Ryerson School of Journalism at FCAD by Ryerson FCAD

FCAD

The Creative Innovation Hub

Faculty of Communication & Design

I loved Ryerson. I loved the journalism program. SCAACHI KOUL, SENIOR WRITER BUZZFEED CANADA PAGE. 53

Introduction

Alumni Profiles

04. Count on Journalism 06. Why Journalism at Ryerson

38. CHRISTINA DUN Production Assistant — Refinery 29

Program

42. ALLISON TIERNEY Content Manager and Staff Writer — VICE Canada

10. Program Overview 12. Curriculum

Senior Projects 14. Investigative Reporting 15. Capstone 16. The Ryersonian 17. Ryerson Review of Journalism (RRJ)

Opportunities 20. Internship 22. International Exchange 24. Events & Network

Our Community 26. Faculty 28. Student Work 30. Spotlight: Kamal Al-Solaylee 32. Student Groups and Opportunities 34. A Part of FCAD

46. GRAEME SMITH Senior Analyst — International Crisis Group in Afghanistan, former Globe and Mail foreign correspondent. 50. SCAACHI KOUL Senior Writer — BuzzFeed Canada 54. DAVID SKOK Associate Editor and Head of Editorial Strategy for digital platforms — Toronto Star

INTRODUCTION

Interested in the world? You can count on journalism.

THERE HA S NEVER B EEN A MORE E XCITING TIME TO B ECOME A JOURNALIS T. People are more connected than ever, and there is a great need for trustworthy information and thoughtful, skilled reporting. As a journalist, you’re at the centre of the action of today’s news and tomorrow’s history. Your observations and critical thinking are at the heart of the stories you will tell. The videos you shoot, the photos you post and the stories you write will provoke thought and action. This is the path for you, if you are endlessly curious about the happenings of the world around you. Our world needs strong journalists to be storytellers, watchdogs and activists. Journalists have exposed corruption at the highest levels of government, holding our public officials accountable when nobody else could. They’ve captured moments of tremendous joy after the final buzzer of a championship game. Journalists have shown the plight of people

in war-torn countries and educated the world about humanitarian crises, provoking action and change. And they’ve introduced us to new artists, entrepreneurs and creators, giving us an insider’s view into the story of human invention. Journalists are influencers and thought leaders. They start and drive important conversations that shape societies. We need professional journalists to tell stories — to show us what matters. As a journalist, you can work anywhere in the world. You will have the opportunity to connect with politicians, humanitarians, community leaders, athletes and artists. You will learn how to search for truth and tell engaging, meaningful stories across all platforms, traditional and new. You will learn how to put events into context, conduct in-depth research and think critically. These skills will set you apart in the field — whether you’re vying to be a reporter, anchor, editor, or executive. But a journalism degree doesn’t limit you to one field. These qualities are in demand across many industries, and journalism graduates often move into leadership positions in law, non-profits, politics, and creative industries. A journalism education gives you the foundation you need to change the world and make a difference.

INTRODUCTION

Why Journalism at Ryerson

INTRODUCTION

L AUNCH YOUR C AREER AT C ANADA’S TOP JOURNALISM SCHOOL HANDS-ON LEARNING You can’t learn to be a journalist by sitting in a classroom. During your time at Ryerson, you’ll be hitting the streets, interviewing and reporting, writing and editing, designing online publications and newspapers, shooting video, and producing TV and podcasts — starting on your very first day.

MEDIA CAPITAL OF CANADA If you want to rub shoulders with the most important people in media, you need to be in Toronto. A city diverse in stories and opportunities for work, Toronto is where you can make your name as a leading journalist, in news, sports, entertainment, politics, fashion, and technology — just a few of the fields that our graduates are working in.

FOURTH YEAR INTERNSHIP In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to do a six-week internship in a newsroom or with a media company, gaining more experience than most other journalism students in the country and making a name for yourself in the industry. 9

INTRODUCTION

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY Our professors are industry veterans and experts in their fields. That means they’ve got connections to help you to network to find opportunities. CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY With state-of-the-art software, equipment and edit suites, we’re working with the same tools professionals use. By the end of your fourth year, you’ll be ready to step out of the classroom and into a newsroom anywhere around the world. REPUTATION Often ranked as Canada’s top journalism school, Ryerson’s School of Journalism has a strong reputation for producing journalism’s next leaders. We’ve been graduating journalists for more than 60 years! Many of our alumni are doing the hiring at leading news outlets, and they want to hire fellow Ryersonians.

INTRODUCTION

AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATIONS Year after year, our students win national awards for their work in classroom publications such as the Ryersonian and the Ryerson Review of Journalism, and student-run publications, such as The Eyeopener, Ryerson Folio and McClung’s. We give you plenty of opportunities to show off your work. We give you an opportunity to shine.

FCAD: THE CREATIVE HUB Ryerson’s Faculty of Communication and Design is home to Canada’s leading creative and communications programs. As a journalism student, you’ll be able to go behind the scenes of a vibrant, creative community, covering cutting-edge film festivals and art exhibitions, nationally renowned theatre performances and the top-ranked student fashion show in the world. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with students from our RTA School of Media — Canada’s premiere broadcast and production school — on various extra-curricular projects such as RUtv News, sports broadcasts and web series.

PROGRAM

Program Overview L AUNCHING C AREER S IN JOURNALISM FOR MORE THAN SIX T Y Y E AR S

Renowned for our excellence in training the storytellers of tomorrow, the School of Journalism will give you the skills to conduct research, think critically and communicate, to succeed in a wide variety of careers. Whatever your goals, you will join a long, distinguished list of thinkers, activists, truth-seekers, changemakers and storytellers. You will learn from award-winning, 12

industry-relevant faculty and instructors. The School of Journalism also draws on a talented pool of advisors and guest lecturers from the industry. As a member of the journalism community, you will be given the opportunity to meet, work alongside and get feedback from alumni and industry professionals through your classes, and attend industry events designed specifically for you.

At the School of Journalism, we believe the best way to learn is by doing. That’s why from your first day, you will be pitching ideas, conducting interviews and publishing stories. The program gives you a strong foundation of skills needed by the world’s leading media outlets — including hard news writing, video and audio production, data analysis, feature storytelling, social media, writing for the web, and more. You will be able to work in a range of roles and have the option to focus your studies in an area of the industry you’re passionate about, be it online, television, radio, newspaper, or magazine. Journalism students search for the truth and create insightful and engaging news stories

— through the written word, photography, video, social media and design. You will learn to put what’s happening ‘now’ into context to understand why it’s important and interesting. You will develop essential communication, research and critical thinking skills — skills that are in high demand in every organization, within media and beyond. Ryerson’s Journalism program is diverse, self-directed and challenging, and it can help you launch your dream career.

Highlights Something that stands out in my mind was my first class when they pushed me out into the city and I had to come back with a story. CHRISTINA DUN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT — REFINERY 21 PAGE. 41

Four Year Program Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) Internship program Specialization options Minors available 13

PROGRAM

Curriculum YOUR TIME AT RY ER SON. In the first two years, students are introduced to journalism as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practiced across all forms of media. After that, they may choose courses to concentrate in a specific medium (online, newspaper, magazine or broadcast), or gain expertise in a cross-media skill such as editing, or zero in on a specific beat in journalism (including sports, business or international reporting). After taking courses that build skills and evaluate theories associated with journalism, the culminating year brings theory and practice together with the option of a final project.

PROGRAM

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Introduction to Journalism

Producing the News

Final Project

News Reporting Techniques

Designing Journalism

Making a Difference: How Journalism Matters

Multimedia News Reporting Visualizing Facts One Open Elective Two Liberal Studies

Feature Writing and Current Affairs Boosting Media Techniques Two Professional Electives One Open Elective

+ Two Grouped Electives

Two Liberal Studies

One Professional Elective

One Open or Professional Elective Two Liberal Studies

+Final Project Options: Capstone Project

+ Four Grouped Electives such as:

Introductory Microeconomics

Introductory Photojournalism

Introductory Macroeconomics

Magazine Editing

Power and Influence in Canadian Politics

One Open Elective

such as:

