When not in character, Brittlestar is Stewart Reynolds, who lives in Stratford, Ont. His Kesterton lecture is called ‘Peace, Order, and Good Journalism (with a Side of Comedy).’

Stewart Reynolds will share the unexpected story of how he stumbled into a digital career at 43, built an online audience through humour, and eventually shifted his focus during the pandemic toward politics, media literacy, and civic engagement.Photograph courtesy of Stewart Reynolds

Fifty years ago, a trusted broadcast journalist, one of the national U.S. network news anchors, broke character by looking into the camera, jabbing a finger at his viewers, and railing at them: