Kate Butler - Profile

From the gendered representation of women in politics, to the effects of media viewing on small children, Kate Butler has written and covered the extent and breadth of the mainstream media from many different angles.

Kate's interest in the role that mainstream journalism plays in our everyday lives comes from her experiences working and writing in the non-profit world, as well as her academic background. Her work in communications in the non-profit world includes stints at the Queen's Women's Centre, the Brain Injury Association of Canada, Capital City Volunteers, the YouthRoots Project and St. John Ambulance.

Kate has a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from Queen's University in Political Science, and a Masters of Arts in Communication and Culture from Ryerson and York Universities in Toronto. She is currently working on her PhD at the University of Victoria in the Sociology department. Besides strengthening her interest in media issues, her time in academia allowed Kate to become more familiar with the norms and conventions that dominate the news-making process.

In addition to writing for Suite101, Kate has written for the Westcoaster, the Island Catholic Times, the Queen's Journal, and for numerous academic and professional pubulications and websites.

Kate sees the mainstream media as an increasingly key part of socialization in our culture, and wants to give her readers a better sense of how the news works, and why this affects our society as a whole.