Langara Journalism Review Spring 2020

L A N G A R A
JOURNALISM REVIEW
Spring 2020 – No. 24 LJR.ca
CONFLICTED
VIEWS
Reporting on Indigenous issues has long been an us-vs.-them
narrative. Is it time for a new way to tell the story? p.24
NO FIXED VIRAL GAME

ADDRESS EFFECTS FACE
How a non-traditional journalist is Has COVID-19 changed the way Sports journalism in a post-
changing views on homelessness p.16 reporters work forever? p.28 Don Cherry world p.36
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CONT ENT S
Features
12
TV on Top
Over the past few decades, many smaller com-
munities lost their local newscast. How CHEK in
Victoria and Global Okanagan in Kelowna have
bucked the trend.
21
Audio Revolution
Will the rise of uber-fans and
dedicated platforms lead to pod-
casting overtaking radio?
28
Following the
Pandemic
How B.C. journalists adapted to cover
the COVID-19 outbreak—and those
whose livelihoods suffered.
p.24
24 16
War of Taking it to
Words the Streets
In the year of the Wet’suwet’en Stanley Q. Woodvine, a journalist
protests, questions have been with no fixed address, is breaking
raised about how we tell ground covering homelessness—
Indigenous stories. Is a new age and writing about those directly
of reporting on the horizon? affected by the housing crisis.
Photos (cover and this page): Liam Hill-Allan Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 3
C ONT ENT S
The Lead
A Worldly Perspective
How global journalists report on the Meng
Wanzhou story differently. p.6
Only on LJR.ca
Matters of the Mind
The importance of empathy when writing about
issues of mental health. p.8
Intelligent Solutions
Five AI services that could change the way
journalists work. p.9
Criminal Attitudes Not So

Media coverage of parolees is harming their
Private Life
ability to reintegrate. p.10
How Canadian and British
media covered “Megxit”
Taking Credit p.6 differently
What are the dos and don’ts of making
attributions online? p.11
The Sign-Off
Getting the Whole Picture
When words are not enough to tell a story
well. p.32
A Civics Lesson
School board and city hall cov-
A Voice for the Voiceless erage flourishes with citizen
The improbable success of Megaphone
journalists
magazine, 14 years on. p.34
Kids These Days

Not everybody is cut out for j-school, as these
three upstarts prove. p.35
Sporting Change
Why game day coverage needs to evolve to
reflect societal diversity. p.36
Loss For Words
Best practices for
Toxic Tweets interviewing the general
public in times of grief
p.32 Is social media ruining how journalists interact
with each other? p.38
4 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photo/illustrations (clockwise from top left): Liam Hill-Allan, Christina Dommer, Kristen Holliday
Editor’s Note The LJR Team
J
Journalism is like energy. It will never go away or be destroyed. It will only change PUBLISHER
forms—something, I think, the distress of a global pandemic has taught us. Matt O’Grady
The stories in this magazine were mostly assigned and edited before COVID-19
fully took hold; the final production of it almost didn’t happen. Having to learn EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
to work together, remotely, has been a huge challenge, and we’ll take the lessons Missy Johnson
learned with us throughout our careers.
One of those lessons is technological, and the realization that social media is MANAGING EDITOR
one of the first and only ways many people get their news each day. But it’s not just Austin Everett
platforms of journalism that are changing; it’s also the words we use to tell stories.
Among the biggest things that the Langara Journalism Review team learned SECTION EDITORS
this year was that, as journalists, we have a huge responsibility when reporting on Maxim Fossey and Tierney Grattan
important social issues. Whether it’s homelessness, those in our court system, or
Canada’s many Indigenous communities, we have a duty to get it right. C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO R
Pulling together our feature on COVID-19 (p.28)—at the very last minute—also Liam Hill-Allan
taught us about the value of journalism to local communities, and how local media,
in particular, are under constant threat. It’s important to keep the truth alive. PRODUCTION MANAGER
These past few months, the LJR team has been on a ride; I don’t think we real- Christina Dommer
ized going in how much we would learn about journalism from the stories we got
to tell. To the many professional journalists we interacted with to help produce this D I G I TA L E D I TO R
magazine, we say thank you for your willingness to show us the way. L
Joseph Ayres
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Joshua Rey
A S S I S TA N T P U B L I S H E R
Tierney Grattan
COPY EDITORS
Joshua Rey and Maxim Fossey
CONTRIBUTORS
Joseph Ayres
Christina Dommer
Austin Everett
Maxim Fossey
Nathan Gan
Tierney Grattan
Liam Hill-Allan
Kristen Holliday
Missy Johnson
Joshua Rey
Kristian Trevena
LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 5

THE LEAD
In the
Global E Early one morning in the
winter of 2020, Zhang Sen
got a call from his assignment
editor in China. He was being
asked to pack his bags and
jump on a plane to Vancouver
to cover a court case that had
ities for Huawei’s allegedly
fraudulent activity—specifi-
cally, using a shell company
to sell equipment to Iran,
which violated U.S. sanctions
against Iran, and falsely rep-
resenting that information to
Spotlight
captivated the world. Huawei’s bank, HSBC. Meng
Zhang is a Toronto-based was apprehended by RCMP at
video journalist and chief Vancouver Airport on Dec. 1,
Canadian correspondent for 2018, en route to Mexico from
China Central Television Hong Kong.
(CCTV)—covering stories that Huawei is one of the
As the world’s reporters gathered are of interest to the Chinese world’s top technology compa-
for the extradition hearing of people and, more important-
ly, the Chinese government,
nies, with a growing role in
how global citizens communi-
Meng Wanzhou, each told a which controls CCTV. cate with each other. The case
slightly different story The case that brought
Zhang (and countless other
came against the backdrop of
a trade dispute between China
international media) to B.C. and the U.S., which accused
Supreme Court in January China of dumping products
2020 was the extradition in North America. Canada got
S TORY BY AUSTIN EV E RET T / / P HOTOS BY hearing for Meng Wanzhou, caught in the middle of the
LIA M HILL-ALLAN an d A US T IN E V E RET T the high-profile CFO of Hua- duelling superpowers: shortly
wei. The hearing was looking after Meng’s arrest, China
into whether Canada could threw two Canadians expats
deliver Meng to U.S. author- into jail on spying allegations,
6 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

THE LEAD
Huawei
vs.
Apple
PLACEMENT
IN TOP 20
TECHNOLOGY
BRANDS IN 2019
*Apple: #1
Huawei: #15
Source: Statista.com
Media await Meng Wanzhou

SMARTPHONE
outside B.C. Supreme Court
UNIT SHIPMENTS
(left) and her Vancouver
GLOBALLY
home (right) in January
IN 2019
2020.
Apple:
191,000,000
*Huawei:
and put trade restrictions on People’s Daily News. In it, a can write about and what you
240,600,000
Canadian imports of beef, spokesperson for the Chi- cannot, and to what extent the
pork, canola and soybeans. nese embassy in Ottawa is kind of language can be used.
But, as Zhang explains it, quoted as saying: “the Meng So guidelines are very, very NET PROFITS,
the way the Meng story is told Wanzhou incident is not just clear.” Information comes 2018
depends heavily on who the a judicial case, but the U.S. from the top down, adds Yu; (IN CDN)
audience is. “Countries have using state power to work with whether it’s national, provin-
different ideals, perspectives its certain ally to suppress cial or municipal news, “it’s all *Apple:
and ways they want to com- a private high-tech Chinese from the same source.” $79.78 Billion
municate with their people,” enterprise on unwarranted Although Zhang is unwill-
Zhang says, in Mandarin, out- charges. This is a typical bul- ing to get into details about
Huawei:
side Meng’s Vancouver home. lying behaviour.” how his stories get told in Chi- $11.46 Billion
Without a doubt, there are While western media na, he admits there is a heavy Source: Form 10-K Apple Inc.
two stories being told. “The pursue leads, deliver scoops editorial hand. annual report, 2018. Huawei annual
report, 2018
Chinese media [portray] Meng and uncover wrongdoing, in Meanwhile, the extradition
as a victim, showcasing how China journalists are required hearings for Meng remained
the U.S. is being a bully and to file stories that strictly in limbo in late spring, thanks MONEY SPENT
is trying to destroy Huawei adhere to guidelines provided to the COVID-19 pandemic. ON R&D IN
as a company,” says Yanmin by the Ministry of the Public- Expectations were that Meng 2018 (IN CDN)
Yu, who teaches media and ity Department of the Central and her lawyers would be back
international relations at the Committee of the Communist to court in June, arguing that
Apple: $19.08
University of Bridgeport in Party of China. her alleged conduct didn’t Billion
Connecticut. “[Journalists and major rise to the level of fraud under *Huawei:
To make her case, Yu cites media outlet editors] have Canadian law.
an English-language article, those editorial meetings every When that happens, Zhang $136.03
published in August 2019, in day,” notes Yu. “They receive Sen expects to be back in Van- Billion
the Chinese-government-run from higher above what you couver, reporting that story. L Source: Statista.com

THE LEAD
Finding a sion and objectivity, accord-

ing to André Picard, a health
reporter for The Globe and
like mental illness, because you
do have to be empathetic and
human to tell a full story.”
Balance
Mail and contributor to the Miller also thinks that news
CJF guide. media have a huge impact on
“The most influential how mental health is viewed on
change that media can and a societal level. “I wouldn’t say
should make is to start treating it’s [journalists’] responsibility
Mental health stories suffer when mental illness the way they do
physical illness: with curiosity,
to decrease stigma or increase
conversation, but they definite-
journalists are taught to put compassion, and a strong dose ly have an impact on how it’s
neutrality before empathy of indignation when people are

mistreated or wronged,” wrote
portrayed.”
Changing the language
Picard in the foreword. He also surrounding mental health cov-
A
argued that journalists need to erage is key to changing those
S TO RY BY KRISTIAN T REV E N A / / be aware of the missing pieces perceptions, according to Jan
ILLUS TRATION BY J OS E P H AYRE S of mental health coverage, and Wong, a former reporter for
be the ones to bring change to The Globe and Mail and profes-
their reporting. sor at St. Thomas University.
Anna Mehler Paperny was Journalism Forum on Vio- Tanya Miller, mental She says journalists need to add
in an interview for an intern- lence and Trauma published a health initiatives consultant at more context to their stories:
ship several years ago when free guide for newsrooms and Langara College and a former “I think that we forget to write
she was asked how she would journalism schools on how to journalism student, says that important sentences. Things
cover a suicide. She told the fairly and accurately report on reporting on mental health like ‘the vast majority of people
interviewer what questions she mental health issues. The guide often involves journalists going with mental illness are not
would ask and how she would discusses topics like stigmas, against their instincts. violent,’”
go about asking them. It was addiction, mental health in “It’s hard in journalism,” And that context starts with
a trick question, she was told: Indigenous people, and suicide. says Miller. “We’re taught to the right questions, Wong adds:
you never report on suicide. Covering such issues requires be objective, but maybe that “There are too many loaded
“That was the norm journalists to balance compas- doesn’t serve important issues questions.” L
at the time,” says the Toron-
to-based reporter for Reuters.
“You pretended like it wasn’t
there—that it was a mistake.”
One of the first things stu-
dents get taught in journalism
school is the importance of
objectivity. You are a journalist,
not an activist, and you must
remain impartial at all times.
Paperny—whose memoir,
Hello I Want to Die Please Fix
Me: Depression in the First
Person was published in 2019—
says that she has witnessed
first-hand the evolution of how
journalists cover mental health,
and has seen a difference since
she was a student, applying for
that internship.
“You pretended like [mental
illness] wasn’t there,” Paperny
says. “I think that made it so
much easier to ignore.”
In 2017, the Canadian
8 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review LJR.ca

THE LEAD
Transcription
Showdown
Five of the best AI transcription
services for today’s journalist
S TO RY BY LIAM HILL - A LL A N / /
ILLUSTRATION BY C HRIS T IN A DOMME R
F
From fake-news bots to automated articles,
journalists have good reason to be afraid of arti-
ficial intelligence. As technology becomes more
ubiquitous, there has been no hiding the disruptive
impact that AI is having on the journalism industry.
But AI also has the potential to make the lives of
journalists a little bit easier, through the power of
AI transcription. Examining factors such as design,
usability and transcription quality, we provide the
pros and cons for five of the most popular AI sites
and apps out there.
Otter Watson Speech To Text easy-to-access AI transcription offering options for integra-
What we like: Otter has What we like: Watson right into the Google toolbar. tion with other platforms and
become the go-to option for Speech To Text is a great, free What we don’t like: The site on-the-fly, group-call tran-
many journalists. The site’s option for those with more offers many of the same stand- scription—the service exceeds
clean aesthetic makes it attrac- casual transcription needs. The ard features found on sites like the needs of your average
tive and easy to use. While the IBM-created site doesn’t re- Otter, but Sonix’s overall look journalist.
site does provide a paid “pre- quire an account and is quick lacks the sleek, modern design URL: Fireflies.ai
mium” option, Otter boasts a to use, displaying everything offered by many of its com-
generous free option of 600 you need on its home page. petitors. Furthermore, the site TapeACall
minutes a month. The site is The site also transcribes up- only offers half an hour of free What we like: The TapeACall
also packed with features, such loaded audio in real-time. upload time. app is named after its primary
as analyzing transcripts for What we don’t like: The URL: Sonix.ai function: taping calls. But the
keywords and a highlighter simplicity means there is no app has another feature—tran-
that follows the transcribed option for saving documents Fireflies scription—which means that
text upon playback. post-transcription. What we like: Fireflies is recording and transcribing can
What we don’t like: Otter URL: IBM.com/Watson packed with features. Those happen in one place.
struggles to determine when with more complex transcrip- What we don’t like: The app
more than one person is Sonix tion needs might enjoy the is not free ($6.49 a month)
speaking. And if you’re trying What we like: The website’s site’s modern aesthetic and and the recording feature has
to get the right acronym, well, Google Chrome extension is a free-to-use account option. been known to malfunction
good luck! handy tool that some journal- What we don’t like: While from time to time.
URL: Otter.ai ists might find useful, placing the site is undeniably useful— URL: TapeACall.com L

THE LEAD
Life Sentence
Can convicts, having served their sentence,
ever get a fair shake from the news media?
S TORY AND ILL US T RAT I ON BY C HRI S T I N A D O M M E R
E
Early in January, Surrey
Mayor Doug McCallum
released a statement from his
office, criticizing the RCMP
and Parole Board of Canada
for granting day parole to
Gary Jagur Singh, a man con-
victed of raping 11 women.
“For the safety of the
But Singh, also known
as the Marpole Rapist, had
committed those crimes 30
years ago, and had already
served 26 years in prison.
Was McCallum’s reaction
justified, given that Singh’s
release was going to happen
eventually?
to know nothing else about
you,” says Wong, a volunteer
with Circles of Support and
Accountability (COSA), an
organization that supports
sex offenders attempting to
reintegrate into society.
Wong was a criminolo-
gy student at Simon Fraser
hardened criminals in tears
of gratitude for COSA—in
disbelief that ordinary
people would voluntarily care
about them.
“They either very rarely or
almost never had someone
care about them in that way,”
she says.
people of Surrey, I believe According to Rhiannon University when she came In her thesis, Wong uses
that our residents need to Wong, the question of how across the COSA program; the example of sex offend-
be told where this prolific parolees are treated by the she completed her master’s er James Conway—who,
sexual predator is residing media is a thorny one. thesis on sex offender alerts throughout 2014 and 2015,
in Surrey,” wrote McCallum “[Imagine] if you took in the community and the preyed on underaged girls,
in the Jan. 10 release. “That the worst thing you’ve ever unexpected consequences often luring them from
information should be made done and everyone got to that can arise from them. SkyTrain stations.
available immediately.” know about it—and they got Today, she regularly sees When he was relocated