People, Power and Politics

Two Professional Electives

Internship Journalism Masthead

Digital Reporting TV Production Investigative Reporting and More

and More 14

SENIOR PROJECTS

UNCOVER THE TRUTH

Investigative Reporting During your senior years you’ll have the opportunity to hone your research and interview skills as you complete a real piece of investigative journalism. You’ll choose a unique matter of public interest and learn to uncover information by digging through court documents and government records, filing freedom of information requests, and managing sources both on and off the record. At the end of the semester, you’ll pitch your investigation to media outlets across the city. Past stories have landed on the front pages of Toronto’s leading newspapers and some have affected public policy and law. 16

SELFDIREC TED FINAL PROJEC T

Capstone This is your chance to bring everything together in a special, in-depth project: either a major piece of journalism in any format, a web or mobile app, or an academic study. Students can research a subject they’re passionate about and create a piece of work to challenge the status quo or document those creating significant change in our country. Past capstone projects have been picked up by media outlets across the country.

SENIOR PROJECTS

The Ryersonian YOUR FOUR TH Y E AR NEWSROOM

The Ryersonian is a newspaper, website and television broadcast run by fourth year students in the School of Journalism. Students take on different roles at The Ryersonian depending on their interests, trying various jobs throughout their time. The newspaper is published weekly, running stories about our campus and our community. Students do all of the reporting, writing and editing, as well as shoot photos and organize the layout. The website is constantly updated, delivering news and feature stories to thousands of readers. Students host podcasts and short video segments on hot topics related to news, sports, business, and culture. The Ryersonian broadcast gives students the microphones, the cameras, and the anchor desk.

SENIOR PROJECTS

Ryerson Review of Journalism (RRJ)

DIGGING DEEPER INTO C ANADA’S MEDIA L ANDSC APE

The Ryerson Review of Journalism is an award-winning magazine produced by fourthyear undergraduate and second-year Masters of Journalism students that offers an unflinching look at Canadian journalism. “The RRJ offers a rich, in-depth, immersive experience that gives students the opportunity to deal with the same issues facing magazine editors and publishers everywhere,” says Stephen Trumper, a long-time Review instructor. “That includes figuring out new ways of telling stories, thinking about how to extend the brand, investigating innovative approaches and, constantly, focusing intently on pleasing the magazine’s readers, listeners and viewers.” Under the direction of faculty — with mentoring by industry professionals — students build issues of the Review and content for its website

from the ground up. In addition to masthead duties, most participants will produce a thoroughly researched feature that meets professional manuscript standards. These stories on current, pressing issues in Canadian journalism, constitute the bulk of the Review’s print content but will also appear on the RRJ website, which will also have a variety of multimedia content, smaller features, and anything else the student editors think will provide timely commentary on breaking issues in journalism. Along the way, students will develop an appreciation for the entrepreneurial spirit and an understanding of how to build a strong business.

INTERNSHIP

Internship GAIN PROFESSIONAL E XPERIENCE AND MAK E CONNEC TIONS

By the time you’re in fourth year, you will likely have an idea of where you want to go after graduation. Whether you plan to work in journalism or a related field, an internship gives you work experience and the chance to make connections in your field. These aren’t internships where you’re running coffee or washing your boss’s car. Ryerson interns are incredibly valuable to media organizations, NGOs and communications companies; you will be expected to pitch new ideas, take initiative and make a difference where you’re working.

I definitely wouldn’t have this job if I didn’t go to Ryerson. ALLISON TEARNEY, CONTENT MANAGER AND STAFF WRITER - VICE CANADA

PAGE. 45

OPPORTUNITIES

International Exchange B ROADEN YOUR HORIZONS Studying at Ryerson gives you opportunities to see the world while earning your degree. You can spend a semester in third year studying abroad. Our partner universities teach journalism — in English — giving you hands-on learning in the field. Studying and living in a foreign country is a far more enriching experience than just visiting for a week — you’ll be immersed in a different culture, meeting friends with different perspectives, and who knows, you may even pick up a new language depending on where you are! An international exchange is an unforgettable experience. Join hundreds of other journalism students in expanding your world view through our partnerships with universities in countries across the globe, including the U.K., Singapore, the Netherlands, Australia and more!

