Carol Off

Carol Off
Brown-haired woman wearing glasses at podium with microphone
Off at the Eden Mills Writers' Festival in 2017
Born1954 or 1955 (age 69–70)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
Spouse(s)Fred Harrison (m. c. 1975-1981)
Linden MacIntyre (m. 2000)
Children1
Career
ShowAs It Happens
NetworkCBC Radio One

Carol Off (born 1954/1955) is a Canadian journalist, commentator, and author formerly associated with CBC Television and CBC Radio.

Early life

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Off was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1954 or 1955.[1] She moved to Ottawa at ten years old and later moved to London, Ontario. As a child, she kept a diary and enjoyed going to libraries.[2] She dropped out of high school to go traveling and hitchhiked around Canada for 2 years.[1] After returning, she finished high school and married for the first time.[1]

She attended the University of Western Ontario and studied English, which began her career.[2]

Career

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Off got her start in journalism as a staff writer for The Gazette, the student newspaper at the University of Western Ontario. She graduated with a B.A. degree from Western in 1981.[3]

Off was a host of CBC Radio One's As It Happens from 2006 to 2022.[4] Previously a documentary reporter for The National, where she covered international affairs, Off also hosted the political debate series counterSpin on CBC Newsworld.

She served on the board of directors of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression from 2001 to 2007.[5]

Off has been honoured for her journalism with a Gemini Award (2002), the John Drainie Award for distinguished contributions to Canadian broadcasting (2008),[6] and a Gabriel Award (2016).[7]

Off has also written books on the Canadian military, including The Lion, the Fox, and the Eagle (2000) and The Ghosts of Medak Pocket: the Story of Canada's Secret War (2005, ISBN 0-679-31294-3).

In 2006, she released Bitter Chocolate, a book about the corruption and human rights abuses associated with the cocoa industry. She wrote that French-Canadian journalist Guy-André Kieffer, who was kidnapped in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in 2004, had been murdered for exposing Ivorian government corruption in connection with cocoa.[8]

Her book All We Leave Behind: A Reporter's Journey into the Lives of Others (2017) ISBN 9780345816832 won the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and the 2018 Ontario Historical Society Huguenot Society of Canada Award.

Off has received honorary degrees from both Western University and the Royal Military College of Canada.[9][10]

On January 18, 2022, Off announced her retirement from As It Happens on-air, effective February 25.[11]

In 2024, Off wrote a book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage about contemporary political rhetoric and how certain political terms such as "democracy," "freedom" and "truth" have become distorted in political conversation.[12]

Personal life

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Off married painter Fred Harrison after she graduated from high school, and her only child, a son named Joel Harrison, was born in 1976.[1][13] She divorced Harrison and left their son with him when she moved to Toronto after graduating from the University of Western Ontario.[1][13] Later, Off married fellow CBC broadcaster and former host of The Fifth Estate Linden MacIntyre in 2000.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Intrepid journalist comes home". Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Off to reflect on journalists' responsibilities". Prince Edward County Public Library. Picton, Ontario. November 15, 2018. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Dowling, Karmen (October 1, 2009). "Alumni Awards of Merit - 2009". Western News. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  4. ^ CBC journalist Carol Off to host 'As It Happens'. CBC News, May 18, 2006.
  5. ^ "CJFE Gala Chair Carol Off interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos". CJFE | Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "CBC's Carol Off wins 2008 John Drainie Award". The Globe and Mail, October 30, 2000.
  7. ^ CBC journalist Carol Off wins broadcasting award. CBC News, July 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "Chocolate a product of child slavery, says CBC broadcaster". Revolutionary Speaker Series, University of Alberta Students' Union. November 11, 2006. Archived from the original on May 23, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  9. ^ "Western News - Western names honorary degree recipients". March 9, 2017.
  10. ^ "Announcement of Honorary Degrees at RMC's 105th Convocation". April 21, 2016.
  11. ^ "Carol Off to sign off from CBC's 'As It Happens'". Mississauga News, January 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Off, Carol. "At a Loss for Words Conversation in the Age of Rage". penguinrandomhouse.ca. Penguin Random House. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Smith, Gena (March 17, 2007). "In From the Cold | [ ] Review of Journalism :: The Ryerson School of Journalism". Retrieved May 24, 2021.
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