THE LEAD
from jail into an Abbotsford

halfway house in 2015, a lo-
covers crime and the courts,
says that there’s a lot that
however, she doesn’t see this
happening any time soon.
Who Gets
cal vandal came into the attic the media overlooks when it “No one would be interested, Credit?
with a hose and managed to comes to the criminal justice so they’re not going to do it,”
flood the house, damaging system. He thinks that a dis- Wong says.
Bloggers and
the ceiling. cussion about how our cor- Both Wong and Godfrey
journalists on how
“The news reported on rections system can do more agree that media could do a
best to credit the work
[Conway] so much that he harm than good is only now better job reporting on cases
was a victim of vandalism,” starting to happen. “The vast like Conway’s or Singh’s by
of other reporters
Wong says. “You’ll get re- majority of people who are in telling audiences more about
ports that this guy is danger- jail have childhood trauma, the decisions and factors STO RY B Y JO SE P H AY RES
ous, and he’s reoffended so have mental health struggles, behind an offender’s sen-
many times, but they won’t have developmental disabili- tence. Godfrey also suggests It is now common practice for any
go into: ‘Also, the guy has ties,” Godfrey says. that reporters highlight story running online to hyperlink to
an ankle bracelet, and he’s People reading the news those offenders who undergo the work of other journalists. But
on house arrest, and he’s es- rarely know where these restorative justice in their what is the best way to credit that
corted everywhere and never parolees are coming from, sentencing. work? We asked three working in
let out of sight.’ So his risk is according to Godfrey. “There’s a growing move- the trenches for their thoughts.
theoretically almost zero.” The public is increasingly ment of restorative justice
When these offenders supportive of rehabilitating and talking about why that’s Ian Bushfield, co-host of the
have their names back in the prisoners, but correctional successful when jails have a PolitiCoast podcast
news, Wong says, potential facilities don’t have the re- far higher recidivism rate,” “We try to mention the story we’ve
read, who wrote it, and what
source it was in. So even just
something as natural as saying, ‘I
“We think that people need to be punished rather than read this story by Justin McEl-
roy, CBC,’ and so forth. We also
rehabilitated. The media has a role in showing why that can provide links to all the stories we
reference in the show notes.”
be a damaging perspective.”
Lindsay William-Ross, managing
– Dustin Godfrey, Burnaby Now editor, Vancouver is Awesome
“Well, I guess you would have to
back up and assume you were
landlords and employers can sources to do it. “The services he says. “We think that peo- making an appropriate choice
easily look them up—making are lacking if they’re there at ple need to be punished rath- in using other journalists’ work.
it even harder for them to get all,” Godfrey says. “Some of er than rehabilitated. The So not using it gratuitously like
housing or work. The average the people who are offering media has a role in showing some places, where they don’t
media consumer wouldn’t some of the programs in jail why that can be a damaging do any of their own interviewing
know the range of person- aren’t necessarily trained perspective.” L or research and then they don’t
alities and circumstances psychiatrists or therapists. credit sources—that’s problematic
that Wong encounters at They’re corrections officers to begin with.”
her COSA meetings. She’s who might’ve taken some
worked with offenders who kind of course.” Andree Lau, editor-in-chief,
have PhDs, as well as those Today’s media industry Huffpost Canada
who’ve been on the streets is pushed by the internet “to “Directly, clearly, and transparent-
since they were kids. constantly have content,” ly… I don’t think crediting another
“I truly believe that we are says Godfrey; reporters cover journalist or another outlet ruins
creating safer communities, news releases from the police anyone’s experience. It’s very easy
Visit LJR.ca to see our to incorporate it into the flow of
because I believe the way to fulfill their assignments—
to create safer communities and, he adds, he’s hardly ex-
infographic on public a story and our own reporting. It
is by helping people, not empt from this trend. Wong perceptions of the really is not only serving our col-
stigmatizing and punishing says that going in-depth criminal justice system. leagues in the industry but it also
them,” Wong says. into a success story would Plus more on crediting serves the reader.”
Dustin Godfrey, a report- help ease some of the stigma other journalists’ work.
er for Burnaby Now who associated with parolees—

The CHEK control room on
Dec. 1, 1956. CHEK was
the first privately owned
station in B.C.
12 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photo: Courtesy CHEK News

O
Up in
the Air
How small-
market TV
stations are
struggling to
survive and ON A CHILLY AFTERNOON IN THE with many of these stations reducing
serve their spring of 1976, Rick Webber walked staff levels, consolidating or closing, the
communities into a newsroom for the very first time.

