Back-to-School: Student resources edition
Between streeters, stand-ups and internships, journalism school can feel overwhelming at times. Angelina Irinici has compiled this list of resources for students that should help them navigate tricky assignments and grey-area ethical situations.
Back-to-school can be a time of mixed emotions for students. Whether you’re a first-year j-school student or a returning one, you’re not alone if you’re feeling excited, anxious, nervous and maybe a little afraid.
J-Source has compiled a number of back-to-school resources for j-students to help ease those nerves and ignite your excitement. Not only can first-year students find the “Five things I wish I knew before starting j-school” helpful, but previous students can brush up on a few tips before starting school again.
Sticky situations
As said in tip number two of the list, a student journalist is still a journalist, which is why it is important to learn about students’ codes of ethics — most schools have one and being familiar with your ethics code can be helpful if you find yourself unsure of what standards of practice are in a given situation. Learn from students journalists’ experiences like when former Canadian University Press’s national bureau chief Emma Godmere received a visit from a bailiff about a potential lawsuit for a hyperlink in a CUP story. Or, learn about Hayden Kenez's case and what happened when Christie Blatchford got it wrong on-air, resulting in Kenez having to do some damage control to protect his reputation as a student journalist.
In terms of professional ethical standards, students can find the Canadian Association of Journalists Ethics Advisory Committee has put together these guidelines and the CBC has posted its Journalistic Standards of Practice online as well.
Lessons for beats
Students have also contributed advice to help their peers, such as Ryerson University Master of Journalism student Melinda Maldonado’s lessons for multimedia journalists. And here, Sara Harowitz, editor of the Summer 2012 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, talks about the experience of heading a successful (and award-winning) magazine masthead.
Journalism students may also want to take a peek at this list of resources that Mary McGuire originally compiled for journalism instructors. There are tips for the basics (writing, researching, interviewing) for visual and broadcast journalism (television, radio and photography), as well as new and emerging media (blogging, social media, visual journalism and multimedia).
Student successes
Hearing about other students’ successes can be both inspiring and helpful. Master of Journalism students at the University of British Columbia produced a video about land claims in Brazil that gained much attention and was featured on The New York Times’ website. One of the video’s producers Sam Eifling talked to J-Source about his experience and gave helpful advice on international reporting.
[node:ad]As well, many students who have won prestigious journalism awards, scholarships and fellowships can be found on J-Source, such as the Ryerson Review of Journalism winning a number of AEJMC awards, or Natalie Stechyson's recent Michelle Lang Fellowship win or Katie DeRosa's James Travers Fellowship win earlier this spring.
Time to find a job
Somewhere in between studying, learning and reporting, every journalism student keeps one thing in the back of his or her mind: getting a job. J-Source talked to six former students who managed to turn their journalism internship into a job. Angelina Irinici also spent some time looking into the journalism job industry in Saskatchewan and why graduates from the University of Regina's journalism program are finding jobs quickly.
J-Source also takes a look at how much journalists make working for news organizations across the country. From CityTV Vancouver to The Chronicle Herald, we tell you how much a recent graduate can expect to make in their first year working.
Industry news
Being up on the latest journalism news and trends can't hurt either. Here, Jeff Fraser looks at the emergence of paywalls in the U.S. — specifically The New York Times' metered model — and whether or not they'll be feasible in Canada. Or, have you ever heard of algorithm reporting? Angelina Irinci got the story about that trend in the U.S. and what it means for Canadian journalism.
J-Source rounded up the biggest journalism stories of the summer for you and we'll continue to keep you up-to-date on industry news throughout the year. Other useful people/organizations to follow for all things journalism include The Globe and Mail media reporters Simon Houpt and Steve Ladurantaye, The Financial Post media and telecom reporter Jamie Sturgeon, as well as U.S.-based Poytner Institute. If you use Twitter, make sure you check out the hashtag #cdnmedia for up-to-the-minute commentary on the Canadian media and journalism industry.
Continuing education
There are a number of additional stories on J-Source that are written by and for students — to keep reading check out J-Source’s Students’ Lounge section. If you have an idea for something you'd like to see in that section — be it a story pitch or a journalism-related class assignment you think other J-Source readers would enjoy reading — send it our way.
Angelina King is a freelance journalist who works as a reporter for CTV News Channel in Toronto. She previously reported for CTV in her hometown of Saskatoon and is a graduate of Ryerson University's journalism program. Angelina has a special interest in court and justice reporting, but is always grateful to share a human interest story. You can reach her at: @angelinakCTV.
