Busting Common COVID-19 Myths

Interview with Tim Caulfield, Canadian professor of law at the University of Alberta and Research Director of its Health Law Institute, on how to best prevent the spread of myths or fake news surrounding COVID-19.

Scriptwriting, video gathering, and interview: Marguerite Gallorini
Video editing: Melissa Williams
Hosting: Heather Butts

Segments extracted from the NewsDay episode of April 15, 2020. To see all episodes, download the Quibi app.

COVID-19: Ethical Minefield

Imagine a scenario where two COVID-19 patients are in need of a ventilator, but only one machine is available. That is the kind of dreadful decision health care staff might have to make if the coronavirus pandemic gets worse and hospitals are overwhelmed.

Interview with Canadian ethicist Arthur Schafer for Quibi. Segment extracted from the NewsDay episode of April 7, 2020.

Scriptwriting, video gathering, and interview: Marguerite Gallorini
Video editing: Miles Hunter
Hosting: Heather Butts

Quibi launched on April 6, 2020. 

Quibi (short for "quick bites") is a mobile-centric streaming platform - thing Netflix for your phone. With dozens of original shows and newscasts, you can consume content either horizontally or vertically: you choose, there is no loss in watching quality.

In Canada, CTV News is the only news provider for the new LA-based platform - with NewsDay in the morning, and NewsNight in the evening.

More information at Quibi.com.

Le fédéral rate-t-il la cible en s'attaquant aux armes d'assaut?

Toronto est en tête du palmarès des villes où sont commis le plus de crimes violents liés aux armes à feu au pays. Le gouvernement fédéral prépare un projet de loi afin de bannir les armes d’assaut, mais 60% des armes saisies par la police en lien avec un crime à Toronto sont des armes de poing, pas d'assaut.

Script, édition vidéo et voix-off: Marguerite Gallorini

The Welcome Toronto initiative, for kids' love of basketball

Together with the City of Toronto, the Toronto Raptors and Drake's brand OVO inaugurated the refurbishing of the Falstaff Community Centre and basketball court in Toronto yesterday as part of their "Welcome Toronto" initiative - so that kids can practice in good conditions.

Attaque au camion-bélier: un refuge pour femmes à la mémoire d'une victime

Le 23 avril 2018, dix personnes ont été tuées et quatorze autres blessées lors d'une attaque au camion-bélier dans le centre-ville de Toronto. Huit des dix victimes de l'attaque étaient des femmes.

L'homme accusé dans cette affaire, Alek Minassian, a affirmé à la police qu'il planifiait l'attaque depuis un mois et qu'il s'identifiait à des groupes d’hommes hétérosexuels frustrés sexuellement avec lesquels il communiquait sur des forums en ligne - appelés "incel" en anglais, pour "célibataire involontaire".

La famille d'Anne Marie D'Amico, l'une des victimes de l'attaque, compte contribuer 1 million de dollars pour l'ouverture d'un refuge pour femmes victimes de violence dans le nord de Toronto, afin de transformer une tragédie en une « histoire positive ».

Gubernatorial Agenda to Fight Crime

Crime was - and is - one of the main concerns of citizens in Maryland, especially in the Baltimore area.

To address this issue, this video was made to lay out a few of the priorities of Rich Madaleno if he were to be elected Governor of Maryland.

Tackling crime means going after its root causes in a holistic fashion: from the Safe Streets initiative, diversion programs and gun violence prevention measures; to mental health care, better pre-K-12 education and after-school programs.

State Senator Madaleno had always been a fervent advocate of these initiatives in the Maryland legislature, and sponsored or co-sponsored a number of laws addressing poverty issues - highly linked to crime - such as the "Hunger Bills," aiming at providing free breakfasts and lunches to kids in schools when their parents have a hard time making ends meet.

This video was made as the Press Secretary/Digital Manager for the gubernatorial campaign or Rich Madaleno in Maryland.

$15 Minimum Wage to Advance the Women of Baltimore

In June 2018, a few weeks before the Democratic Primary in Maryland, gubernatorial candidate Rich Madaleno won the support and endorsement of the Baltimore Women United for Action PAC (in addition to Maryland NOW PAC and NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC).

This video was submitted to the PAC for assessment of his agenda and intentions. The theme of the video was: What would be your #1 priority as Governor to advance the women of Baltimore?

The response was: through the $15 minimum wage. It had been the Senator's fight for a long time, and had successfully raised the minimum wage in Maryland over the past years through his own legislation.

This video was made as the Press Secretary/Digital Manager of the gubernatorial campaign of Rich Madaleno in Maryland.

The Reality Behind Hogan's Sudden Righteousness

In March 2018, a shooting at Great Mills High School in Maryland left many people in shock, and frustrated after yet another shooting that could have been prevented. 

State Senator (D) Rich Madaleno had, since he first took office in 2002 in the Maryland legislature, consistently proposed gun violence prevention legislation, especially on school grounds. Then-Governor Larry Hogan never acted or expressed any support for such legislation, and thus many opportunities were lost over the years. 

After the 2018 Maryland school shooting though, the Governor introduced his own bill very late in the legislative session, making it hard to review - especially since it comprised many other unrelated features, and asked for a constitutional change, which did not need to happen. He then blamed the Democratic representatives for being partisan and not wanting to legislate on gun control.

This video was thus made in response to the Governor's own attack videos misrepresenting the votes of Democrats in the State Senate, taking advantage of the emotional post-tragedy period and trying to frame them as "anti-school safety."

This video was made as the Press Secretary/Digital Manager for the gubernatorial campaign of Rich Madaleno in Maryland.

Related: Read the sum-up - also written as Press Secretary - of the Twitter #MDGunChat the Madaleno Team organized with citizens of Maryland to discuss gun violence prevention in the state.

WMRA 2016 News and Information Fund

This video was produced for WMRA Public Radio

WMRA 2016 Pledge Drive

This video was made for WMRA Public Radio.