Webber was only in Grade 12 but he had
prospects for small-market stations is
far from certain.
been hired to run the station’s Top 40 Back when Webber started, the fu-
music show, geared towards teenagers. ture of broadcasting—and whether he
With palms sweating, his heart racing, would have a lifelong career in it—was
Story by he read the news at the top of the hour— not top of mind. All he knew was that
AUSTIN EVERETT his first live radio news broadcast. he wanted to be behind the mic: “I liked
His nerves were so overwhelmed that being a radio DJ. I thought it was fun.”
when it came time to read the report After third-year university, he left
he announced today’s “webber” and P.E.I. for the other end of the country,
named himself Rick “Weather.” “It was getting a part-time job at a radio station
a nerve-wracking start,” he recalls. in Powell River, B.C.; soon, the 19-year-
From that first day in 1976 until July old was appointed the station’s news di-
of 2019, Webber worked non-stop in rector. Webber—who, at that point, had
broadcasting—in a career that took him never written a news story—started each
from small-town P.E.I. to Kelowna, B.C, day putting on the first few records, typ-
where he retired as anchor for Global ing up a newscast, and reading the top
Okanagan last year. Over the course of stories of the morning.
four decades, Webber estimates that he “The job at Powell River was quite
read some 10,000 newscasts. eye opening,” Webber says. “I had to be
In many respects, Webber is the last a jack-of-all-trades.” The town—thanks
of a dying breed of broadcast journal- to the then-booming local mill—was
ists: someone who has made a career quite rich at the time, which drove home
working at small-market stations. To- the point for him, earning the wage that
day, journalists who come to work in he did, that “you weren’t in the media
smaller communities see it as a step- because you love the money.”
ping stone to something bigger. But As Webber moved across B.C. for

(Left) Rick Webber of me are two robot cameras that are also
retired in 2019 after a being operated from Vancouver. And I’m
four-decade career in running my own teleprompter with
I
broadcasting; (right) a foot pedal.”
the CHEK offices in
Victoria t wasn’t just in the Okanagan where
change was being felt. Other Canwest
properties—including CHEK—were
also feeling the pinch.
Diane Dakers worked for CHEK
work, the assignments got more special- the face of Okanagan news—to Victoria’s from 1999 to 2001, and is the author of
ized. He was no longer the DJ plus news CHEK, also owned by Canwest. CHEK Republic: A Revolution in Local
director; everyone had one job that they The initial idea was that Webber would Television. According to Dakers, once
were responsible for, be it editing, report- read the news from Victoria, but after pub- Canwest purchased WIC Television, its
ing or shooting. Back then, says Webber, lic outcry in Kelowna about losing their stations—including CHEK and CHBC—
news was “a licence to print money,” so local newscast—and the face of that pro- saw a 30 per cent reduction in staff.
that sort of specialization was possible. gram—the decision was reversed. Still, Rebranding stations to rationalize
After working at a variety of stations, Web- CHBC’s future was far from certain. In production costs became part of the Can-
ber moved to Kelowna in 1999 for a posi- 2009, at the depth of the economic crisis, west plan. Similar to how CHBC was now
tion at what was then CHBC (now Global letters were sent out to Webber and the Global Okanagan, with a control room in
Okanagan). Webber felt he had finally CHBC staff announcing layoffs. Vancouver, Canwest announced in 2001
found his dream job. While the layoffs never happened, Can- that it would rebrand CHEK as CH—part
But in the spring of 2000, a company west ultimately decided to rebrand CHBC of a “secondary television system” that in-
called Canwest Global Communications and fold it into the Global TV network. The cluded stations in Red Deer, Hamilton and
Corp.—which owned radio, television and move saved Webber’s job, and the station, Montreal.
publishing assets across Canada—had but would change the nature of local news The rebranding came with celebrity
purchased WIC Television, which owned in Kelowna forever. gossip and lifestyle programming that was
CHBC. As the decade progressed, Winni- Weber describes what the new reality different from what the B.C. capital had
peg-based Canwest started to rationalize looked like, upon his retirement: “With a seen before. “The local market rejected it.
services: in November 2008, 23 positions green screen behind me as a new superim- They would make decisions that weren’t
were eliminated at CHBC, while the com- posed set, I have a director in my ear, talk- in Islanders’ best interest,” says CHEK
pany announced plans to move Webber— ing to me from Vancouver. Sitting in front general manager and CEO Rob Germain,
14 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photos: Courtesy Rick Webber (left); Austin Everett (right)
save the station. When that failed, they be providing this kind of a public service,”
decided to find the money themselves. says Webber.
“We got together and started thinking “I feel privileged to work in an industry
about how we were going to stay alive,” where it has purpose, people care, and we
Germain recalls. “Investors said to us can make a difference in people’s lives,”
that if we put up our own money, they says Germain.
were more likely to consider investing.” And he’s bullish on the future too.
The initial fundraising efforts were “We had to update our cameras and
promising. Global newsrooms in Cal- all our equipment,” says Germain of the
gary, Edmonton and Vancouver each initial costs of relaunching CHEK as an
raised over $15,000 to help the CHEK employee-owned station. “Our next step
cause; local, provincial and federal poli- is to create an over-the-top channel, like
ticians voiced their support, while Van- Netflix, likely to be called CHEK-Plus. We
couver Islanders also pitched in. “Save are all really motivated here. We are doing
CHEK News” t-shirts popped up every- more than just news.” L
where in a sign of support. “The public
was a great motivator— knowing we had
them behind us helped us to get moving,”
Germain says.
TV in B.C.:
Just four days before that final news-
cast was set to air in August, $2.5 million
A Timeline
had been raised. The buyout plan was
presented to Canwest, but it was initial-
ly rejected. “I arrived at work that day
not knowing if it would be my last day or
who has worked at the station since 1995.

