Dear Media Action Supporter:

Our silence in recent months has been testimony to a lot of behind-the-scenes activity. But now we'd like to reward your patience with news of a variety of initiatives we hope you'd like to become involved in.

What we've been up to:

Becoming Active Online - Thanks to the efforts of Nicole and our designer Rachel of Blue Muse Media, we have just launched our revamped website -www.media-action-media.com -- which boasts some of our research (recent and not-so-recent-but-still-interesting) as well as a few of Shari's commentaries on Media Action-related issues. The site's still a work in progress, so we'd love your feedback. Check it out and let us what else you'd like to see and - better yet - any ideas you have about how you might contribute to our work.

Putting a Stop to Photoshop - Building on the media profile Media Action gained in April for our critique of the widespread advertising practice of photoshopping, we have (with your help!) filed complaints with Advertising Standards Canada (all, unfortunately, dismissed); sought and received advice from lawyers and the Competition Bureau about the best ways to proceed; fed details to a producer at CBC TV's Marketplace for a story they're hoping to do on the issue in the coming months.

Researching Diversity - The happy recipients of $20,000 in funds from Rogers, we're in the process of developing a research project that will explore how well contemporary Canadian TV depicts groups of people who have traditionally been marginalized by mainstream media. Amanda, Leslie and Pat are leading the way here and we hope to be able to compare our results to those we documented in the 1990s to see what progress has been made since then.

Assessing Our Effectiveness - York Masters student Andrea Benoit has been poring over MediaWatch archives for the past few months in the context of a directed study program aimed at assessing how we've gone about trying to change the portrayal of women in the media, and what's been most effective. We're eagerly anticipating her analysis in the months to come. The results (which we'll share) will help us decide on activities we can reproduce.

Engaging the Public - Nicole is spearheading a public lecture series which we plan to launch in February with a panel exploring the photoshopping issue from a variety of perspectives. We're hoping to involve Advertising Standards Canada, as well as a photoshop artist, and perhaps an advertiser or two (suggestions welcome!) We'll let you know more details as soon as we have them; in the meantime, if you want to help, contact Nicole at nscohen@gmail.com

Getting Back on the Charitable Track - Finally, thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Radha, we've submitted all the requisite paperwork necessary to re-apply for Charitable Status (this was temporarily lost when the office closed a couple of years ago and there was essentially nobody around to stay on top of filing the requisite papers). We'll know before income tax filing season whether or not we can once again issue charitable receipts for any financial support we attract!

How you can help:

Because we'll continue to operate for at least the near future as a volunteer-run virtual organization, we welcome the energy and expertise of all those interested. We've already identified a few gaps in our own ranks, so if you or someone you know is interested in contributing your talents to our efforts in one or more of the following areas, please let us know!

• Bloggers - we're looking for strong writers with informed opinions who can write short, snappy pieces on issues related to our mandate to contribute regularly to our blog
• Guerilla media campaigners - we're looking for creative electronic media producers interested in developing edgy viral online campaigns that we can use to generate awareness of and support for our issues
• Media insiders - we'd like to connect with journalists and media producers working in the business and aware of our concerns who can advise us on the best ways to bring about change
• Webmaster - we're looking for someone who is available to update our website and to create and distribute e-cards to mobilize support for campaigns as they arise
• Fundraiser - we need someone who is savvy about sources, connected to contacts, able to help Media Action develop profile in the community, and experienced in writing proposals to help us explore new means of financial support

We have appreciated your support and interest in Media Action, and hope you remain engaged as we forge ahead toward a new future for the organization and for gender equity through media analysis and action!

You can email us at info@media-action-media.com or call Radha for additional information at 416-925-9356.

Yours in Media Action,

Shari, Leslie, Pat, Amanda, Radha and Nicole