Death of a Journalist: Remembering Elaine Dewar

Elaine Dewar was tough. Contrary. The reporter who wrote an article that brought upon her the wrath of billionaires. It was a piece on the Reichmann family resulting in a $102 million dollar libel case that nearly killed Toronto Life Magazine. She argued against the Bering Strait theory on migration of humans to the Americas. She ruffled feathers with her views on the origins of Covid. Questioned ties between the environmental movement and big business. Those are just a few of the debates she sparked through her tireless investigative works.Elaine Dewar was debated, denounced, debunked. Well, they tried to debunk her. She was sued and she was spied on. She hated, as she put it, "Lying liars who lied." Elaine Dewar, investigative reporter and author of multiple nonfiction books. Born in Saskatchewan in 1948, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer last August, and she died weeks later. She died writing. Elaine’s publisher Dan Wells and daughter Anna Dewar Gully join us today to talk about her life and that final book, Oblivious, which chronicles the medical segregation of Indigenous people and their history as non-consensual subjects in medical experimentation.Editor’s note: Approximately halfway through the podcast, publisher Dan Wells describes Otto Schaefer as a Nazi-trained doctor who conducted experiments on Indigenous people. While not entirely incorrect, this is something of an oversimplification of a nuanced history. Elaine Dewar gives that nuance in the book, and it’s available to read in this Toronto Star excerpt.  Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)Additional music by Audio NetworkFact checking by Julian AbrahamPhoto: Danielle DewarMore information:Oblivious: Residential Schools, Segregated Hospitals, and the use of Indigenous Peoples as Slaves of Race Science — BiblioasisWith weeks to live, Elaine Dewar finished her most personal book – probing settler Canadians’ obliviousness — The Globe & MailBook excerpt: The complicated legacy of Otto Schaefer and Canada’s Indigenous people — The Toronto StarCanada’s media lawyers wage war on “libel chill” and the power of the purse — National Magazine, Canadian Bar Association#186 End Of The CanLit Hustle — CANADALAND#715 Mommy, Where Does COVID Come From? — CANADALANDSponsors: Fizz: Visit https://fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://shopify.caArticle: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit https://article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.Taskrabbit: Get ahead of your to-do list with fifteen dollars off your first task at https://Taskrabbit.ca or on the Taskrabbit app using promo code canadaland.Can’t get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.It’s our biggest sale of the year! Save 80% on a Canadaland subscription and become a supporter for only $2/month. You’ll get all of our podcasts ad-free, free access to our live events, and much, much more. What are you waiting for? Go to canadaland.com/joinStephen Marche will be interviewing Chrystia Freeland LIVE in Toronto in the first edition of The Nuance, a live event series in partnership with the MNJCC. Join us on Sunday, May 24th at 7pm at the Al Green theatre. Doors open at 6pm. Free for Canadaland supporters, or you can become a supporter at the door for only $2 this month. Seating is first come first served. Find out more at canadaland.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.