(Photo by Riley Stewart)
Ron Deibert wins 2021 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing
Published: September 23, 2021
Ronald Deibert, the founder and director of the Citizen Lab in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a professor of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has won the prestigious 2021 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for his book RESET: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society (House of Anansi Press).
Delivered by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, the prize is awarded annually to an “exceptional book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers.”
“It was a great honour to be invited to deliver the 2020 CBC Massey lectures, for which I wrote RESET,” said Deibert. “To receive the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize from the Writers' Trust is a wonderful surprise and truly humbling. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of the other shortlisted authors.
“I hope this award helps underscore how important it is for all of us to reclaim the Internet for civil society and work collectively towards a sustainable, secure, and mutually-beneficial public sphere.”
Recommended by Margaret Atwood and Edward Snowden, RESET was also a finalist for the Donner Prize, a Financial Times best book of Summer 2021 (Technology) and a Quill & Quire book of the year.
“Ronald J. Deibert combines leading-edge research and gripping stories to expose the dangerous, even deadly, forces lurking online,” the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize Jury wrote. “With trailblazing originality, he explains why Canadians are at risk, and why it’s time to reset the internet to thwart cybercriminals, safeguard political activists, rein in environmental costs, and restrain the mayhem of social media. Reset sounds a warning siren not only for Canada, but for the world.”