OPPORTUNITIES

Events Network

CONNEC TING YOU TO ALUMNI AND INDUS TRY PROFESSIONAL S

RSJ EVENTS Throughout the year, the School of Journalism hosts free panel discussions and debates on current issues in journalism, bringing in a diverse group of industry professionals — from journalists, to executives, academics and researchers. We’ve heard and talked about gender roles in the newsroom, reporting on Indigenous Peoples, what it’s like to report from the frontlines, foreign reporting, and how to freelance around the world. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The Ryerson Journalism Alumni Association (RJAA) is one of Ryerson’s longest-running alumni groups. The association works to

connect students and alumni — both those who are working in journalism and outside of it — to provide mentoring and networking opportunities. The association also maintains an online job board, sharing opportunities available at media outlets across the country. AWARDS CEREMONY Each year, journalism faculty, staff, alumni, and donors gather to celebrate students’ achievements. At the celebration, more than 80 awards are given to our top students. Our award-winners meet the sponsors, who come from Canadian media outlets. The awards have cash prizes, helping winners focus on your studies and worry less about living costs. 27

OUR COMMUNIT Y

Faculty One of our biggest strengths at the Ryerson School of Journalism is our faculty of experts, nationally renowned in their fields. Many of our professors and instructors are still active in journalism, bringing years of experience and current connections with the industry.

NATIONALLY RENOWNED, OUR FACULT Y ARE LE ADER S AND E XPER T S The school values outstanding newsroom accomplishments, fearless exploration of new forms of storytelling and the importance of capturing the widest range of viewpoints and voices. Our faculty members reflect those priorities, working as reporters, editors and producers in digital, broadcast and print newsrooms at the CBC, Globe and Mail, CTV, the Toronto Star, TVO, Postmedia, Buzzfeed, and Extra, to name just a few. A documentary producer who’s also an accomplished poet, a lawyer who’s a prize-winning teacher, a researcher who writes murder mysteries for fun – these faculty members are

among the many who inspire our students in the classroom and on to the newsroom. We’re home to former foreign editors and executive producers, columnists, and more investigative journalists than we can count — including Duncan McCue. The CBC host and reporter has won the country’s most prestigious journalism awards as part of the team that produced an in-depth series on murdered and missing Indigenous women. Duncan is a visiting journalist at Ryerson. Our professor and instructors have been there and done that...and are still doing it.

OUR COMMUNIT Y

SPOTLIGHT

KAMAL

Al-Solaylee

Kamal Al-Solaylee is the author of the award-winning memoir, Intolerable and the recently published Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone). He joined Ryerson’s faculty as an accomplished theatre, TV and film critic, and covered American responses to the 2003 Iraq war through assignments in Chicago and Detroit.

You recently wrote Brown. can you tell me a bit about your motivation to write this and your reporting journey through multiple countries? I wanted my second book to be reporting-based and global in scope, outside the personal narrative. There’s a big world outside North America. I started with two trips to the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong in the winter and spring of 2014. Then I based myself in Bangkok for three months and from there did side trips to the Philippines and Sri Lanka. I moved to Hong Kong for two months, during which I also made a side trip to Qatar. In June and July I focused on Europe and North America. There was a lot of planning, Skype calling and reaching out for contacts in the NGO sector in particular. What impact does continuing to report and write professionally have on your teaching? A huge one. It keeps me on top of industry standards and expectations. It also allows me to invite various guest speakers in the business to my classes. I think I returned to the classroom from my year of writing Brown with a substantial experience in reporting and crafting long narratives. I taught the feature reporting workshop in the fall and winter and was able to dig deeper into the world of features and storytelling with my students. I also

taught Journalism and Ideas for the first time and I revamped its reading list to encompass all the areas that I’d been researching for the past two years: race, migration, modern slavery, etc. I had one of my most amazing teaching experiences of my career in that class. If you had to define the Ryerson journalism experience in one or two sentences, what would you say? I’d say that students are treated with all the care and personal attention that’s possible in a large postsecondary institution while also being given incredible freedom to experiment, choose their paths and grow as individuals. I love that mix of careful guidance and independence that our curriculum offers. What should incoming students be prepared for? Be prepared for the fact that change is the only constant in the media industry. Learn to adapt and roll with the punches. Come with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed.

OUR COMMUNIT Y

Student Groups Opportunities

GET THE MOS T OUT OF YOUR TIME AT RY ER SON JOURNALISM COURSE UNION (JCU) The Journalism Course Union builds community and helps connect you to faculty, other students around Ryerson and professional journalists working in the industry. The JCU hosts a variety of events, including J-Frosh, a professional networking night where you can connect with some of the top journalists in Toronto, and the annual year-end gala celebrating the accomplishments of students, staff and faculty throughout the year. Check out the group at @Rye_JCU.

THE EYEOPENER The Eyeopener is Ryerson’s independent student newspaper. Students put together a weekly print version — you can find them at the office at all hours of the night on Tuesdays — and update a daily website. The Eye is always looking for new writers, photographers and editors, and you can get paid (in pizza and beer)! Check it out at theeyeopener.com. RYERSON FOLIO Founded in 2011, Ryerson Folio is Ryerson’s general interest magazine. Run by a team of students from all over campus, Folio is always looking for unique stories in the arts, fashion, business, science and technology, and fiction writing. You can read Folio at ryersonfolio.com. 33

OUR COMMUNIT Y

THE SCOPE The Scope is Ryerson’s campus and community radio broadcaster: CJRU 1280. Students go on air to host and produce shows along with alumni, faculty, staff and others in the community. The Scope not only offers students a chance to gain professional radio and broadcasting experience, it’s also an outlet for students to promote their work — both inside and outside the classroom. Listen in on CJRU 1280 in downtown Toronto. Learn more at thescopeatryerson.ca. MCCLUNG’S McClung’s is a largely student-produced feminist magazine based at Ryerson. It covers eclectic, wild, weird and wonderful pop culture, politics, news and social issues from Toronto and around the world. McClung’s goal is to give readers stories about people they can’t find anywhere else. You can find it at mcclungs.ca.

RUTV NEWS RUtv News is Ryerson University’s premier source for broadcast and online news around campus and Toronto. Primarily run by students from Journalism and the RTA School of Media, RUtv News is dedicated to telling the stories that matter to and interest students, as well as the local community. You can find RUtv at rutvnews.com. RYERSON COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN SOCIETY The Ryerson Communication and Design Society (RCDS) is the first student-led umbrella society in a creative faculty in North America. The society is led by elected student directors that represent each of the nine schools in the Faculty of Communication and Design. The society helps build community throughout the faculty, hosts professional development conferences and competitions, and offers over $200,000 in extracurricular project funding for students in the Faculty of Communication and Design. You can find RCDS at rcdsonline.ca.

It needs you to be curious, it needs you to be skeptical DAVID SKOK TORONTO STAR - ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND HEAD OF David Skok,STRATEGY of the Boston - PAGE. 52 EDITORIAL FORGlobe DIGITAL PLATFORMS, FORMER BOSTON GLOBE MANAGING EDITOR AND VICE PRESIDENT PAGE 48

A PART OF FCAD

A CREATIVE SPACE OUR FACILITIES allow students to set their imaginations free at the crossroads of technology and art. We have professional studios, workshops, advanced fabrication technologies, theatres, sound stages and cutting-edge recording, mixing and editing booths.

A UNIQUE STUDENT EXPERIENCE CO-CURRICULAR LEARNING – Paid opportunities around campus to work on client-based projects let you hone your skills.

FCAD

The Creative Innovation Hub The Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) is home to nine of Canada’s leading schools in media and creative industries. For seven decades, our unique programs have been at the heart of the evolution of cultural industries in Canada. 36

Our dynamic community, with its breadth and focus on innovation, is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of change.

PARTNERSHIPS – We work with big brands to create unique opportunities, like showcasing student work with TIFF Bell Lightbox, Ontario Science Centre, Joe Fresh, the Bata Shoe Museum and many more.

A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE – Through international exchanges, research, faculty, distinguished visiting professors, alumni and partnerships, FCAD offers opportunities for global learning.

Fashion

ZONES – Have an idea for a project, business or creative event? Apply to one of Ryerson’s on-campus hubs for ideation and collaboration, including FCAD’s Design Fabrication Zone, Fashion Zone and Transmedia Zone. Offering advice, mentorship and resources, Zones can make your ideas a reality.

Leading Schools

Creative Industries

Graphic Communications Management Image Arts Interior Design Journalism Performance Professional Communication RTA School of Media 37

Alumni Profiles

I think the best thing journalism school did was expose me to certain people who have been very gracious in helping me.

GRAEME SMITH SENIOR ANALYST â&#x20AC;&#x201D; INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP IN AFGHANISTAN PAGE. 51

ALUMNI PROFILES

CHRISTINA

Dun

Production Assistant — Refinery 29 Class of 2014

Photo courtesy of Christina Dun.

How did Ryerson help you break into entertainment and lifestyle journalism? Growing up in Vancouver, my options in journalism were limited. I knew Toronto was where I needed to be because it’s the heart of Canada’s entertainment and journalism industries. As part of the journalism program in fourth year I got to take part in an internship at ET Canada, which I had dreamed of forever. Without Ryerson I would have never had an opportunity like this. In Toronto I was able to make connections that weren’t available back home.

ALUMNI PROFILES

You’re now working at Refinery 29 in New York City. Tell us about your role and the company?

Coming into this role already having these skills, I was way above anyone else.

After spending some time with the editorial entertainment team, I’m now a production assistant with the video team, producing and editing pop culture and trending videos. It’s an amazing place to work. It’s got a real startup feel to it — ping pong table, happy hour drinks. I’m surrounded by encouraging people who want to collaborate and bring your crazy ideas to life. How did Ryerson help you prepare for your role? I focused on broadcast at Ryerson and I learned all my video editing skills there. The programs and software I learned on is the industry standard — it’s what I work on now. Coming into this role already having these skills, I was way above anyone else. I did my Master’s of Journalism at NYU, and even though I was one of the youngest in the program, I had a higher skill level than a lot of people coming into it.

Something I thought would never happen is actually happening now. The progression from a small journalist at a high school newspaper, then going to Toronto and then to New York, it’s unreal. I wouldn’t have been able to come here without Ryerson. Why should students come to Ryerson to study journalism? The fact that it’s so hands-on helps so much in the long run. Something that stands out in my mind was my first class when they pushed me out into the city and I had to come back with a story. Ryerson helps you by giving you real world experience. This is the best thing that could have happened to me. Because of that, I can now go up and talk to anyone, I’m not scared.

How did you jump from Toronto to New York? Working in the United States is really difficult because of the visa process. That’s why I used my master’s at NYU as a way into the country. From there, I interned at Refinery 29 for a year and just recently got a full-time offer! 43

ALUMNI PROFILES

ALLISON

Tierney Content Manager and Staff Writer — VICE Canada Class of 2015

How did you end up at Ryerson? I transferred into the program from the United States. My parents initially pressured me into doing pre-medical school, because they were worried if I did journalism I wouldn’t get a job and be able to support myself. I took a year off, worked as a barista, then decided to go back to school for journalism because that’s what I originally wanted to do. I was worried about adjusting back to school because I had taken that year off, but I immediately loved Ryerson. There’s a good, friendly, competitive nature in the program. You’re driving each other to be better. 45

ALUMNI PROFILES

Ryerson has a good handle on where the industry is going in terms of digital content.

You graduated recently, and are already working full time at one of the world’s leading media outlets. How did you get there? I first met my current boss at VICE in a guest lecture in one of my Ryerson classes. I tweeted at him after saying I liked his talk, then decided I wanted to try writing for them. One of my professors helped me craft my pitches, then VICE asked me to interview for an internship, which I got, and it led to my current role. I definitely wouldn’t have this job if I didn’t go to Ryerson. It’s not just the classes that are great but it’s the professors giving you opportunities. Now you’re working at VICE, can you tell me a bit about your role? I work in the editorial department of VICE.com Canada, as a content manager and staff writer. So it’s a bit of a hybrid role, which I’m finding is more and more common in the industry. I help run the website — doing some CMS and HTML — edit stories and write a couple of times a week. I’ve also dipped my foot into other areas, including administration and video. During the launch of our television channel I was the Head of Content’s assistant, so I really got to see the organization change around me. When I started here we had twenty-something employees, now we have over 150.

