Sue Gardner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sue Gardner
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Gardner in 2008
|
|
| Born | May 11, 1967 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Ryerson Polytechnical Institute |
| Known for | Former executive director, Wikimedia Foundation (2007–2014) |
Sue Gardner (born May 11, 1967) is a Canadian journalist and leader. She has worked with non-profit groups and businesses. From 2007 to 2014, she was the main leader of the Wikimedia Foundation. This is the group that runs Wikipedia. Before that, she managed the website for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
In 2012, Forbes magazine named her one of the world's 100 most powerful women. She joined the board of Global Voices in 2013. In 2015, she helped the Tor Project plan for the future. Later, in 2018, she became the executive director of The Markup. She left this job in 2019. In 2023, she became the chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sue Gardner was born in Barbados. She grew up in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Her father was a priest and her mother was a school principal. She studied journalism at Ryerson University.
Career Highlights
Working in Journalism
Gardner started her career in 1990 at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She worked on radio shows like As It Happens. For over ten years, she made documentaries and reported on social issues.
In 2006, she became the senior director for CBC.ca, the CBC's website. She helped grow the team from 35 people to 160.
Leading Wikimedia
In May 2007, Sue Gardner left the CBC. She then started helping the Wikimedia Foundation. This group runs Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects. In December 2007, she became the executive director.
During her time, the Wikimedia Foundation grew a lot. The staff got bigger, and a fundraising team was added. The main office also moved from Florida to San Francisco, California. In 2009, The Huffington Post called her a "media game changer." This was because of her important work for Wikimedia.
Helping Women on Wikipedia
One big issue Sue Gardner worked on was gender bias on Wikipedia. She noticed that not many women edited Wikipedia. She found several reasons why this might be happening:
- The editing tools were not easy to use.
- Women often did not have enough free time.
- Some women felt less self-confidence about editing.
- They did not like arguments or "edit wars."
- They worried their work might be deleted.
- Some felt the overall atmosphere was not welcoming.
- Being called "male" was confusing for some women.
- There were fewer chances to make friends on the site.
On March 27, 2013, Gardner announced she would leave the Wikimedia Foundation. She felt the Internet itself needed help. She wanted to work on making the Internet better. She said the 2012 Wikipedia blackout was a turning point. This protest against new laws made her think about the Internet's future.
In 2013, her old university, Ryerson University, gave her an honorary degree. On May 1, 2014, it was announced that Lila Tretikov would take over her role.
Work with Tor and First Look
After Wikimedia, Gardner joined The Tor Project, Inc. This non-profit group helps keep people's online activity private. She helped them create a plan for their future. This work was supported by First Look Media. First Look Media is a news group that focuses on independent journalism.
Starting The Markup
In September 2018, Gardner helped start The Markup. She co-founded it with Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson. This website aimed to report on "Big Tech" companies and their effects on people. They received $20 million in funding to start.
Gardner was the executive director, and Angwin was the editor-in-chief. However, in April 2019, Gardner fired Angwin due to different ideas about how to run the site. This led to several journalists leaving. Angwin said Gardner wanted The Markup to be more like a "cause" than a news site. Gardner responded that the mission had not changed. Gardner and Larson left The Markup the next month. Angwin was then brought back as editor-in-chief in August 2019.
See also
- List of Wikipedia people
