What journalism students brought to the coverage of the Occupy movement
Across the globe this fall, protesters took to "occupying" spaces over what they felt were various social and financial injustices. But this package isn't about rehashing the demands of the "99%" — it's about taking a look at how journalism students across Canada joined — and at times, led — the discussion on the popular, yet divisive movement.
This fall, the global Occupy movement drew a lot of attention – and headlines – from the media. After a slow start, most covered the protesters and gave their critique about the movement with plenty of ink, pixels and screen time. But it was also an opportunity for student journalists to join in on the coverage, with the protests often happening just blocks away from campus — and possibly being more compelling than a late-night student council meeting.
We took a look at how journalism students at universities across Canada covered Occupy. They went to the camps, spoke to the protesters (and the critics), and brought a unique perspective to their stories – which were produced in a range of formats from written to video to multimedia. These students also uncovered details that weren’t mentioned in mainstream media – such as the fact that protesters in Toronto colour-coded themselves to know who was willing to be arrested and who wasn’t, and that, in Halifax, street children played an integral role in the movement for some protesters.
Journalism students joined — and at times, led — the discussion on the popular, yet divisive movement. J-Source's Rhiannon Russell and Belinda Alzner compiled some of the best student coverage in the country here.
Occupy Vancouver (Photo by cwcheeks on Flickr)
Occupy Toronto (Photo by Hayden Kenez)
Occupy Ottawa (Photo by Xiaozhuli on Flickr)
Occupy Montreal (Photo by Dr Papillon and Hoedic on Flickr)
Occupy Nova Scotia (Photo by Kevin Rohrbaugh on Flickr)
Are there any cities where you know of exemplary student journalism that we missed? Please let us know in the comments, or by tweeting @jsource.