not,” Germain says. After another week
of negotiations, Canwest agreed to sell the
1951
Canadians, despite having no home-
“People here just didn’t like it.” station, with CHEK becoming fully em- grown TV stations, owned 25,000
D
The rebranding effort ultimately didn’t ployee-owned. television sets to watch the U.S. news
work, and by the time the 2008 financial
crisis struck, Canwest announced further iane Dakers, in her book on
cuts to the CHEK newsroom: 19 employ-
ees would be let go, leaving the Victoria
CHEK, outlines how the sta-
tion managed to survive as an
1956
The first private
workforce with just 40 staff. Then Canwest independent operator—thanks television station in B.C.,
announced that they were looking at “stra- to a combination of its unique CHEK, opens in Victoria
tegic options” for their remaining stations, business model, post-Canwest, and a close
saying that a “secondary conventional tel- bond with its community. As Dakers sees
evision network is no longer key to long-
term success.”
it, there is a deep culture of prioritizing lo-
cal companies in B.C.—especially on Van-
1957
CFJC Kamloops, CHBC Kelowna and
By May 2009, Canwest announced that couver Island—which, in part, explains
CJDC Dawson Creek go on the air for the
buyers had been found for some of its sec- CHEK’s survival.
first time
ondary CH stations, including those in The Island identity has always been a
Montreal and Hamilton. But CHEK, and unique part of Victoria and Vancouver Is-
the Red Deer station (CHCA), were with-
out buyers—and their futures in question.
land, and that’s reflected in its newscasts.
Islanders are passionate about local sto-
2008
23 are laid off in the CHBC newsroom
Rob Germain, who was CHEK’s news ries and were willing to give to the CHEK
director at the time, says that initially they cause to keep its identity alive, says Dak-
were relieved CHEK was for sale—hoping ers. “The people in Red Deer lobbied to try
that a new buyer would reverse some of to save their station in the same way,” she
2009
CHEK, facing the prospect of going off
the severe budget cuts. But when CHEK notes. “But the interest just wasn’t there.”
air, is bought by its employees
remained on the selling block as 2009 pro- From CHEK to CHBC, every small-mar-
gressed, worry began to set in. That worry ket station in B.C. has local stories to tell.
turned to panic when Canwest announced They have passionate audiences. And
that summer that CHEK would go off the they’ve provided lasting and meaningful 2020
air by August 31, if no buyers were found. careers to broadcasters like Rick Webber 15 TV stations
Germain and John Pollard, who was and Rob Germain—a legacy that both men remain in B.C. today
then CHEK’s general manager, put their embrace. “I can’t think of a better way to
heads together and came up with a pitch to spend your time, to make a living, than to
Illustration: Christina Dommer Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 15

Stanley Q. Woodvine, in front
of his bike and trailer, in
Vancouver’s Fairview
neighbourhood.

STREET
CRED
Stanley Q. Woodvine is changing
the way Vancouver sees homelessness
Story and Photography by LIAM HILL-ALLAN
S
TANLEY Q. WOODVINE ternet to blog about the things in Van-
spends much of his time couver that catch his attention. Weather
at the Waves coffee shop anomalies and the changing face of the
on Broadway and Spruce city are common topics for Woodvine.
in Vancouver’s Fairview But he also delves into weightier issues,
area, a neighbourhood he and it’s this content that has garnered
calls his own. the most attention.
Like many Vancouverites, Woodvine The blogger covers homelessness in
foregos a traditional office space in ex- Vancouver and is uniquely qualified to
change for one of the city’s many cafes. do so: he has been without a permanent
Settled on a leather armchair in a cor- residence for over a decade, and has
ner of the shop, he gets a lot done at this been writing about his experience for
location, typing away on his Panasonic much of that time.
CF30, a rugged laptop known for its Despite having less access to the ba-
use by the U.S. Army. Outside, his bike sic amenities that much of Vancouver
rests against a pole with a large trailer takes for granted, Woodvine keeps a
fastened to the back. It’s in this trailer clean-cut appearance. With black hair
that Woodvine stores many of his per- and only the occasional speck of grey,
sonal items. the blogger looks a decade younger than
Woodvine relies on the cafe’s free in- his 60 years.

