Linda Solomon Wood
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Linda began her career as an investigative reporter for The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, where she won the United Press International awards for Best Investigative Journalism and Best Public Service Reporting for a series that uncovered insurance fraud. The series led to U.S. Senate Hearings and reform. Her series on negligence by the City of Nashville regarding public housing projects won the John F. Finney Award for Economic Reporting. She went on to freelance for publications that included the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and Orion Magazine. A series of interviews she conducted with the late Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, who later became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, inspired her interest in environmental issues and her understanding of the impacts of global warming on people's lives. She taught journalism at The Women's Institute for Continuing Education in Montparnasse in Paris, and writing workshops in various settings, including Emily Carr University, Hollyhock Retreat Centre, and Emerson College's summer school in Holland.
She moved to Canada from New York City in 2001 following the World Trade Center attack. In 2006, she founded the Vancouver Observer. The publication received numerous awards and honours. She received a Vancouver Board of Trade award for entrepreneurial innovation for her work with Vancouver Observer. In 2015, she launched Canada's National Observer. Under her leadership, the publication has filled an important role in Canadian journalism. CNO made history in 2017 as the first digital-only publication to receive a Michener Award citation and it made history again as the first digital-only publication to receive a National Newspaper Award.
She has served since 2019 on the Local Journalism Initiative judging panel for News Media Canada and previously participated in the Public Policy's roundtables on the state of journalism, the Board of Governors of the National Newspaper Awards and on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Media Protective Association. As CEO of National Observer's parent company, Observer Media Group, Linda works to strengthen public service journalism that investigates corruption, celebrates innovation, and illuminates and helps to make sense of the complex political and social challenges people face today.
Linda is a proud mother and stepmother.