Can independent Canadian media ask a question in the White House briefing room?
This September, Jim Csek and Iain Burns are taking The Really Big Show to Washington, D.C. to report, ask questions and demonstrate what open access to government can look like. A healthy democracy needs a media that is independent, accessible and prepared to challenge power.
September 21 to 26 Six days of reporting, interviews and live broadcasts from Washington.
This is about access, accountability and the public’s right to know.
The Really Big Show moves past the talking points and asks the questions Canadians want answered. We have sought direct access to Canadian political leaders and institutions, including Parliament’s media gallery, and often found closed doors, unanswered messages and limited access. This trip is a constructive challenge: to show Canadians what open media access can look like, and to ask whether our own system is meeting that democratic standard.
Our goal is to attend a White House press briefing and ask a question on behalf of Canadians who want more direct accountability from their leaders.
We will bring viewers live reporting, interviews and daily analysis from Washington, providing context beyond clips, talking points and partisan spin.
We will document the experience and invite an honest public conversation about access for independent media in Canada.
Six days in Washington, D.C.
This is not a sightseeing trip. It is a reporting assignment built around the issues Canadians are discussing every day: trade, affordability, energy, the border, national security and democratic accountability. The show will broadcast from Washington and pursue as many meaningful interviews as possible.
- Sept. 21
- Travel and briefing preparation.
- Sept. 22 to 25
- Live broadcasts, interviews, field reporting and efforts to attend a White House briefing.
- Sept. 26
- Final reporting, interviews and a clear account of what we learned.
Help us take independent Canadian journalism where it needs to go.
Support The Really Big Show as we fight for access, ask direct questions and bring Canadians into rooms they are too often shut out of. Your contribution strengthens the reporting, production and independent voice behind this mission.
Your support strengthens independent Canadian journalism. It does not direct our reporting or editorial decisions.