Rigorous. Consequential. Unwavering.
As a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists, I have authored more than 230 articles through The Voice Magazine, where I served as a regular contributor.
My work is academically oriented and has ranged from investigative and policy commentary to mentorship narratives and human-interest features, on topics including criminology, legislation and hacking - all rooted in moral clarity and real-world experience.
Although The Voice Magazine has since gone offline, archived versions of my articles remain available through the Wayback Machine.
https://web.archive.org/web/20250226011112/https://www.voicemagazine.org/author/alek-golijanin
INSTITUTIONS & ORGANIZATIONS WE'VE ENGAGED
MAJOR MILESTONES INCLUDE…
Covering The Foreign Interference Commission
Covering Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission was one of the most challenging - and rewarding - projects of my writing career. Rather than simply report proceedings, I approached the Commission as a long-form, academic-investigative series: tracing historical context, interviewing government officials, diplomats and embassy officials, speaking with international organizations such as the G7, and engaging policing and public-safety stakeholders in both Canada and the United States.
The goal was simple: turn a complex, high-stakes inquiry into something ordinary Canadians could actually understand - without losing the nuance policymakers were wrestling with.
In a way, this work brought my story full circle. Back in the late 2000s, as a curious (and occasionally over-curious) high-school “hacker”, I stumbled onto the core issues that would later sit at the very heart of the Commission’s mandate - digital activities that eventually led to conversations with the RCMP. What began as youthful curiosity has since become a commitment to ethical analysis, transparency, and constructive public dialogue.
Google Preferred Us For "Featured Snippets"
My criminology-related articles in The Voice Magazine earned recognition from Google’s AI-powered recommendation systems, which identified our work as a credible and trusted source for readers seeking informed perspectives.
At our peak, several of these articles were selected by Google as Featured Snippets - the highlighted answer box that appears above regular search results. This placement is typically dominated by major national media outlets and subject-matter institutions, making it especially significant for an independent, student-driven university magazine.
Only a very small percentage of articles ever appear as Featured Snippets, earning that placement signals the content has outperformed thousands of competing sources on clarity, trustworthiness, and relevance. For me, these placements validated the core approach behind my writing: rigorous research, plain-language explanation, and a commitment to accuracy over sensationalism.
Ironically, it was shortly after this period of peak visibility that our work became the target of sustained cyber interference and coordinated mis/disinformation campaigns.
Cyber Attacks And Mis/Disinformation
Both The Voice Magazine and I were targeted by malicious cyber activity and coordinated mis/disinformation efforts that affected our website, communications, social networks and the way search engines indexed and displayed our work.
These attacks significantly reduced our visibility online, and in some cases caused search platforms such as Google and Bing to associate our work with unrelated—and sometimes harmful—topics (including high-profile criminal cases), despite our repeated efforts with providers to correct the issue.
The irregular search associations and traffic disruptions described above were documented in correspondence with Microsoft/Bing support and in internal communications with our editorial team, as we undertook server resets and other mitigation efforts. Prior to these incidents, several of my articles appeared prominently in search results—including featured-snippet placements above major national media sources. The issues that followed included both search-index distortions and attempted unauthorized access to systems.
Microsoft support teams acknowledged technical issues on their systems and worked with us on remediation. While they did not attribute intent, they confirmed that what we experienced was not typical ranking behaviour. These cyber attacks created real challenges, but they also reinforced the importance of resilient, transparent journalism and our commitment to it.
All my magazine articles that were published in The Voice Magazine can be viewed & downloaded via Google Drive.
The most popular standalone articles and series have been reshared on my Publications" section on my website.