So this weekend’s newsletter was supposed to be about something good – the fifth anniversary of The Conversation Canada. But then the news broke yesterday morning about the seismic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a 50-year constitutional right for American women to have access to safe abortions. We’ll get back to our anniversary in a moment, but first the news about Roe v. Wade.

While Friday’s ruling is about U.S. law, the court’s decision has renewed debate about abortion in Canada and around the world. The global network of The Conversation – led by our colleagues in the United States – pulled together on Friday to provide readers with a range of stories on the fallout from the ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Here in Canada, we reached out to political scientist Candace Johnson of the University of Guelph, who looked at the issue of American women who may travel to Canada or Mexico for abortions.

It was another week when many Canadians looked south with their mouths agape: women’s rights turned back by half a century; gun laws diminished just weeks after the mass shootings of school children and Black shoppers; congressional testimony that revealed the former president pressured his own Justice Department to overturn the results of the 2020 election. For your weekend reading, I’ve assembled a great collection of articles from across the network that will bring you up to speed on these complex and troubling issues.

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And now, allow us to blow our own (birthday) horn.

Five years ago today, The Conversation Canada was born. Our co-founders, Mary Lynn Young and Alfred Hermida from the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia, have written an anniversary piece that examines how The Conversation Canada is part of a wave of digital news organizations that have started since the turn of the century.

Our readers have also weighed in our anniversary (based on a request I made a few weeks ago in this newsletter), as have our editors.

The five years have passed in the blink of an eye. We thank everyone who took the time to send us their thoughts.

Have a great weekend. We’ll be back in your Inbox on Monday.

Scott White

CEO | Editor-in-Chief

Weekend Reads: A monumental court ruling on abortion

Roe overturned: What you need to know about the Supreme Court abortion decision

Linda C. McClain, Boston University; Nicole Huberfeld, Boston University

By a 6 to 3 majority, the Supreme Court decided to overrule the landmark Roe decision and end almost 50 years of access to abortion being a constitution right.

Roe v. Wade overturned: Will more Americans travel to Canada and Mexico for abortions?

Candace Johnson, University of Guelph

After the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, will more Americans travel for abortions? Inequalities created by this controversial decision will be revealed at border points.

Supreme Court overturns Roe, upends 50 years of abortion rights: 5 essential reads on what happens next

Matt Williams, The Conversation

The Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, issued a ruling that overturned decades of constitutional abortion rights for women in the US. Scholars explain the significance of the decision.

‘A revolutionary ruling – and not just for abortion’: A Supreme Court scholar explains the impact of Dobbs

Morgan Marietta, UMass Lowell

A Supreme Court scholar untangles the ideas that undergird the historic ruling overturning the Constitutional right to an abortion.

Roe v. Wade overturned: what abortion access and reproductive rights look like around the world

Claire Pierson, University of Liverpool

An expert explains how reproductive rights are changing globally.

U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade – but for abortion opponents, this is just the beginning

Prudence Flowers, Flinders University

This is more than a huge political and legal decision. Almost half of US women and girls of reproductive age live in states where abortion is – or will become – illegal.

The Conversation Canada's Fifth Anniversary

The untold story of Canada’s journalism startups

Mary Lynn Young, University of British Columbia; Alfred Hermida, University of British Columbia

Canada is home to a growing number of new digital-born journalism organizations, even though government policy aimed at helping the news industry has focused mostly on the decline of legacy media.

The Conversation Canada turns 5: Why we love our jobs

Scott White, The Conversation

As The Conversation Canada celebrates the fifth anniversary of its launch, the publication’s editors offer their thoughts.

Our fifth anniversary: Readers weigh in

Scott White, The Conversation

“Always reliable, readable and short. Perfect.” Our readers offer their thoughts on the fifth anniversary of The Conversation Canada.

Canadians’ trust in the news media hits a new low

Colette Brin, Université Laval; Sébastien Charlton, Université Laval

During this time of disruption and transformation, surveys like the Digital News Report contribute to our understanding of professional news sources from the public’s point of view.

Podcasts

How powerful sounds of protest amplify resistance — Podcast

Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation

In today’s episode, we look at how sound and noise are used as tactics of protest and how practitioners are using environmental soundscapes to protest against racism and police brutality.