The Walrus Foundation
The Walrus
Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Founded in 2003 • Trust Project news partner since
The Walrus is an independent, ideas-focused publication covering politics, world affairs, health and science, law, business and economics, the arts, Indigenous issues and Canada’s place in the world.
In the beginning, co-founder Ken Alexander paid for the magazine’s expenses out of his pocket until the creation of the Walrus Foundation, which helped the magazine gain charitable status, allowing it to accept gifts. Today, The Walrus produces daily content for its website and publishes eight magazine editions per year, including a special summer issue that includes original fiction and poetry. The Walrus also hosts nationally focused events, including its flagship The Walrus Talks, a digital Ted Talk-like series. The organization also trains emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management.
- Jennifer Hollett – Executive Director
- Samia Madwar – Senior Editor
- Claire Cooper – Managing Editor
Best Practices Policies
Mission
The Walrus is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens. It aims to provoke new thinking and spark conversation on matters vital to Canadians.
Ethics
The Walrus says it is committed to reporting that is fair, accurate, complete, transparent and independent. The Walrus maintains a style guide and an ethics policy, both of which are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect current conversations about culture and terminology.
The news organization also relies on the Ethics Guidelines of the Canadian Association of Journalists.
Ownership & Funding
The Walrus is a charity and has no corporate owners. The nonprofit is overseen by a board of directors with the support of a national advisory committee and an education review committee. Its revenue comes from multiple sources, including circulation, advertising, sponsorships, donations, government grants and earned revenue from events and specialized content production.
Diverse Voices
Reflecting societal differences in reporting leads to better, more nuanced stories and a better-informed community, according to the Walrus. Inclusiveness also supports its educational mandate.
The Walrus also expresses a commitment to employment equity and diversity. The Walrus sends out a yearly voluntary survey to full-time employees in order to compile statistics about employment equity. To protect individual privacy, the publication does not publicly disclose the results of this survey.
Corrections
The Walrus has a policy to have fact-checkers will review the statement in question as soon as it is made aware of an error. Any needed corrections will be noted online at the bottom of the article and, if the error originally appeared in print, in the next print issue. The correction will reference the original error and supply the correct information and the date.
Unnamed Sources
The Walrus allows the use of pseudonyms in published journalism only in the case of a clear and pressing need for anonymity, such as the legitimate concern for the safety of sources, or where personal privacy must be protected for serious reasons. The decision to use a veiled source is made solely at the discretion of the editors.
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