Is the journalism industry shrinking? I think it’s obviously changing but it’s very much still alive. Ryerson has a good handle on where the industry is going in terms of digital content. Part of my job running the website is posting jobs and it’s really awesome to see how many different roles are being created and how many outlets like us are hiring. What advice would you give to someone considering applying to journalism school? I’m a pretty good example of someone who doubted it could work for them. My parents discouraged it initially but believe me, they’re happy now. Anyone who says the industry isn’t thriving clearly hasn’t seen the different websites doing very well that are hiring people in Canada. Going to Ryerson is definitely the reason I was able to land one of those jobs.

ALUMNI PROFILES

GRAEME Senior Analyst — International Crisis Group in Afghanistan, former Globe and Mail foreign correspondent

Smith

Author of The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan Class of 2001

Photo credit

How has your experience at Ryerson benefited your career? The most valuable thing was getting to hang out at the Eyeopener. A lot of my friends at the paper are still my friends. Some of them are Headliners, like Kenny Yum (of the Huffington Post). Learning how to put together a newspaper by doing it was valuable. Having a venue to make my mistakes was valuable. It was also a lesson on how to work hard. I don’t think I ever worked as hard in my life before I got [to Ryerson]. I probably haven’t worked as hard since then. I was doing shifts part-time at the Toronto Star in the radio room. I was trying to keep up with school. I was putting 40-50 hours a week at the paper — you know, sleeping on the couch and not really showering properly. It was a grinding experience but well worth it. 49

ALUMNI PROFILES

What do you do in your role for the International Crisis Group? What I do is actually pretty similar to what I did as a foreign correspondent, except that instead of having deadlines twice or three times a day, I have deadlines twice or three times a year. It allows me more time for in-depth research and careful writing. I live in Kabul with a Darispeaking translator and we travel around the country together and we do research on security and political situations. We produce long reports that are publicly available, which is really important because the trends happening at the Star and the Globe [shuttering foreign bureaus] are happening around the world. So there is a real need for good serious research on important issues. There are a lot of secret reports, you know intelligence agencies and private consultants that are churning out indepth research, but for the public to know what is going on you need the International Crisis Group to fill that gap. ICG is a charity that accepts donations. Most of those donations come from governments like Canada. They send guys like me to war zones to produce reports that come with a set of recommendations for countries.

ALUMNI FEATURE

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I ever worked as hard in my life before I got [to Ryerson].

SCAACHI

Koul Senior Writer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BuzzFeed

What would you say that J-school gave you in terms of skills, or preparing for the future? I think the best thing journalism school probably did was expose me to certain people who have been very gracious in helping me. It taught me a bit about how this industry is not always about how good you are but who will help you, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so small.

ALUMNI PROFILES

When you first enrolled in journalism school, did your vision of where you wanted to be in four years change at all?

My sweetest friends are all from that program.

I think I applied wanting to be a news reporter. I was 17 when I started journalism school and I think I must have been 16 when I applied and I think I wanted to be a newspaper reporter, like a hard news reporter, and I think I had very high aspirations about noble investigative pieces.

a terrifying swamp of snake people that they can’t understand. I loved Ryerson. I loved the journalism program. My sweetest friends are all from that program, but I would say overwhelmingly that I’ve learned on the job. That’s the best way you’re going to learn anything.

What makes working at BuzzFeed fulfilling? It’s fulfilling to work at an outlet that is incredibly diverse and that allows the people that they hire to do what they’re good at. A lot of places I don’t think do that — maybe they don’t have the freedom, maybe they don’t know how, but it’s great to work at a place where you can kind of go up to somebody and say, “I have an idea that I know doesn’t totally make sense, but trust me.” And they let you do that. There’s a lot of autonomy, which is comforting. And it’s also kind of nice to work at a place where they accept and understand the community that is the Internet. I think a lot of other places tend to try to fight against it, and are trying to appeal to it but they don’t really know how. I think BuzzFeed’s a really interesting example of a place that looks at the Internet like a small city, who kind of all know some inside jokes and know the same sort of things. and appealing to them like a good group of people and not like 55

Education to me is about harnessing what you may already have inside you.