In Vancouver’s Downtown
Eastside and the areas that
surround it, signs of poverty
are commonplace.
Those who are familiar with Wood- standing concerns. “Sometimes research can be helpful,
vine’s work most likely came across it in One 2018 article from The Tyee, titled especially when done respectfully in true
The Georgia Straight. The writer has had a “Can Reporting on Vulnerable People Do collaboration with the community. But
rare arrangement with the publication for a More Harm than Good?”, tells the story research can also hurt,” the authors said.
number of years; the paper’s editor, Charlie of a group of journalism students entering “Research can increase inequality, con-
Smith, is free to pull from Woodvine’s blog Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neigh- tribute to stigma, exploit peoples’ pain,
in exchange for a monthly sum of a few hun- bourhood with the intention of reporting exhaust community members and typical-
dred dollars. The result is a regular column on a popular outdoor flea market. The ly benefits researchers much more than it
T
titled “Homeless in Vancouver.” It is from group is confronted by an area advocate benefits the DTES.”
this platform that Woodvine pulls back the who criticizes them for interviewing resi-
curtain on homelessness, allowing Vancou- dents without “giving anything meaningful ravis Lupick is a freelance jour-
verites a glimpse into life on the streets of back.” nalist who has long focused on
the city. Another article, published in 2019 by the issues relating to the Downtown
It’s unsurprising that The Georgia web magazine Canadaland and titled “How Eastside, and authored the 2017
Straight has taken an interest in Wood- (Not) To Report On Vancouver’s Downtown book by Arsenal Pulp Press,
vine’s work. A 2019 homeless count in Van- Eastside,” suggests that years of poor re- Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug
couver saw 2,223 people without a roof over porting on the area have left many Vancou- Users Transformed One City’s Struggle
their heads, the highest number recorded verites with a skewed understanding of its with Addiction.
since the survey began in 2002. And it’s a residents. Lupick acknowledges that journalists are
problem on the minds of many locals; a A 2019 manifesto titled “Research 101: faced with ethical hurdles when reporting on
2012 study conducted by Angus Reid Pub- A Manifesto for Ethical Research in the marginalized communities. “Are you being
lic Opinion found that homelessness is a Downtown Eastside”— written by SFU responsible?” Lupick asks of those who con-
widespread concern for those living in Van- PhD student Scott Neufeld, in collabora- duct interviews in the Downtown Eastside.
couver—on par with affordable housing and tion with various Downtown Eastside or- Unlike many who have reported on the
transportation. ganizations—outlines the potential harm neighbourhood, Lupick has actually spent
As homeless rates have increased to that academic researchers and journalists time living there too. He says that expe-
record highs, the corresponding me- can unwittingly cause when operating in rience built in an “accountability mecha-
dia coverage has reignited some long the Downtown Eastside. nism,” meaning he could run into the peo-

ple he was writing about. “Living in the “It was about a fellow named Ted, dy- in his creativity. He remembers being in a
Downtown Eastside,” he says. “You get to ing in a Tim Hortons,” he recalls. “The City “frightening” institution as a child, yet still
W
know your neighbours.” knew he was there; they knew he’d been vir- sourcing art materials from administrators
tually living in Tim Hortons for nine years. to create his own comic book. And as he got
hile Lupick’s experience He had terminal cancer. Why did anybody older, he honed his creative skills.
has gotten him close to “I used the concept of art and pursuing
Vancouver’s poverty crises, that as a career—as a kind of goal to get
few have gotten as close as
“The entire me out of a situation that I was growing up
Stanley Q. Woodvine. Ac- within,” he says.
cording to Woodvine, it was the disconnect
experience of He eventually left the prairies, hitchhik-
between journalists and the people they ing to Vancouver in 1980. He took work as a
covered that partially inspired his journey
homelessness is graphic designer, working for such publica-
into journalism. tions as the (now-defunct) WestEnder and
“It was frustrating to me the way
largely filtered through Georgia Straight. However, lacking a mind
homelessness was being treated,” he says. for business, Woodvine says he ended up
“The entire experience of homelessness
the writing of non- focusing too heavily on the creative side of
is largely filtered through the writing of his freelance business, allowing his finances
non-homeless people.”
homeless people.” to suffer.
Using his personal familiarity with the “Part of the job that I considered to be
— Stanley Q. Woodvine
topic, Woodvine has written a wide variety onerous—and an afterthought—was all the
of stories, with titles such as: “Some posi- accounting and the billing,” he acknowledg-
tives and negatives of Dumpster diving” and leave him homeless? I mean, why? And no es. “And I paid the price for that.”
“Going to bed under Sunday’s heavy blanket one could answer that question.” By the early 2000s, Woodvine was strug-
of rain.” Woodvine’s childhood was equally har- gling to keep his business above water,
But his experience has also given him the rowing. He recounts a difficult early life in and the freelance work ground to a halt.
empathy to write about other Vancouverites Saskatoon: “I was a ward of the govern- Losing the drive to continue, Woodvine
experiencing homelessness. Woodvine tears ment. My father was on welfare.” ultimately ended up on a path to home-
up remembering a story he wrote in 2018. But growing up, Woodvine found solace lessness. “I know every flaw that I have—

intimately,” he says. “And I’ve seen the con- tough work that has inspired many articles.
sequences of them.” When night falls, Woodvine chooses to
Now, without a permanent residence for sleep in a downtown parkade. Due to the
over a decade, Woodvine seems at peace conditions of Vancouver’s homeless shelters
with his homeless status. and City-provided housing, Woodvine says
“I have said that, for most people, be- he prefers sleeping outdoors.
coming homeless is like falling off the edge While he acknowledges that his current
of the world,” he observes. “But when you situation may be unsustainable, Woodvine’s
do it, you discover that the drop is about future is uncertain.
Visit LJR.ca for a
three feet.” “If I become infirm and I am no longer
selection of Woodvine’s
These days, the writer supplements his in- able to take care of myself on the street, then
writing on homelessness
come from The Georgia Straight with mon- of course, I will have to throw myself on the
ey earned binning in Vancouver’s alleys. It’s slender mercy of the system.” L
ETHICS AND In 2019, PhD student Scott Neufeld and

a coalition of Downtown Eastside groups
THE DOWNTOWN created a manifesto on ethical research in the
neighbourhood—geared toward both journalists
EASTSIDE
1 2 3 4 5
and academics. Here’s their advice.
ork from a
W “ Don’t perpetuate “Give peers some here possible,
W “Provide resources
“trauma-informed stigma in the way actual power use a neutral for peer research-
perspective that you work with us.” in the research third-party medi- ers to support
anticipates and They argue that project.” This tip, ator to “navigate them in their lives
avoids potential prejudice against germane to aca- issues of power, beyond the re-
harms.” They note people who use demics, argues disrespect, or search project”
that histories of drugs, are home- that “tokenism” is inequality in the
trauma are com- less, engage in a common pit- research relation-
mon among mar- sex work, have fall, where DTES ship”
ginalized members poor health, or residents are
of the DTES have low incomes “given little power
“might affect the or space in the im-
way you work with portant decisions
us” and work of the
project”

