A new journalism startup is tackling polarization in the US (and asking some even bigger questions)

At the end of January 2018 I started as a Fellow in CUNY’s Tow Knight Entrepreneurial Journalism program. I joined the program to find ways to tackle polarization through a journalism-focused startup, ‘A Civil Divide’ (working title).

A big task! And I’m asking some pretty big questions. In this time when America’s social, political and economic fault lines feel daunting to explore:

1. Can we imagine new ways to learn about and understand one another across social and political divides?
2. Can we use journalism to create a stronger base, across communities and between diverse groups, on which civil dialogue and engagement can proceed?

The Tow Knight program acts as an early-stage incubator for media startups. And I am beyond thrilled to be building A Civil Divide alongside 11 other extremely smart, wonderful, motivated individuals creating their own new products and businesses.

With this initial post I want to explain some “whys”, “wheres” and “hows”: why I’ve chosen to tackle polarization through this program, where I currently am in the process, and how I plan to proceed from here.

And I want to invite you to follow me through this program, and join me in seeking answers to these big questions.

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Read full article on Medium.

Beyond shiny new toys: tech promises exciting opportunities for media and journalism

What do you get when 1,600 media and tech professionals, entrepreneurs and investors take over a hall at Columbia University with students and faculty at NYC’s cutting edge journalism, media, design and engineering schools? You get a collectively enormous IQ and an optimistic sense that the latest technologies promise exciting opportunities for media and journalism.

I spent NYC Media Lab’s annual summit chatting to students demoing their creations, hearing heavyweights at the intersection of tech and media speak about their visions of the future, and diving into virtual reality and deep learning in intensive sessions.

Read my reflections on the summit and the myriad exciting opportunities ahead for media and journalism here. 

Off the Beaten Track: Exploring 3 Quiet Places in New York

While I do love the staccato pace of New York street life, I often also find myself seeking out quiet spaces to pause and breathe deeply in this frenetic, bustling city.

Three of the best places I've found to date are the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (where I also work a weekly volunteer shift), Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, and Morningside Heights' Cathedral of St John the Divine, each guaranteed to make me feel a world away.

Click here to see my full review of these gems on the Australian Women in New York (AWNY) blog.