Photo credit

DAVID

Skok

Associate Editor & Head of Editorial Strategy for Digital Platforms — Toronto Star Class of 2002

What advice would you offer young journalists now? I think you should find things that you think are really interesting and that you really want to be involved in and I think you should write about them. Because I think going into types of journalism that you are not super-invested in will kill you. So, it’s not a lucrative job. It doesn’t come with a lot of glamour. You get a lot of criticism. It’s really hard — at the very least, you should be doing something that you really like doing and that you feel validated by. Apart from that, everybody’s path into it is going to be very different. 57

ALUMNI PROFILES

What did you originally see yourself doing when you first enrolled in J-school? It’s funny. Pretty much exactly the same thing. When I say, “exactly what I’m doing now,” I mean in journalism, doing what I love, getting to tell stories and holding institutions and powerful people to account. All of that is all I dreamed of doing and that I’ve been able to do that is still kind of remarkable. I didn’t in any way think I would be managing a newsroom. I feel incredibly privileged to do that every day. I knew that this was the path that I wanted to be on if I was lucky enough to find my way in it.

feeling more comfortable with me. But the other thing was, I actually learned most of my interviewing techniques from shot-listing that tape, because I got to listen and watch some of the best interviewers in the world asking questions. The lesson there for me was even though something may seem like it’s a mundane task and you’re doing it in these large news organizations, you can find lessons in all of those tasks. And always, before you leave at the end of the day, ask if there’s anything more you can do to help. And if you just ask that question for the rest of your career, you will never find yourself in dire straits.

Would you say that having connections is important for recent grads? Connections are useless if you aren’t someone that has earned the credibility that people believe in. The most important thing is just to do the work. That’s something that I tell the interns that come through here a lot. When I was at ABC News doing my internship there, for the first three weeks, I was cleaning out the cupboards and getting coffee for people. And then gradually, because I did that without complaining, I was allowed to start shot-listing tape. And it sounds really tedious, shot-listing tape, how boring. But once I started shot-listing the tape and doing a good job of that, they started letting me go out on shoots and they started

During your Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, you wrote Breaking News: Mastering the Art of Disruptive Innovation in Journalism — can you elaborate a bit more about disruptive innovation in journalism?

Disruption in journalism is a theory that was developed by a well-renowned Harvard business school professor, Clayton Christensen, that’s been used to analyze how technology can change industries as diverse as the auto manufacturing to steel mills to journalism. And so I worked with Clay to apply his theory to journalism and what it essentially argued, and what gives me great comfort, is that while traditional news organizations have been disrupted by cheaper, faster and “good-enough”

competitors, ultimately, these cheaper, faster and “good-enough” competitors themselves will move up market and journalism will survive. Disruption is about the cycle of the news business and how, even in the midst of that cycle, journalism will sustain itself. What was the most important thing you learned from your education at Ryerson?

What advice would you give to current journalism students? Stay curious. Stay skeptical. And do the grunt work. Pick up the phone, don’t cut corners. Reporting is hard and it takes real effort. It needs you to be curious, it needs you to be skeptical and it needs you to do the work. And if you can do all those three things, and you don’t care about your bylines but about the story, you’ll do just fine.

Ryerson harnessed the passion and the love for this craft that I have.

Confidence. I learned how to work on a deadline and sleep in and still keep my grades up. Education to me is about harnessing what you already may have inside of you and just don’t know it and Ryerson harnessed the passion and the love for this craft that I have. It was an affirmation in many ways that I can do this, I’m good at this and it’s the right path forward for me.

Join Us RY ER SON UNIVER SIT Y IS C ANADA'S LE ADER IN INNOVATIVE , C AREEROR IENTED EDUC ATION , AND A UNIVER SIT Y CLE ARLY ON THE MOVE . “THE WORLD NEEDS JOURNALISTS to find accurate information, to tell the first version of history with stories that matter across all media platforms. You’ll learn how to research, think critically and learn about the world around you to make a meaningful difference in your community and globally. Journalism counts!”

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Janice Neil Chair, School of Journalism

Charles Falzon Dean, Faculty of Communication & Design

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With a mission to serve societal needs and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 Masters and PhD students, nearly 3,200 faculty and staff, and more than 170,000 alumni worldwide.