Our readers repeatedly tell us they want to see ugly stories told — beautifully. Without their support, this work would be impossible.
Photo: Amber Bracken / The Narwhal
Finding the beautyPhotojournalism that centres humanity is in our DNA. We spent more than $50,000 doing it in 2024 — will you chip in to help us keep going?
Here at The Narwhal, we often talk about telling ugly stories beautifully. There’s nothing ugly about the natural world in Canada, but the stories about human impacts on it can get a liiiiittle grim.
Take tailings ponds spills for example. You probably don’t associate beauty with the industrial behemoth that is the oilsands of northern Alberta. And yet, renowned journalists like Amber Bracken have helped us find the beauty in telling that story — or stories, in this case — by photographing the residents who trust us to share their fears in ways other publications have rarely given them the opportunity to.
It’s not often you’ll see these kinds of portraits in other news outlets — or flyover views of the very oilsands the same communities say continuously imperil their groundwater and, in turn, their health. That’s because this type of photojournalism takes a truckload of effort and money.
Just this year, we’ve spent well over $50,000 on photo assignments alone. We’re happy to take on the effort part, but the money? That comes from Narwhal readers just like you who repeatedly tell us they want these stories told — beautifully. This December, we’re on an ambitious mission to raise $200,000. Will you chip in what you can to help us keep going in 2025?
Striking that balance plays a key role in telling some of the biggest stories of our time, like wildfires. How many newsrooms in Canada actually pay photographers to document people grappling with flames? (Hint: not many.) I’m proud to say we do, again and again.
Just this summer, we published a photo essay by Louis Bockner, whose B.C. community had been preparing for fires, which moved so quickly we could barely keep up with the story. We also sent reporter Matt Simmons and photographer Marty Clemens to Gitanyow territory to document Indigenous cultural burns — an ancient solution to today’s problems.
Some photography assignments take days on end — like our feature on the Indigenous-led conservation plan that’s united five Cree nations in Manitoba to address the devastation caused by Manitoba Hydro. To pull it off, reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers and photographer Tim Smith spent nearly a week on a trip 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
And it’s not just photos that make our work sing — I haven’t even mentioned the dozens of illustrators who help elevate Narwhal stories in a whole ‘nother way.
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With headlines blaring about tariffs, a trade war and a 51st state, it can be easy to feel helpless. Here’s where I see hope: The Narwhal is reporting doggedly on issues surrounding the natural world in Canada that feel so under threat today — including the autonomy and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. It’s why I’m a member — and why I hope you’ll be one of 400 readers who joins me this April. Sign up now and receive a Narwhal tote bag as a gift of thanks! — Tanya Talaga, journalist, author and recent Narwhal board chair
With headlines blaring about tariffs, a trade war and a 51st state, it can be easy to feel helpless. Here’s where I see hope: The Narwhal is reporting doggedly on issues surrounding the natural world in Canada that feel so under threat today — including the autonomy and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. It’s why I’m a member — and why I hope you’ll be one of 400 readers who joins me this April. — Tanya Talaga, journalist, author and recent Narwhal board chair
