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The second part of my interview with Jeff Kao AND the last episode of Faking the Presses is published! The last episode of Faking the Presses is up! This is the second part of my interview with ProPublica's Jeff Kao is up! To recap, Jeff is a computational journalist for ProPublica. We discuss his 2021 piece for ProPublica and the New York Times, "How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs." Note: My apologies if I pronounced "Xinjiang" incorrectly. We talk about his and his team's investigation into Chinese propaganda. Jeff explained to me that he works more with technology and computers rather than traditional reporting. It was so interesting to hear how Jeff's team used technology to investigate and report on this story. They even created their own code! As I said before, this is the last episode of Faking the Presses :( I had such a great time creating and working on this show. I learned so much about producing, podcasting, interviewing, journalism and fake news/disinformation. I'm so thankful to all my guests and to those who responded to my emails. It was very hard work, but I'm so happy and proud of how it all turned out. Another thank you to my professor, Dr. Zielinski, for not doubting my idea (even though my proposal was incomplete) and for giving the whole show a listen. Thank you to the listeners and the lurkers who've followed this process and show; I really appreciate it! Hopefully, there will be more podcasts from me in the future :) Links & Resources Find Jeff: “How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs” article: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-china-uses-youtube-and-twitter-to-spread-its-propaganda-version-of-life-for-uyghurs-in-xinjiang “What is Going on with China, Cotton and all of these Clothing brands?” quoted article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/style/china-cotton-uyghur-hm-nike.html#:~:text=So%20far%20Adidas%2C%20Nike%2C%20Converse,stance%20against%20human%20rights%20abuses “Global Brands Find it Hard to Untangle Themselves from Xinjiang Cotton” additional article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/business/xinjiang-china-cotton-brands.html Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

I talk with ProPublica's Jeff Kao about his popular New York Times investigation. In this episode of Faking the Presses, I talk to Jeff Kao, a computational journalist for ProPublica. Kyana and Jeff discuss his 2021 piece for ProPublica and the New York Times called "How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs." Note: My apologies if I pronounced "Xinjiang" incorrectly. We talk about his and his team's investigation into Chinese propaganda. Jeff explained to me that he works more with technology and computers rather than traditional reporting. It was so interesting to hear how Jeff's team used technology to investigate and report on this story. They even created their own code! I'm very thankful to have spoken to Jeff, he was great to talk to and even sent me a presentation on the story! Learning about the more technological and computational side of journalism was really interesting and opened my eyes to how many different opportunities and skills are needed in the industry. Thank you so much to Jeff for speaking with me! Links & Resources Find Jeff: “How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs” article: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-china-uses-youtube-and-twitter-to-spread-its-propaganda-version-of-life-for-uyghurs-in-xinjiang “What is Going on with China, Cotton and all of these Clothing brands?” quoted article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/style/china-cotton-uyghur-hm-nike.html#:~:text=So%20far%20Adidas%2C%20Nike%2C%20Converse,stance%20against%20human%20rights%20abuses “Global Brands Find it Hard to Untangle Themselves from Xinjiang Cotton” additional article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/business/xinjiang-china-cotton-brands.html Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

I was fortunate to get in touch with and talk to freelance journalist, Justin Ling! In this episode of Faking the Presses, I talk to Justin Ling, a freelance investigative journalist, podcast host and author. We talk about his 2022 video report for CBC News: The National called "How the Ukraine Biolabs conspiracy theory went mainstream." We talk about his coverage, analysis and timeline of how the Ukrainian Biolabs conspiracies went mainstream. We discussed how it came from QAnon and Twitter, its spread on social media and eventually onto mainstream news, why the "theory" was so convincing and popular, its damage to Ukraine and the U.S. (particularly during the war), what visual elements and research was used to "support" it, and how to avoid fake news. I feel very lucky that I got the chance to speak with Justin. At this point in the creation/production process, I had sent SO many cold emails to journalists with interview requests and received little to no responses. Justin was kind enough to respond to my email and give me around 20 minutes of his time to talk about his video report and disinformation. So, a BIG thank you to Justin! Links & Resources Find Justin: Substack: https://www.bugeyedandshameless.com/ “How the Ukraine Biolabs conspiracy theory went mainstream” video report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBnsuTcfWeQ&t=6s Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

The last 15 minutes of my interview with Craig Silverman is published! Yaaay! The second part of Craig Silverman's interview is published! To review, Craig is an award-winning journalist, an author, an expert on online disinformation, fake news and digital investigations, and a national reporter for ProPublica. Since our conversation was so long and in-depth, I split it into two parts. I hope by this point of the interview I was/sound less nervous! Enjoy! Links & Resources Find Craig: Website: https://www.craigsilverman.ca/ Substack: https://digitalinvestigations.substack.com Infamous Russian Troll Farm Appears to Be Source of Anti- Ukraine Propaganda” article: https://www.propublica.org/article/infamous-russian-troll-farm-appears-to-be-source-of-anti-ukraine-propaganda Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

Episode 3: "Troll Farms? with Craig Silverman" The third episode of Faking the Presses (FTP) is up!! I had a very long and in-depth conversation with Craig Silverman, an award-winning journalist, an author, an expert on online disinformation, fake news and digital investigations, and a national reporter for ProPublica. So, our interview is split into two parts. We talk about his investigation into the (alleged) "Russian troll farm" that spread anti-Ukraine propaganda. We covered who (he thinks) spread the fake news, why and how they did it, how they re-used visual elements (videos, pictures, memes) and put them into a different context, his advice for recognizing fake news, and his suggestions for (safely) bringing attention to it. Craig was a great guest to speak to! He was very thorough, knowledgeable and informative about the story he investigated. He was also very kind about how nervous I was; I'm sure he noticed haha! His 2022 article on ProPublica is so well-written, researched and investigated and showed me that there is SO much work that goes into investigative and debunking journalism. This is the very first FTP episode that I recorded... and you can definitely tell with my voice! I was very nervous to go "on air" for the very first time and to talk to someone so accomplished as Craig. In fact, for our lecture on fake news (in my communications class), we watched a news report with Craig in it! I also heard Blake's guest talk about technology and journalism in another journalism class this year. So, he's definitely a big name for me! Look at the links below to find Craig and his work. Links & Resources Find Craig: Website: https://www.craigsilverman.ca/ Substack: https://digitalinvestigations.substack.com Infamous Russian Troll Farm Appears to Be Source of Anti- Ukraine Propaganda” article: https://www.propublica.org/article/infamous-russian-troll-farm-appears-to-be-source-of-anti-ukraine-propaganda Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

Episode 2: "Fake fake fake! Fake presses, fake news, fake facts with Blake Lambert" Aaaah! The second episode of my podcast, Faking the Presses (FTP) is published! In this (first actual) episode, I speak to Blake Lambert, a journalism instructor at TMU and at Humber College's liberal studies department. Although it was possible in my first year, I did not have him as an instructor. Blake and I talk about fake news and disinformation in a more general sense, including a (brief) history lesson on fake news (starting in Italy!), reasons and motivations for spreading/creating it, how visual elements (and technology) are important in its success, how to avoid it, and many examples of it. Blake was super fun and easy to talk to! He talked about so many different and interesting examples of fake news and disinformation. From the brief historical timeline to contemporary examples and even book recommendations, he's just a cool dude to speak to! I think this episode is great to introduce the "world" or "industry" of fake news/disinformation and how much it can affect our society and even the world. Look at the links below to learn more about the examples he mentioned! Links & Resources What Blake mentioned: Blood libel: https://www.britannica.com/topic/blood-libel The Great Moon Hoax: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-great-moon-hoax “War of the Worlds:” https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/welles-scares-nation Birtherism: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birtherism “Jamie Salé was Canada’s sweetheart on ice. Now the Olympian is championing something darker” article: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/02/05/jamie-sale-was-canadas-sweetheart-on-ice-now-the-olympian-is-championing-something-darker.html “Misinformation is hard to fight — but Justin Trudeau has options, experts say” article: https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/02/27/misinformation-is-hard-to-fight-but-justin-trudeau-has-options-experts-say.html “Inside the life of Quebec mosque killer Alexandre Bissonnette” article: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/alexandre-bissonnette-inside-the-life-of-a-mass-murderer Alex Jones case: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/alex-jones-verdict-damages-hoax-1.6647707 “The Prince” podcast by the Economist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prince/id1642926713 “The Good Doctor” by Damon Galgut: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111464.The_Good_Doctor “The Promise” by Damon Galgut: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54633172 Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

I made a limited series podcast about fake news and disinformation for a class project; let me tell you about it! Welcome to Faking the Presses! A podcast where a journalism student from Toronto Metropolitan University talks to established journalists and experts about their work on fake news, disinformation and online manipulation. This podcast explores the different forms of fake news that are possible and the different ways to avoid and combat it by discussing and analyzing real-life examples. For one of my communications classes this year, I made a limited series podcast highlighting how fake news, disinformation, misinformation and online manipulation are changing with the times. Instead of writing a research paper, I wanted to use the skills I learned in my journalism classes. I originally wanted to create a video essay about this topic but had bigger plans. I spent two very busy months working on this podcast, sending emails and conducting interviews. It was definitely hard work! As of right now, I technically finished the series but I'm open to making more episodes with other journalists if they want to speak to me! This was my entrance into audio and podcasting ("for real") and I learned a lot during the process. I experienced many (kind) rejections, learned to edit audio efficiently and cleanly, developed my interviewing skills and about marketing and promoting content. Although I'm very happy and proud of this series, I know it's quite simple and basic compared to professional podcasts. But, this is just the beginning! I hope you're interested in the series and give it a listen! Here's the introductory episode and episodes come out weekly! Episode 1: Introduction In this episode, I introduce myself as a journalism student at TMU and explain that I created the podcast for a class project. I also explain the premise: I speak to different journalists and experts who work with disinformation to analyze a story they debunked. Through discussing different examples of fake news, I want to show how different and adaptable fake news has become, and how to avoid it. Links & Resources Find Kyana: LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/kyanas.journal Website/Blog: https://kyanaalvarez.wixsite.com/site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyanas.journal Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyanasjournal

I spent an entire semester (3 months) reporting, producing and writing a feature story that's published online! Read it on the T• website! In my latest semester of journalism school, we learned to write long-form feature articles. Instead of writing 400-600 word hard news articles or 1-minute video news reports as we have in past semesters, we had around 1, 200 words to sculpt a (journalistic) narrative. We also had to incorporate multimedia elements like audio, video, photographs, maps and interactive visuals. I incorporated an audio clip, pictures and a map. Inspired by my school's Winter Market, I decided to talk to 3 student small business owners who started their companies during the pandemic and how they were coping with Canada's high inflation in 2022. I wanted to know how and why they started their businesses, how the pandemic affected them and how inflation affected them. The companies, Odella's Designs, Lashes by SXMO and Evie & Co., were kind enough to speak with me and share their stories and experiences, and I can say I've learned a lot about their crafts, running a business and about them. I also know how to spell "entrepreneur" properly now! For my audio element of the story, I included an audio clip of the owner of Odella's Designs talking about her first sticker sale and custom sticker order from our interview. She was kind enough to meet with me at school between classes and bring examples of her products! I added extra (background) audio clips and elements to enhance the story. For my photo elements, I created a short and simple photo essay of how the owner of Lashes by SXMO prepares for a lash extension appointment. I visited her Toronto apartment and studio, and she showed me around while taking me through her process. She showed me all her tools and eyelash extension options and explained the science behind applying them. I included some supplied pictures of Evie & Co.'s products from her Instagram page, as we couldn't meet in person to talk and see her products. I also included a picture of the owner of Odella's Designs with her two friends who came to our interview and surprised her by wearing some of her designs (so sweet!). For the mapping element, I created a Google map of the two storefronts where Evie & Co. products are sold. It was my first time making a Google map, and was much easier than I expected. Although I found it hard to start writing the story, it all just flowed out of me after I got the first couple of paragraphs down. I had so much fun writing in a more narrative style and having room for more creativity and imagery. I tend to write more than I need to, so I liked that I had more space to include what I imagined. I liked being able to include unique and fun details about the people I interviewed and think they added a lot more colour to the story. I also enjoyed the reporting process a bit more; I had a few adventures meeting with the entrepreneurs and just had fun talking with them and seeing their world. However, I think three months is a bit too long to work on one story because a) I waited a bit too long to start my interviews and had to schedule interview after interview before the first draft deadline, and b) I think working on one thing with the same topic, characters and information for three whole months was pretty tiring and draining. By the end of the semester, I was impatient to get the story published and stop talking about the same things. I would like to give the student business owners my wholehearted thanks for their openness, enthusiasm, trust and honesty; I'm very grateful and lucky that they helped make this experience as smooth as possible and trusted me to tell their stories. I'd like to thank the Toronto Metropolitan University business experts who spoke to me and even gave me tips on how to start a business. Thanks to my friends who supported me (and each other) throughout this new (and sometimes stressful) venture. Last but not least, I want to give a HUGE thank you to my instructor and editor, Jill, for answering allll my emails with endless questions, getting back to me and giving advice when things went awry, and for editing my endless stream of different drafts before publication. Thank you, Jill! I've worked so hard to tell the student entrepreneurs' stories authentically and faithfully, and I hope they appreciate it and like the feature. I'm so proud and happy with the work I've done, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

As someone who's trying to achieve a minor in English, I've taken a lot of English classes... and read a lot of books I love reading; I didn't always, but I can safely say it's been my longest relationship. I love English classes; I didn't always - I definitely didn't always love them - but the English classes I've taken throughout my university career have probably been my favourites. Before you ask why I'm not an English student, I know for a fact that I don't love reading and writing that much. So, here are some of my favourite books I've read for school. There are a lot that I didn't like, but these were delightful surprises. You can also check out my Goodreads to keep up with what I've read and what I'm reading! 1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 2. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 3. Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang 4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (and Zelda Fitzgerald) 6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 7. The Fatal Marriage by Thomas Southerne 8. The Rover by Aphra Behn 9. De Monfort by Joanna Baillie 10. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative by Thomas King I really love all these pieces of literature I've read for school. In some way, they've changed me in the best way. I hope you're inspired to read at least one of them, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Beginning my undergraduate journalism degree came with many fears, (tears), doubts and anxieties. Now, there are still worries and uneasiness, but there's also passion, purpose and ambition. I started my journalism undergraduate very scared and unsure. Yes, I love writing, but would my love of writing be enough to overcome my extreme shyness and introversion? The answer is... meh, kind of. The first year of my journalism school was entirely focused on news stories. That means simple writing, extremely tight deadlines, interviews, Canadian Press (CP) style and stories/topics that are VERY timely. As a very shy person, I thought the main thing I'd have to worry about was the interviews, but there was everything else! I had/have trouble coming up with timely news stories that I'm interested in, and I would have to try and wriggle my story idea into a timely aspect. Then, there was the 36-hour deadline! Three or more interviews, writing a story, and other school work (because sources don't have the same schedule as you) were very stress-inducing. Also, hearing about my classmates' catastrophes didn't help my nerves either. Then, there was also learning that sources don't always respond or follow your deadline. It can take days and sometimes weeks for people to respond to my interview requests and even longer to set up an interview. This process contained so much stress that I started to worry about the projects weeks before they were even assigned! Not to mention that the entire year was dedicated to it. The weird part was that I loved writing the stories but not everything before. After doing all my interviews, I had the thrill of putting a story together, trying to find the right words, picking the right quotations, putting them into order, etc. I would sit down and write for about four hours - I like to think of it as an adrenaline rush! I just couldn't stop! It's like I word-vomited all the interviews I had hours before into a 600-word news story. Nevertheless, I still *hated* it, and stressed about writing news stories all year. I didn't particularly feel very hopeful when all my professors said things like "when you're in a newsroom..." instead of "if you work in a newsroom..." I (and some like-minded friends) felt hopeless and questioned whether we were in the right program or if we would even find a job someday. However, at the end of learning the journalistic fundamentals, we started to learn about other mediums. Video reporting, graphic design and even audio reporting suit my interests and goals better. I pushed myself to join as many campus outlets and clubs that would take me to practice the skills I enjoy. I'm a graphic designer, content creator, radio show host and web designer now! I've even created my own independent podcast and am a co-creator of another one with my friends! Getting to develop my skills and practice storytelling in the mediums I enjoy has made me so much more excited about school and journalism in general. Although it can be stressful, I don't seem to mind because I enjoy it so much. I even chose to incorporate journalism in some of my other classes - which I never thought I'd do. I think it's safe to say I'm in the right place!

