director, Higher Education Program, New York University
  • Léo Charbonneau, Editor, University Affairs
  • Paul Basken, North America Editor, Times Higher Education
  • Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed (Washington)

Wrap up session

Friday, June 14 | 4:30pm – 5:00 pm

  • Glen A. Jones, Professor of Higher Education, Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
  • Gyllian Phillips, President, Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations