Jennifer Laewetz is blazing a trail on the internet.
By Hannah Scott
Traditional journalists and online journalists have entered a friendly rivalry in the constantly evolving media world.
It is no secret the world of journalism and media has become a turbulent whirlwind of controversy, debate, and public mistrust.
At the same time, fast-changing new technologies have led audiences away from traditional legacy media toward a new wave of online content.
“There is an increasing generation that doesn’t see the importance of mainstream media,” said Jennifer Laewetz, a policy analyst, communications specialist, and political-commentary powerhouse.
Laewetz, a member of George Gordon First Nation, has made a name for herself as a panelist on newsroom sets like CBC and APTN, and behind the screen on X and TikTok.
As an online commentator, Laewetz dives deep into the world of media, politics, and democracy, putting truth and accountability before any other agenda she may have.
Legacy media has the advantage of formal training, public funding, and immediate access to sources. However, online creators can freely tell the stories that they find important, not having to answer to any higher-ups or corporations, said Laewetz.
“I’m not paid to make content,” she said. “So I kinda only talk about the issues that I think are important.”
This also mean that online journalists are susceptible to biases, online harassment, and ‘cancel culture.’
Laewetz says she holds herself to a level of accountability and self-determination, but makes it clear that other creators do not always follow that example.
As well, legacy journalists aren’t always bias-free, as Laewetz attests. She has had a personal experience of being invited onto a newsroom set, prepared to discuss one topic, only to be blindsided with debating a separate agenda she was not prepared for.
“I listen to the interview back, and I was like, ‘That interview went terribly,’ but I was baited,” sha said. “I watched it actually, legitimately happen.”
Even with these experiences, Laewetz still stands as an ally to legacy media, understanding that a damaged system does not mean it can’t be mended.
With the recent boom in Indigenous-made content and media, Laewetz is excited to see how these creators will bring new perspectives to these platforms.
Indigenous voices are quickly entering both traditional and online media spaces, but this comes after decades of being harshly excluded and targeted by these same spaces.
There is still much work to be done, but Indigenous creators have made tremendous strides to ensure their media is being supported through both forms of journalism.
Laewetz sees a future where legacy media and online content can lend a helping hand to one another. There is much that legacy media can learn from the up-and-coming rookie that is online media, and vice versa.
Rather than working as opponents fighting for the attention of the public audience, these two forms of journalism can easily take on the new challenges facing the medium as allies.
