The journalist Christopher Cheung, who covers urban issues for The Tyee, discusses his work, the Vancouver that he writes about, representation in the media, and more, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The last couple of years, whenever I’d put out an informal call for guests for this podcast on Facebook or Twitter, one of the more frequent names to come up is that of Christopher Cheung’s. He’s one of the more popular writers in this city, known for his writing on urban issues whether it’s in The Tyee now, or previously at Metro or the Vancouver Courier. He’s someone of Vancouver, who writes about Vancouver in a way that cares about the city and where it’s headed. He knows the city, and having that sense of history adds to his writing, as he talks to people who face challenges like those posed by a pandemic, or who are underrepresented in the discussion often had in the mainstream press. I’m a fan, and it turns out yesterday, when we taped this interview, the National Digital Publishing Awards recognised Mr. Cheung with a nomination in the category of Emerging Excellence. I ask Chris about his work, about the city he covers and about the recent stories that have been his focus in this pandemic year. We talk about food, as well as the need for greater representation in the media. Chris was interviewed as part of a very fine series that the folks at CBC Radio’s Early Edition did last week, produced by Steve Zhang. Check that out, Stories We Live: Representing Asian Voices and Faces, on the CBC’s website. Visit www.christophercheung.net for a selection of some of his finer pieces, as well as photography. Whether it’s about Baklava Man, or Duffin’s Donuts, or news on the recent plan to redevelop the Joyce Collingwood neighbourhood, he’s got not just a keen eye for people that we see in his writing, but his photography is excellent. His Twitter handle is @bychrischeung. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Christopher Cheung; Mr. Cheung, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (22.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS