CPI Podcast

As podcasting continues to grow outside the traditional journalism ecosystem, questions and conversations are rising about how stories are sourced, produced, and shared. Facing the inevitabilities and uncertainties of growing AI enhancements and capabilities, there is much to consider now more than ever.  This virtual panel held on March 26, 2026 brings together journalists, podcasters, and studen...

What does practice-based research look like compared to traditional theory-based when it comes to the PhD process? In this episode, host Emma Miller sits down with Dr. Meg Wilcox who just returned from defending her thesis at the University of Glasgow.  They chat about her thesis questions, inclusivity in podcasting, and how her award winning podcast series, Static: A Party Girls Memoir , correspo...

In an era of misinformation and diminishing trust, fact-checking has become more than a routine newsroom task.  In the second episode of our 2026 season, host Emma Miller sits down with experienced Journalist and MRU Journalism Professor, Brooks DeCillia.  They discuss the state of journalism today, how mistrust in the media is impacting newsrooms, and how fact-checking should be viewed as an act...

Welcome back for the fourth season of the Community Podcast Initiative (CPI) series.  In this episode, we are taking a look back to a keynote lecture presented at Mount Royal University in April of 2025.  Visiting from RMIT University and the University of Tasmania, Mia Lindgren hosted a discussion relating to her work and research on the ethics of intimacy and parasocial relationship building in...

In this episode, the Community Podcast Initiative (CPI) presents a panel discussion  Where four diverse voices from the media and podcasting landscape consider the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ranging from repercussions in the classroom to its sometimes invaluable benefit in the journalistic field, this episode explores how AI is changing standards and practices across fields.  CPI’s M...

This month, we're sharing the first episode of our newest podcast series, Re-engaging: Exploring new ways of doing journalism. The series draws on interviews from an Enagaged Journalism conference at Concordia University last summer, and looks at the various successes and challenges of community-centred journalism. This first episode is all about ethical considerations. Community-centred journalis...

Podcasting is often thought of as a vessel for storytelling. It can also work to amplify the voices of communities that have historically been suppressed.  This past September, the CPI was a sponsor for the first-ever PodSummit YYC . The two-day event brought podcasters from across the country to downtown Calgary. They shared stories of innovation and inspiration, while exploring the future of Can...

It feels like politics and the media have become increasingly divisive in recent years. On top of that, the words we use to describe our values — like democracy, truth and freedom — are loaded with dual meanings, leaving many of us wondering: Can we reclaim our political language? Award-winning author and journalist Carol Off joins host Gabriela Perdomo to discuss her newest book,  At a Loss for W...

There are more than 16,000 Canadian podcasts out on the Internet — but how many can you name? In the last episode of the season, Meg Wilcox talks to Kattie Laur, a podcast producer, writer and consultant. She also writes Pod the North, a bi-weekly newsletter on all things about podcasting north of the 49th parrallel. Hear why Kattie started Pod the North, what she sees as the biggest challenges fo...

It's no secret weekly reading assignments are a core component of most university courses. But could listening to podcasts act as another option? In this episode, we're exploring how listening to podcasts could become an alternative to weekly reading assignments in university classrooms.  CPI co-director Meg Wilcox and associate producer Kelsea Arnett sit down with Mount Royal University Journalis...

In this episode, we’re exploring how we can make Canadian legacy media more diverse and equitable. In December, CPI associate producer Kelsea Arnett participated in an event called Bridging Research and Experience: Exploring EDI Practices in Canadian Broadcasting and Journalism. She was one of several undergraduate students from Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary who presented th...

In this episode, we're bringing you a look at decolonizing media with the Canadian Mountain Podcast.  CPI co-director, Meg Wilcox, is also a senior producer on the Canadian Mountain Podcast.  The show focuses on knowledge mobilization, highlighting research and important discussions from Canada’s Rocky Mountains and around the world. This year the show is wrapping its fifth and final season. In Pa...

In this episode, we look at the sometimes-blurry ethical boundaries in podcasting. Earlier this year, CPI co-director Brad Clark was part of a panel discussion with media instructors from across North America at the annual Broadcast Education Association conference in Las Vegas. The educators considered a range of issues, everything from the responsibility of podcast hosts to provide truthful info...

About 70 TV Ontario workers have been on strike since August 21st. Wage increases and contract employment were the key sticking points in finding an agreement, which broke down after months of negotiation. Six weeks into the strike, on Sept. 28th, the public broadcaster brought the membership what they called their “final offer” – which maintained the existing contract protections in the current c...

In this episode, kicking off our second season, Sam Jolin sits down with the  Co-Directors of the Community Podcast Initiative, Brad Clark and Meg Wilcox. This spring, they co-hosted the Planning Your Podcast event that took place in the Riddell Library at Mount Royal University.  Podcasting has become incredibly popular over the years, and both of our guests have extensive experience in making th...

In a first-of-its-kind textbook for journalism students, Duncan McCue sets out to demonstrate how integral reciprocity is raising the standards of coverage of Indigenous communities. This episode features a conversation with McCue, Anishinaabe journalist and a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, and host Gabriela Perdomo, Editor-in-Chief of J-Source. Tune in to hear them discu...

In this episode, we take a look back on The Second Gen series produced by Karina Zapata, the CPI’s first Podcaster-in-Residence.  The Second Gen offers a glimpse into the experiences faced by the children of immigrants. The episodes explore different topics that affect first-generation Canadians — like discussions on being the eldest child to the sometimes polarizing experiences in the LGBTQ2S+ co...

This episode explores the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing a CPI series: the Canadian Mountain Podcast. As the Canadian Mountain Podcast completed its fourth season in Spring 2022, the series had officially spent half of its time recording remotely in a pandemic. What the team hoped would be a temporary means of production became a well-oiled machine over the past two years, with th...

This episode explores the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing a CPI series: the Canadian Mountain Podcast. Since its third season, the Canadian Mountain Podcast has strived to share perspectives of both Ancestral Indigenous Knowledge Holders and settler science research conducted through the Canadian Mountain Network, all while exploring issues and topics that affect Canada's mountain...

In an oversaturated podcast landscape, the strongest connections are made with authentic voices. In this episode, the CPI presents a workshop hosted by Media Girlfriends, an award winning podcast production company based out of Toronto. The three co-founders of Media Girlfriends— Garvia Bailey, Hannah Sung, and Nana aba Duncan — created this workshop to help podcasters gain a better understanding...

Mount Royal University Library faculty member, Sara Sharun, has started to see a growing interest across campus in using podcasting for class assignments. The MRU Library has recently been redesigning its audio rooms to give students and faculty a space to create these podcasts, videos, and other multimedia projects. However, using these spaces can be challenging for students and faculty without t...

In this episode, the Community Podcast Initiative (CPI) presents a panel discussion on emerging career paths in digital audio, and how this can promote a space for more authentic storytelling. The three panelists share their experience s in different forms of audio production, how it makes space for under-represented voices, and how their work today might not have been the career path they imagine...

In this episode, Ginella Massa, a Canadian television journalist and news anchor on CBC’s Canada Tonight, is interviewed by the CPI’s associate producer Gabrielle Pyska, and Lexi Freehill, a student in MRU’s Journalism and Digital Media Program. Together, they discuss issues of inclusivity in the media sector including representation, allyship and self-advocacy. This interview was a part of Mount...