Anita here. Welcome to my online home! I’m a longtime journalist who's known for my work in journalism innovation, as well as a media consultant, educator and entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada.

I have over two decades of experience as a multi-platform journalist in three major markets: Toronto, New York City and Ottawa. I started out my career as a reporter and editor at Canadian legacy outlets, including The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and CBC. I then served in strategic, management-level roles at American digital media outlets, such as Fusion, Complex and Mashable. Currently, I am the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Green Line, a hyperlocal, independent news outlet that investigates the way we live to help young and other underserved Torontonians survive in a rapidly changing city.

I also occasionally freelance, with my op-eds and articles appearing in New York Magazine, Poynter, The Walrus and other publications across North America.

Over the course of my career, I’ve edited coverage and reported on a wide range of topics, from courts, crime and politics to entertainment, technology and science. Highlights include: elections at various levels in the U.S. and Canada, as well as social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Occupy, #MeToo and the climate crisis, among many others stories. I’ve also had the privilege of interviewing cultural and political leaders, including Mike Myers, Michaëlle Jean, Miranda July, John Tory and Guillermo del Toro.

When it comes to my strategic experience, I was an early adopter and proponent of audience engagement, analytics, community-driven journalism and emerging media business models. Colleagues and industry leaders regularly consult me for my expertise on these topics, as well as on news entrepreneurship, newsroom diversity, media ethics and journalism innovation. My clients have included CBC, American Press Institute, Journalists for Human Rights, Pink Triangle Press, Carleton University, Indiegraf, Meta Journalism Project's Sustainability Accelerator and more.

As an educator, I serve as Journalism Innovator-in-Residence at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). I also teach audience engagement and business models to media executives and news entrepreneurs at the City University of New York's Craig Newmark Graduate School of journalism. I've been invited to speak on a range of journalism-focused issues at schools, in conferences, on expert roundtables and in press interviews worldwide, including the International Journalism Festival, ONA Insights, CBC’s The Current and TVO’s The Agenda.

Finally, as mentioned, I'm a media entrepreneur myself, having launched The Green Line, a local Toronto-based news outlet, in 2022 and The Other Wave, a Canada-focused journalism innovation newsletter, in 2020. 

Outside of work, I co-founded Canadian Journalists of Colour, a rapidly growing support and resource-sharing network that's best known for co-releasing seven calls to action to diversify Canadian media with the Canadian Association of Black Journalists in January 2020. Since CJOC’s founding in 2018, we’ve attracted 1,500 members and established chapters in cities and at postsecondary schools across the country. In my role as co-founder, I oversaw CJOC.net, our Facebook group and Slack channel. I also organized ongoing meetups, events and workshops for our members, as well as led collaborations with other Canadian journalism groups and media outlets. I stepped down from CJOC's executive committee in 2021, though I remain an active member of the organization. 

As for other professional journalism organizations, I’m a member of the board of directors for the Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION) and formerly for the Online News Association (ONA), as well as a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Ethics Advisory Committee. I’ve also served on judging panels for journalism award competitions, including the Online Journalism Awards, the Digital Publishing Awards and the Canadian Journalism Foundation Awards.

Given my unique background and leadership experience, I'm helping guide my industry through disruptive change to formats and business models. 

But don’t take my word for it — here are some nice things people have said about me. Jeffrey Dvorkin, senior fellow at Massey College and former National Public Radio ombudsman, endorsed me as “one to watch” in journalism. Kathy English, chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation and The Toronto Star’s former public editor, said, "I strongly recommend Anita Li for a newsroom leadership role in this time when newsrooms require smart, multi-platform digital journalists who understand the importance of diverse newsrooms and innovative thinking about journalism and communities.” Anita Zielina, a European media executive, called me “one of the smartest and most thoughtful minds in the journalism innovation space.”

You made it all the way to the end of my bio — kudos! Thanks for taking the time, and don’t hesitate to connect. 🌊