A profile of Shanelle Kaul for the publication, Didihood, where she talks about her experience as a WOC in media.
Meet the Didi:
This month we speak with Shanelle Kaul, an anchor and journalist at CP24 News in Toronto.
Tell us about your current job:
Before I do, I'll say... THIS is where I've always wanted to be. I grew up watching (fellow Didi) Monita Rajpal on CityPulse in the '90s and little Shanelle fell for Monita and the news. She just had this lovely, bright energy about her and the biggest smile. Little Shanelle felt CityPulse (now CP24) wasn't fussy or pretentious. It was real people telling you what's happening in the world, in real time. Play-by-play reporting, as we call it.
That — and how anything can happen on live TV — makes CP24 one of the most exciting and important newsrooms in the country. It's why people turn to us at the most critical of times.
My job as an anchor/reporter there, means no day is ever the same. We go where the news is and sometimes that means being in the middle of the Raptors championship parade and other times, asking our politicians tough questions at Queen's Parks or covering a fire in bitterly cold temperatures. No matter the story, I get to exercise curiosity everyday and I'm really grateful for that.
What made you want to work in the industry?
The news was always on in our house. My grandparents fled war-torn Kashmir in the '80s and then my parents immigrated to Canada during the Gulf War in the '90s, so access to information wasn't just important to them, it was critical. I didn't realize the connection at the time, but being immersed in that world inspired a love for journaling, documenting stories about people I'd meet or places we'd travel to. Eventually, I realized all I really wanted to do was to talk to people and write about them.
Did you ever feel barriers as a South Asian woman in the industry?
Pretty much at every step in my career. Some were subtle, like when I was first applying to TV jobs I was told I'd have a better chance of getting on-air at OMNI Television. I even auditioned there once but my Hindi didn't cut it. So here I was: apparently too white for OMNI but too brown for anything else.
And then when i finally did land a job in a mainstream Canadian TV station, I remember people telling me I got the job because of my colour. Comments like that intensified over the years. Another colleague once told me that our boss liked to replace outgoing diverse employees with a new employee of the same race. While I appreciate the commitment to maintaining a certain level of diversity, those statements rob you of your talent and reduce you to a colour — a token. I just wanted to be a hire, not a diversity hire.
Journalism and its commitment to D&I has been in the spotlight in the last few years, what do you think needs to happen next?
The racial reckoning has really forced newsrooms to look within and ask themselves some tough questions. Does our newsroom staff actually represent the community we serve? Do our stories and content accurately reflect the people in that community? And are there any members that represent marginalized communities who are involved in high-level decisions or editorial calls?
Being on air also comes with pressure. How do you get comfortable?
Confidence can be fluid when you have a public job. People (or bots) feel like they can tear you down for just about anything — the way you word a question, how your hair looks or the colour you're wearing. And when you already feel like an imposter (because of those diversity jabs over the years) it's easy to get shaken.
I've employed a few strategies:
1) Don't read comments and messages from people you don't know. I have a really trusted inner circle of people to challenge and uplift me and those are the only opinions I care for.
2) Trust that you did the work. You've put in the time. You're here for a reason.
3) Harness any nervous energy into excitement. It means you care about doing a good job.
4) Deep breaths before every show. Create a mantra, mine is warm, comfortable and authentic.
What advice do you have for other Didis interested in being an anchor?
Network, network, network. Can't say that enough. Send emails, make phone calls and don't be afraid to reach out to people you admire to get advice on your work and learn more about their journey. I wish I did more of this sooner. And don't wait for a job posting to come up — if there's a network or show or publication you're dying to work for, book a meeting with the bosses and pitch yourself. Start planning those seeds early on.