Programs

What's at stake when news becomes click-bait? In a data-driven world where success is often measured by likes and shares, news outlets are fighting for eyeballs. In the race against fleeting attention spans, what’s the risk when the news that gets noticed isn’t the most important?

Journalist Ben Smith discusses his acclaimed book Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral with writer/CBC host Elamin Abdelmahmoud. Smith provides an insider's look at two of the most influential news organizations in the world, The New York Times and BuzzFeed in this partnered event with the Canadian Journalism Foundation. With his unique vantage point, Smith offers an unvarnished account of the struggle to balance journalistic integrity with commercial success in an age of social media and viral content.

What happens when traffic is a determining factor in deciding editorial content? What stories aren’t getting their rightful attention? And how can we ensure that journalistic integrity outweighs popularity?

Join the conversation.

This event is part of our new series exploring what’s at stake when intellectual freedom is threatened.

Q&A and book signing to follow. Books available for purchase.

Ticket registration for this event is required: Free tickets for this event will be available to book via Eventbrite beginning on May 1 at 9:00 am ET.

About this event's guests:

Ben Smith

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

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This event is preceeded by a special Civil Forum on How the Internet Changed Journalism which requires a seperate ticket to access. To register for that event, please click HERE.

This event is part of our On Civil Society series, where we host local and international authors, activists and academics in conversation about the most critical topics of our time. Generously supported in part by Chris M. Reid.

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Note: This is an in-person event at The Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, the premiere event space for Toronto Public Library's cultural and heritage programming located on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street).

Arrive early, meet people. The talk starts at 7pm, but doors open at 6pm. Come early so you can chat with your fellow literature lovers, and make new friends. As with all Appel Salon events, we'll have a bar with a selection of beer and wine, as well as snacks, available to purchase (only debit and credit cards accepted).

Reminder! We oversell these events to make sure that the most people have an opportunity to attend. Tickets are only guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show starts, at which point we will start opening up available spots to the rush line.

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Accessibility at Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks’ notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca.

What’s at stake when social media tailors the news that we read?

Through the influence of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Tiktok, the past decade has seen an incredible revolution in the way we develop, distribute, and consume online news. How have these platforms impacted news reading habits? And how have those habits impacted how the news is reported?

In this civil forum, audiences have the opportunity to sit in a room and learn about what traditionally makes a story successful online and how the media now defines “success”. Led by facilitator Jessica Johnson, this civil forum will provide you with real examples of clickbait vs fact-based journalism and ask you to analyze and define what makes these good stories. In the end, you will come away with a more nuanced understanding of your news feed online, have had an opportunity to discuss with others what makes “good” news and where you find it, and learn how media outlets think — and perhaps challenge your understanding of the news we all read online.

This event is followed by Racing to Go Viral, a conversation between author and journalist Ben Smith and journalist/author Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

You can register for that event HERE, but please note that if you wish to attend the Civil Forum on Social Media Regulation, you need to register separately on this page.

About Civil Forums:

TPL's Civil Forums take place before or after select events, providing audiences with a space and voice to participate in the discussion. Audience members are invited to share opinions and personal stories related to our event topics, to listen and learn, and to provide experience, education or expertise on the topic. Guest moderators field your questions, share your comments and stories, and open up the floor to your insights and opinions in the hopes of sparking further engagement and conversations. All are welcome.

About the Facilitator:

Jessica Johnson is a senior fellow at the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, where she studies the future of media and the CBC/Radio-Canada. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, teaching journalism and media studies. Jessica is the former editor-in-chief of The Walrus, Canada’s leading general interest magazine, and an award-winning writer who has contributed to The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, National Post, and a range of other North American publications.

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This event is part of our new series exploring what’s at stake when intellectual freedom is threatened.

***

Note: This is an in-person event at The Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, the premiere event space for Toronto Public Library's cultural and heritage programming located on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street).

Reminder!

We oversell these events to make sure that most people have an opportunity to attend. Tickets are only guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show starts, at which point we will start opening up available spots to the rush line.

***

Accessibility at Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks’ notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca

Canadian economist and bestselling author Jeff Rubin visits the North York Public Library Concourse to discuss his new book, A Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever.

In A Map of the New Normal, Rubin warns that the shock inflation of 2021 is the front of a perfect storm of war, supply-chain disruption, geopolitical realignment, domestic upheaval, and energy scarcity that will change everything. Tracking trade wars and kinetic wars, central banks and runs on banks, pipelines blown up and startups knocked down, Rubin gives us a glimpse of a near future that will look very different from the recent past.

Author Jeff Rubin will be joined by Jennifer Hollett, executive director of The Walrus, to discuss how our mortgage rates and job security, our grocery bills and investments, are all tied to events set in motion by governments, corporations, and black swans around the world

Q&A and book signing to follow. Books available for purchase.

Ticket registration for this event is required: Free tickets for this event will be available to book via Eventbrite beginning on May 9 at 9:00am ET.

About this event’s guests:

Jeff Rubin

Jennifer Hollett

Read more:

A Map of the New Normal: How Inflation, War, and Sanctions Will Change Your World Forever

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This event is part of our On Civil Society series, where we host local and international authors, activists and academics in conversation about the most critical topics of our time. Generously supported in part by Chris M. Reid.

Note: This is an in-person event at the North York Central Library Concourse, Toronto Public Library’s new premiere event space for cultural and heritage programming located at 5120 Yonge Street (west side of Yonge St, one block north of Sheppard Ave).

Arrive early, meet people. The talk starts at 7 pm, but doors open at 6 pm. Come early so you can chat with your fellow literature lovers, and make new friends. As with all North York Central Library Concourse events, we'll have a cash bar with a selection of beer and wine, as well as snacks.

Tickets are only guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show starts, at which point we will start opening up available spots to the rush line.

Accessibility at Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks’ notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca.

Considered a physical and cultural bridge between the East and the West, Turkey is a nation of contradictions. From its rich cultural history as one of the world’s oldest civilizations to its challenging socio-political present, the country finds itself at a crossroads. In the last decade alone, Turkey has seen its share of political unrest, devastating natural disasters and mass human migration. Yet, despite these challenges, the people of Turkey continue to show a deep sense of resiliency and humanity.

In order to tell the story of present-day Turkey, journalist and author Kaya Genç traveled across his homeland to speak with everyday people. In his book The Lion and the Nightingale: A Journey Through Modern Turkey, Genç gathers the stories of who he calls the “nightingales” - the creatives and thinkers, including himself, who want to share the beauty of their country but struggle with the constant threat of the “lion” that is the state.

Kaya Genç discusses The Lion and the Nightingale and talks about the complexity and allure of modern day Turkey, with host Justin Ling. 

Q&A and book signing to follow. Books available for purchase.

Ticket registration for this event is required: Free tickets for this event will be available to book via Eventbrite beginning on May 13 at 9:00 am ET.

About this event's guests:

Kaya Genç

Justin Ling

Read More

Under the Shadow: Rage and Revolution in Modern Turkey

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This event is part of our On Civil Society series, where we host local and international authors, activists and academics in conversation about the most critical topics of our time. Generously supported in part by Chris M. Reid.

***

Note: This is an in-person event at The Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, the premiere event space for Toronto Public Library's cultural and heritage programming located on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street).

Arrive early, meet people. The talk starts at 7pm, but doors open at 6pm. Come early so you can chat with your fellow literature lovers, and make new friends. As with all Appel Salon events, we'll have a bar with a selection of beer and wine, as well as snacks, available to purchase (only debit and credit cards accepted).

Reminder! We oversell these events to make sure that the most people have an opportunity to attend. Tickets are only guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show starts, at which point we will start opening up available spots to the rush line.

***

Accessibility at Toronto Public Library:

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks’ notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca.

It may be an advertisement, a comment in the workplace or at a doctor's office, or a sinking feeling looking in the mirror: ageism is everywhere. The World Health Organization has found that globally, one out of two people are ageist against older people. Ageism is harmful: it's associated with increased loneliness, poor health and increased mortality. But ageism isn't inevitable.

Professor, activist and internationally recognized gerontologist, Dr. Tracey Gendron (author of Ageism Unmasked), Dr. Samir Sinha , Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals, and Mary Hynes, a senior and active advocate for older adult health issues, discuss how to recognize ageism, its roots, and what can be done to build an anti-ageist society.

This virtual panel discussion is hosted by Moira Welsh, Toronto Star journalist leading The Third Act project and author of Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care.

About this event's guests:

Dr. Tracey Gendron

Dr. Samir Sinha

Mary Hynes

Moira Welsh

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Important information for accessing this live virtual event:

• You must register for a free ticket via Eventbrite to gain access to this event. Registration for tickets will open on May 23rd at 9am.
• This event will be presented in a Zoom Webinar. Once registered, you will receive reminder emails from both Zoom and Eventbrite with links and instructions to access your unique Zoom Webinar link to watch this event.
• At the time of the event, you must be signed in to Zoom or Eventbrite with the same email address that you used to book your ticket in order to access your unique event link.

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This event is part of our On Civil Society series, where we host local and international authors, activists and academics in conversation about the most critical topics of our time. Generously supported in part by Chris M. Reid.

***

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca