The Resolve Wants to Raise Diverse Voices in Canada

The Resolve is a new independent media outlet that will focus, elevate, and celebrate the voices and stories of Black, Indigenous and people of color. Set to launch this year in Canada, it was founded by Matthew DiMera, an award-winning editor and journalist in Toronto. The outlet aims to reimagine the traditional narrative and bring more “than just surface change to journalism,” according to its website at theresolve.ca.

“People of color represent at least 20 percent of Canada’s population, yet the lack of racial equity in newsrooms across Canada is glaring,” DiMera said. “Additionally, there hasn’t been research on Canadian newsroom demographics since the mid-2000s—a testament to how little the country holds their journalism industry accountable when it comes to diversity and inclusion.”

When E&P spoke with DiMera, he stated that “in order to get real, institutional change there needs to be buy in at all levels,” and that was not something he was seeing personally at the institutions where he had previously worked.

“We (have been) waiting for change from mainstream media and from legacy outlets. We just can’t wait anymore because the change has just been so slow,” DiMera said.

It led to DiMera’s decision to create The Resolve, which soft launched last December with a formal launch set this spring. So far, he has collaborated with other journalists, academics, and community leaders to get the outlet off the ground. Additionally, The Resolve has already received funding from Canadian Association of Black Journalists and Indiegraf.

Initially, The Resolve wants to hire two full-time editors to guide their text-based content, along with a producer for community panels, town halls and webcasts; an editor for community outreach; and a newsletter editor. DiMera said the outlet will search for applicants who want to work closely with underrepresented voices and communities, and who want to experiment with new forms of journalism.

The Resolve will never have a paywall, DiMera shared. The goal is to support the communities that the outlet will cover. Thus, a key part of that is having information that is accessible to everyone, he explained. DiMera said he is open to partnerships with other publications to get The Resolve’s content out to the widest audience possible.

Since the soft launch, The Resolve has heard from hundreds of people all over the country, including from members of the Black and Indigenous communities who are sharing their stories and experiences with the media.

“The response has been overwhelmingly that this sort of thing is needed, and that this is something people want to see,” DiMera said.

According to DiMera, the name of the outlet is loosely inspired by a quote from Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman publisher in North America, and the first woman newspaper publisher in Canada. In her obit printed in The New York Times, she wrote in a letter to Frederick Douglass, regarding suggestions on improving life for Black people in America, Shadd Cary said, “We have made but a little progress considering our resolves…We should do more and talk less.”