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Liz Plank

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Liz Plank
Plank in 2014
Born
Elizabeth Plank[1]

(1987-03-19) March 19, 1987 (age 37)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
EducationMcGill University (BA)
London School of Economics (MSc)
Known forSenior producer and correspondent at Vox
Websitewww.elizabethplank.com

Elizabeth Plank (born March 19, 1987) is a Canadian author and award-winning[2] journalist. She was a senior producer and political correspondent at Vox,[3] and began hosting her own solutions-based journalism show Positive Spin at NBC News in July 2020.[4]

Early life

Plank grew up in Montreal where she worked as a community counselor for people with developmental disabilities[5] while attending McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, studying women's studies and international development. She competed on the school's varsity synchronized swimming team, co-founded Women's Week at McGill and participated in a campus production of The Vagina Monologues.[6] She received the Sheila Finestone Award[7], a prize given to an outstanding undergraduate student studying in the field of Women's Studies who are involved in community activities and who work for the recognition of women's rights as human rights.

She later got her master's degree at the London School of Economics, and began writing articles about gender and human rights for the Huffington Post.[8] While attending classes and working as a research assistant for Behavioral Economics professor Paul Dolan, she launched a Change.org petition that collected more than 55,000 signatures, and succeeded in reversing a decision by the Amateur International Boxing Association requiring female boxers to wear skirts while competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games.[8]

Career

In 2013 Plank began her media career as an intern at the New York City-based Mic, then named PolicyMic.[9] She quickly drew an audience for her reporting on feminist issues and after three months was promoted to head of the site's viral content team.[8] She served as a correspondent and co-creator of the weekly video series "Flip the Script", which covered controversial issues like feminism, homophobia and racism. Plank also served as a correspondent for the MSNBC live web show Krystal Clear.[10]

Plank was then recruited to cover the 2016 election for Vox Media, where she wrote, hosted, produced and starred in several critically acclaimed series about politics. She's used her platform to elevate issues of gender equality, disability rights, transphobia and racial justice while interviewing influential political figures like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Senator Cory Booker, Stacey Abrams and presidential candidate Andrew Yang. [11][12] In 2016 she produced and hosted 2016ish, an award-winning series about the presidential election, and gave a TedxTalk that inspired her first book, For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity,[13] published by St. Martin's Press in Autumn 2019. Plank regularly appears on cable news offering political analysis[14] and has been blocked on Twitter by President Donald Trump.[15]

Plank is recognized as one of the world's most influential people in gender policy[16] and was ranked as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Media category.[17] Marie Claire ranked her among Mediaite's Most Influential in News Media and one of the 50 most influential women.[18][19] Her work has received hundreds of millions of views[20] and accolades from the Shorty[21] and Webby Awards[22].

She currently sits on the board of Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation non-profit organization that unites girls to change the world and has spoken alongside[23] Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, and Priyanka Chopra at their annual summits. She's also fundraised and worked[24] with Colab Theater, New York City's primary theater arts organizations for individuals with developmental disabilities. She's even featured the organization in a memorable episode[25] of Flip the Script that featured Paul, a young actor with down syndrome.

While she is known for her contributions to feminism and women's rights, it's her work with and for people with disabilities that Plank most often discusses in interviews[26] about her work. Whether it's her reporting on voting rights for people with disabilities[27] or the attention she's brought to the sub-par minimum wage for workers with disabilities[28] in America, she's dedicated much of her career to spotlighting people with disabilities who don't always get the attention they deserve in mainstream media[29].

References

  1. ^ https://www.feminist.org/intern/2011Spring/Elizabeth.asp
  2. ^ "2016ish with Liz Plank: Winner in News and Media". Shorty Awards. Shorty Awards. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  3. ^ Offenhartz, Jake (June 5, 2017). "Feminist Fight Club". Gothamist. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Ellefson, Lindsey. "Liz Plank Joins NBC News for Digital Series on Coronavirus With 'Positive Spin' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. The Wrap. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Angelique; Rocher. "Blogger". Cozy Sweater Cafe. Cosy Sweater Cafe. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  6. ^ Palus, Shannon (September 2015). "Frank, funny and unapologetically feminist". McGill News Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  7. ^ Writer, Staff. "Undergraduate Award Winners Sheila Finestone Award Winners". IGSF INSTITUTE FOR GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND FEMINIST STUDIES. McGill University. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Gratton-Gagné, Catherine (2015-09-17). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH PLANK, VIRAL CONTENT EXPERT". Adviso. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  9. ^ McKenzie, Hamish (2013-08-13). "The secret to PolicyMic's surprising viral success? Behavioral analysis". Pando. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  10. ^ "Vox Snags Mic's Elizabeth Plank for Election Coverage". The Hollywood Reporter. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  11. ^ Birkner, Christine (November 17, 2016). "Check Out the Winners of the First Shorty Social Good Awards". Adweek. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  12. ^ Fredette, Meagan (14 May 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 Webby Award Winners". Paper Magazine. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  13. ^ Ruiz, Michelle (September 12, 2019). "Boys Will Be Boys? Not in Liz Plank's For the Love of Men". Vogue. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  14. ^ "Plank: Trump "needs sexism like a plant needs water"". MSNBC. 2018-02-13.
  15. ^ Ziv, Stav (December 23, 2017). "An Imagined Trump apology is a Gift to Women". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  16. ^ writer, staff. "GENDER EQUALITY TOP 100". Apolitical. Apolitical. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  17. ^ "2015 30 Under 30: Media". Forbes. 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  18. ^ "Mediaite's (Best of the Rest) Most Influential in News Media 2017". Mediate. 2017-12-20. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  19. ^ Goldman, Lea; Sklar, Rachel (2016-10-13). "The New Guard: America's 50 Most Influential Women". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  20. ^ BLATTBERG, ERIC. "Mic's hit video series on Facebook has gotten 33 million views in two months". Digiday. Digiday. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "2016ISH WITH LIZ PLANK Winner in NEWS & MEDIA". Shorty Social Good Awards. Shorty Awards. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  22. ^ The Webby Awards. "Liz Plank's Vox Media's 5-Word Speech at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards". Webby Awards Youtube Channel. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  23. ^ Longmire, Becca (July 8, 2020). "Meghan Markle To Speak At Gender Equality Event Alongside Michelle Obama, Priyanka Chopra & More". ET CANADA. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  24. ^ Staff Writer (May 2, 2016). "GRANT #191: CO/LAB THEATER GROUP". Awesome Without Borders. Colab Theater. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  25. ^ "Let's Flip the Script on the R-Word". Facebook. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  26. ^ DG, Angelique (February 7, 2018). "Fabulous Feminist Liz Plank!". Cozy Sweater Cafe. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  27. ^ Plank, Liz (October 28, 2016). "Americans with disabilities struggle to exercise a right that most take for granted — voting". Vox.com. Vox Media. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  28. ^ "Divided States of Minimum Wage". Facebook. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  29. ^ Plank, Liz. "Divided States of Motherhood". Facebook. Retrieved September 1, 2020.