Emma Paling is a journalist and writer in Toronto.

She has written extensively for both mainstream and independent outlets. Her award-winning work has been at the forefront of national conversations about Canada’s relationship with Israel, the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

Speaking alongside Shree Paradkar and Olivia Bowden in Toronto in December 2024.

Emma’s work on Canada’s relationship with Israel has been particularly influential since 2023.

Her team reporting revealed systemic anti-Palestinian biases on Canada’s two most-watched news broadcasts, CBC’s The National and CTV National News. She also exclusively revealed that a Canadian polling firm had released data on Canadians’ views on the violence in Gaza — without disclosing that the Israeli consulate was behind the poll.

Emma’s work has been shared by Canada’s Special Representative on Islamophobia and has been cited on the popular Citations Needed podcast.

Graphic by Michael DeForge

Based in Toronto, Emma is available for a diverse range of paid freelance assignments.

In 2024, she delivered a lecture on the Doug Ford government’s Greenbelt scandal to auto workers, reviewed a book about media representations of sex workers, appeared on podcasts and continued her original reporting.

Previously, Emma worked as a senior editor at The Breach, a senior writer at CBC News and a reporter at HuffPost Canada.

Emma holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and an Honours Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University.