Getting into journalism and interviewing can be daunting; here's the process I've learned/created while in journalism school! Back when I started the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University, just thinking about the story/article projects and assignments made me feel overwhelmed and nervous. I had absolutely NO experience with or in journalism, so I felt very lost in where to start and how to get through the projects. Luckily, I had many opportunities to figure out and fine-tune my story and interview process; however, it is an ever-changing process that I tweak and change with every interview. So, for those who are just starting in journalism programs or if you want to get into journalism/interviewing on your own, here's my story and interview process! Coming up with a story When I know I have a story assignment coming up, I start thinking about story ideas as soon as possible. As someone who's not too keen on writing articles, I begin to come up with story ideas early and bounce them off of my friends in the program and my family. I pick stories that I'm interested in (they usually have to do with students thus far) with sources I know I have access to. If it's a news story, I also try to find a timely aspect to it. I also think of research I can use and multimedia elements I'll need (like photos and videos). Then, after making it into a pitch for my instructor/editor, I'll start reaching out to my sources. I preferably like to get in touch using email, but if my sleuthing skills can't find one, I'll message them privately on social media. Of course, every message differs depending on the story and on who the source is, but my messages usually look as follows: Greeting - "Hello [name], I hope you're well..." Introduction - "My name is Kyana and I'm a journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University." Story idea - "I'm working on a story/assignment about..." Where the story will end up - "This story is for a project, but it will be published online..." How I found them (sometimes) - "I saw you on [website], I read your story on [blank], etc." Interview request - " I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk with me about [story topic] for my assignment (in person, over video chat, etc.)" Thank you and goodbye - "Please let me know. Thank you, and stay well, Kyana..." I send a lot of these emails because many times I don't get a response or the source isn't available for an interview - which is totally ok! Don't let the no's get you down! It can be disappointing when someone isn't able to talk with you but remember, they don't owe you an interview; you're the one asking them for something. Just be polite and understanding. I've found that when sources aren't available for interviews, they're very nice, polite and apologetic about it. Even before I get responses from sources, I start writing my questions for each (type of) source. I'm very much a planner/preparer, so of course I'll have my questions prepared in advance. I still leave room for follow-ups and improv questions during the actual interview, though. Staying too rigid or sticking strictly to a script can ruin an interview. There needs to be balance and flexibility in staying on track and exploring different avenues that come up. I find that having my questions beforehand helps guide me through the interview and doesn't leave me frozen with nerves during the discussion! Questions differ for every interview, but here are some standard questions I always make sure to ask: At the beginning of the interview: Name pronouncer Their contact information (email and phone number) How they would title themself Their experience with (topic) At the end of the interview: If they have anything to add If/where I can message them for follow-ups I also collect research and other "paper" sources that I can use in the story. The interview Whether the interview is online or in person, I always make a point to show up early and stay in contact with the source (telling them that I've arrived). I take out my notebook, pens, questions and recorder. If it's a video story, then I'll set up my camera and microphone. Before I start asking questions, I thank the source for talking with me and try to make some small talk to ease both the source and myself (I still get nervous too, haha!). I also remind them if/where the story will be published and ask if I can record the interview to quote them correctly (if it's a written story). Then, I officially start the interview! Usually, I try to have 10-15 minute interviews (at the quickest). Sometimes interviews can get up to an hour. It really depends on the story and the type of source. After the interview, I thank the source again for talking with me, offer to send them the story when it's done and get the multimedia content (pictures and videos). Finis! After all my interviews, I go and write the story! I prefer to write the first draft as soon as possible and as completely as possible. At that point, I'm fresh from the interview and in the "journo zone," as I like to think of it. I'm the type who starts writing and can't stop until it's done! It also leaves as much time as possible before my deadline for editing. I try to read over it at least once every day (until it's due) and will send it to a friend in my program for their opinion. Afterwards, I submit it and go back and forth with my instructor/editor for their edits and suggestions. Then, voila! A finished story!