Employment with a reputed Crimean newspaper. The editor-in-chief role. Responsibility for a team of 30 writers, editors and designers. Yuriy Umansky had it all. And then it was all taken away by an occupying Russian army. 

After the occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Yuriy’s publication was forced to close, his editorial office was dismantled, and his team’s equipment seized.

Two decades as journalist and the confidence to use it to start again were all Yuriy had when he decided to put down roots in British Columbia. Unfortunately, Yuriy’s confidence soon started to deplete when he discovered that his experience did not amount to much.

“I applied to 30-40 media organizations in British Columbia. All of them turned me down with generic answers, while some suggested I apply to national media. But all I heard were crickets when I applied to larger organizations.”Though an experienced, talented journalist, language became one of the many barriers Yuriy faced when he sought a permanent job in mainstream Canadian media. The Tyee was the only exception. It was the first English publication that gave Yuriy his break. His incisive understanding of global, European and Ukrainian politics, economics and social life simply did not translate into any offers of work from any other Canadian media outlets.

Yuriy Umansky, a principled journalist wanted by an oppressive regime for speaking and writing the plain truth, strangely enough, feels unwanted in Canada.

Your donation helps New Canadian Media give journalists like Yuriy a chance to remain journalists. And it ensures that you can keep reading the news that is missing from Canada's mainstream newsrooms.

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WHEN JOURNALISTS ARE MISSING, SO IS THE NEWS.
A 2021 landmark study by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) shows most Canadian newsrooms are overwhelmingly white, in sharp contrast to Canada’s changing demographics. When immigrant journalists are rarely seen in Canadian newsrooms, immigrant stories are rarely told in mainstream Canadian news. New Canadian Media strives to correct this deficit by hiring immigrant/ethnic journalists and showcasing New Canadian perspectives to better serve the one-fifth of Canadians who are immigrants.
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Every dollar you donate helps New Canadian Media make Canadian news more Canadian, by making sure immigrant and refugee stories are told and immigrant and refugee journalists are heard.