Welcome to the RSJ Newsletter  | RSJ Home
November 2017
2017 Headliners
RJAA announces 2017 inductees

Join the Ryerson Journalism Alumni Association as we toast Wendy Mesley and David Skok, this year's RJAA Headliners inductees!

And what better place to raise a glass to our two guests of honour than at the Imperial Pub, where a great many of us hold some of our favourite memories from our time at Ryerson? 

The event is Nov. 20 starting at 7 pm.  Register here.
 
Free Expression
Trinity College professor visits RSJ, urges academy to uphold free speech

On the evening of June 18, 2017, Johnny Eric Williams was angry. He had just finished reading about the acquittal of Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez on charges related to the death of Black motorist Philando Castille and he was "enraged" by the court's decision.

The sociology professor from Trinity College in Connecticut, took to social media in this moment of anger to post messages calling on oppressed people to "put an end to the vectors of their destructive mythology of whiteness and their white supremacy system," followed with the hashtag, "#LetThemFuckingDie." The hashtag, Williams says, was directly linked to a  Medium article by a writer who publishes under the pseudonym Son of Baldwin. Williams had shared the piece, entitled, "Let Them Fucking Die," on his personal social media accounts earlier that week  (full story).   
Open House
RSJ welcomes future students on November 17

This is an event you won't want to miss! Visit Ryerson's distinctly urban campus for the opportunity to tour our campus and facilities, chat with future professors, current students, student services, and more! 

See for yourself what makes Ryerson Canada's leading university for innovation and career relevant learning ( register ). 
Ryerson Review of Journalism
RRJ hosting conference on disaster coverage


The student-led conference brings together industry veterans as well as Ryerson professors to discuss how we cover disasters and what we can learn from past experiences. The keynote address will be delivered by Catherine Porter, Canada bureau chief for the New York Times.

The conference will take place on Nov. 21. at Oakham House from noon to 6 p.m., and includes the keynote, a series of panel discussions and a Q&A  ( full story ).  The event is pay as you can, but attendees are being asked to RSVP due to limited availability.
RSJ Internships
Students reflect on fast-paced fall internships

As the first round of six-week undergraduate internships wrapped up last month, we spoke to some fourth-year students about their experiences on the job at fast-paced Toronto news organizations.

Each semester, final-year students in the masthead and internship stream of the Bachelor of Journalism program  spend six weeks interning at an organization of their choice. The students choose where they want to apply and submit a resume along with work samples. They are then interviewed for the internship and, if successful, hired for the position. Many of the opportunities are unpaid, but all are for course credit.

For several students in the first cycle, the internship was a positive experience that helped them add valuable skill sets  to their resumes  ( full story ).  
RJRC News
Panel: Thriving as a freelancer

Freelancing can be scary for journalists, especially those new to the industry, but it's crucial not to not to fall into the trap of working for exposure instead of money, experts said in a recent Ryerson Research Centre webinar.

The discussion, fea turing Lauren McKeon, author and digital editor of The Walrus, vice president of the Canadian Freelance Union Ethan Clarke and Daily Xtra associate editor Eternity Martis, centred on how to navigate a freelance career in journalism and make tough decisions like determining what pay is too low and how to negotiate contracts. The conversation was directed by Ryerson School of Journalism professor Lisa Taylor and broadcast to an audience of mostly journalism students  ( full story )

Watch the webinar here
Digging deeper to help readers understand extremism













Canadian newsrooms should create beats on specific extremist groups so reporters can better understand the stories they are covering and get the facts right, advises a Dalhousie researcher who studies media coverage of terrorism.

Speaking at a Ryerson Journalism Research Centre event entitled "Reporting News Versus Being Used," Amarnath Amarasingam, a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie's Resilience Research Centre shared his research on radicalization, terrorism and media coverage. The event took place days after the Las Vegas shootings, which left 58 people dead and 500 injured, providing a timely case study for dissection.

In his conversation with Ryerson journalism professor Joyce Smith, Amarasingam talked about the need for journalists to have background knowledge before they write about radical terrorism in Canada ( full story).
Grads at Work
Manori Ravindran
(RSJ '12)

Currently: 
International Editor, Broadcast 
London, England

Why did you chose to apply to the Ryerson School of Journalism program?

I knew I wanted to be a journalist, but I didn't have the faintest idea how to go about becoming one. I was doing a master's degree in sociology, and only really knew my cozy world of academics. Once I decided to apply to Ryerson, I quickly joined McMaster's student paper  The Silhouette  to add some proper stories to my portfolio, which until then only contained angry letters to the editor of  The Vancouver Sun  and  Globe and Mail . I had heard that Ryerson was a hands-on program that would put new journalists through their paces. It did exactly what it said on the tin ( full story). 

Grads at Work is an occasional series of profiles of RSJ alums. If you know of a notable grad you'd like to see featured, send us an email at office.journalism@ryerson.ca.
RSJ Voices
Video: Grads reflect on j-school experience 
















Sean Reynolds (RSJ '06) 
Reporter, Sportsnet Canada

"I thought they did a really good job at Ryerson of teaching us to find our own voice." Watch here.

Watch all RSJ Voices interviews  here.
In This Issue
Quick Links
RRJ
RSJ Social Media
Connect with us 

Catch up on the latest RSJ news on social media. Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

In Session
In Session website

The site is home to interactive course descriptions, examples of course work, and access to training materials for students enrolled in journalism classes.

RSJ Wire
The RSJ WIRE (www.rsjwire.ca and @rsj_wire) distributes our students' best work from j-school courses, internships, course partnerships and freelance work. 

Alumni

Don't be a stranger!

Alumni can stay connected in several ways: 

1.) Volunteer to be your newsroom's contact to help us stay in touch or find partnership opportunities. 

2.) Contribute to J-Source, Canada's journalism portal, whose editorial centre is now housed at Ryerson. 

4.) Make a donation now. Or consider making a planned gift to the School of Journalism.

5.) Join other alumni to foster journalism in the developing world.

6.) Take a tour of the School. 

Whatever your choice, let us know and we'll be in touch.

Upcoming Events
Nov. 17, 2017
Ryerson University Open House. Register here
Nov. 20, 2017
The RJAA is hosting a celebration of the 2017 Headliners! Find ticket info here.  
Nov. 21, 2017
'Covering disasters: a critical lens' panel hosted by the RRJ. RSVP here
Ryerson University | 416-979-5319 | rsj.newsletter@ryerson.ca | http://rsj.journalism.ryerson.ca/
350 Victoria Street
Toronto, M5B 2K3