Fighting Fire With Fire
Editor’s Note
“So, is this still your dream job?” Lisa Whittington-Hill, our publisher, teases me as I have my 90th freak out of the production cycle, my first as editor. “Of course!” I exclaim, heading back to my corner of our communal office to put out the six latest fires that have sprung up around my desk.
As a former copy editor and associate editor, I’ve been around This long enough to know what goes into getting the magazine out the door, and I’ve always been impressed by This’s ability to consistently produce top-quality journalism with such limited resources. And my two months as editor have confirmed that getting smoked out is sometimes half the fun.
Those of you who diligently read our masthead (as I’m sure you all do) may have noticed that This has gone through some staff changes lately. Our previous editor, Emily Schultz, left in February to promote her new novel and pursue her writing full-time. Our multi-talented art director, Stephen Gregory—who, lucky for us, has excellent editorial sensibilities—bravely stepped up to the challenge of editing the May/June issue, with Ms. Whittington-Hill’s assistance, while This sought a new editor.
While Stephen and Lisa did a marvellous job, and looked quite fetching in their multiple hats, I think it’s safe to say they are relieved to be relieved of editorial responsibilities—and I am thrilled to be taking those responsibilities on.
It was love at first read for me and This when we met while I was in university in the late 1990s. Frustrated by the limitations of corporate news media, it warmed my heart to discover a publication that spoke to the political questions I cared about, and it has since continued to engage, enrage and inspire me. I imagine most This readers feel the same way: at home in these pages.
We are fortunate to have the freedom to be critical, to explore ideas and to seek out stories that other publications can’t or won’t run. It’s no secret that media and journalists overall are not the most popular bunch—the latest Angus Reid poll on the subject—if you trust such things—suggests that fewer than half of Canadians trust journalists (who at least fare better than politicians, clocking in at just 15 percent).
But I don’t think Angus Reid’s respondents had This Magazine in mind. We are here to be critical, to hold institutions accountable and to have fun while doing it. Thoughtful analysis is particularly necessary now, considering who we have in power. (Does anyone else still cringe hearing the phrase “Prime Minister Stephen Harper”?)
In this issue we have devoted a goodly number of pages to critiquing the Harper government, and we’ve introduced a “Harper Index” to track its questionable deeds.
Jim Trautman’s cover story explores in-depth the Tories’ American-style approach to crime and punishment, and examines the perils of adopting a more punitive approach to crime (page 22)—Trautman brings a unique perspective to the story, having worked in corrections as well as with the John Howard Society.
But it’s not all Harper, all the time. On a completely different note, This arts editor Holland Gidney brings us a field guide to Canada’s roadside “Big Things,” (page 26), and beginning on page 28, Meribeth Deen addresses the question of why law schools don’t turn out more activists, despite the potential for law to be a tool of social change.
We have big plans for future issues, too, and you can expect to see changes in upcoming months. But we will always aim to challenge, inspire and entertain you. I look forward to hearing what you think.
Do you know which is the most trusted profession according to that Angus Reid poll? Firefighters. I’d like to think that statistic could be extended to include indie-press editors, but really, with This’s 40-year tradition of kicking ass and taking names, I intend to start more fires than I put out.
Jessica Johnston editor[at]thismagazine[dot]ca