H O C K E Y
TA L K
Can podcasts challenge radio

for sports journalism supremacy?
Story by MAXIM FOSSEY
Photos by JOSHUA REY

B
EFORE MOVING those passions on podcasts is a popular is an idea and a microphone. “There is
to Vancouver in option, according to Satiar Shah, a host some skill involved in it, and some learn-
January 2020, on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. ing curve, but compared to making a TV
Nanaimo native “The only way you get better on air is show it is significantly easier,” she says.
Chris Faber says by doing it repeatedly,” says Shah. “It’s While McGregor acknowledges the
he never expected like anything in life: the more you do it, threat podcasting poses to radio, she
his hockey-orient- the better you get at it and the more con- thinks that radio still has certain com-
ed podcast to get fident you get. You learn the craft and petitive advantages. “Radio is capable of
as big as it has. start mastering that craft.” reporting on things that are happening
Faber, a con- Hannah McGregor, a publishing in- right now,” says McGregor. “Whereas
tributor to the Canucks Army website structor at SFU with an expertise in pod- podcasting has a tendency to be a bit be-
and co-host of the Canucks Conversa- lated.”
tion podcast, credits his mother with Satiar Shah agrees, noting that, as a
instilling a love of hockey in him. When host, he is able to get live news content
he was a teenager, she would drop him “If you’re tuned into as is happens.
off at BCHL games on Friday nights to “If you’re tuned into a podcast,” he
watch the Nanaimo Clippers in action. a podcast, you’re notes, “you’re tuning into the reaction,
Soon, Faber was recording podcasts based on what happened earlier today or
on his Yeti microphone and editing them tuning into the the day before. Or somebody is looking
on his laptop. ahead. Radio has the advantage where
It was at the age of 22, while working reaction, based on everything is immediate,” Shah says. “If
at a mill in Nanaimo, that Faber says he something happens, like a trade, we’re
got addicted to the medium. “I started what happened on air and we’re talking about it, break-
listening to podcasts quite a bit at the ing it down right away.”
mill,” he says. “It got me through the 10- earlier today or the Still, while radio remains his medium
hour shifts that we had to do.” of choice, Shah acknowledges that pod-
Today, the 26-year-old BCIT Radio day before. casts present significant competition to
Arts student has listeners for Canucks what he does. “You can choose to lis-
Conversation from all over the world, a Or somebody is ten to podcasts and listen to live radio,
sponsor, and a growing audience for the if that’s what you want to do,” he says.
show: now in its third year, the podcast looking ahead. “There is a competition, but I do believe
has between 7,000 and 8,000 listeners a both can coexist.”
month, according to Faber. Radio has the Ultimately, says Shah, sports radio
The rise of podcasting has been a hosts have to be attuned to the needs of
trend for many years now. But in the advantage where their audience. Radio, unlike podcasts,
sports world, until recently, radio was is a highly interactive medium—with lis-
the go-to medium for many sports nuts everything is teners calling in or texting as you’re on
on the run. With Canucks Conversation air. And that presents unique challenges.
and similar podcasts grabbing a greater immediate.” “With live shows, you really have to
and greater audience share, is this about have that energy high at all times,” he
to change? — Satiar Shah, Sportsnet 650 notes. “You need to hit those big topics,
Faber’s co-host on Canucks Conver- make sure you play the hits and are on
sation is David Quadrelli. Quadrelli says top of the really important daily topics—
that he became a Canucks fan listening casts, credits the ubiquity of the smart- and making them into interactive things
to games on the radio with his Italian phone with the rise in podcasting. “The [where] people can chime in, live.” L
grandfather, who moved to Canada when fact that we all carry devices around
Vancouver was just an NHL expansion us now that have data and internet on
team. “That was how he learned Eng- them—a portable listening device, plus
lish,” says Quadrelli, “listening to radio.” portable internet connection—is really Visit LJR.ca for
Faber and Quadrelli have turned just perfect for podcasting,” she says. a timeline of
their passion for hockey into a profes- The other key factor explaining pod- key milestones
sion—and for those looking for novel casts’ rise, says McGregor, is the low in podcasting
ways into the media business, pursuing barrier to making them: all you need

(This page) Chris Faber makes
up one half of the Canucks
Conversation podcast, along
with David Quadrelli (lead
page)
LJR.caLJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 2323

Hundreds march through the
Downtown Eastside in
Vancouver’s 29th annual
Women’s Memorial March.

FIRST THINGS

FIRST
Putting more resources into on-the-ground
Indigenous reporting is key to getting the story right
S T O RY B Y M I S S Y J O H N S O N
PHOTOS BY LIAM HILL-ALLAN
T
HE TRADITIONAL tice—claiming that the company was
territories of the Wet’su- trespassing on its unceded territo-
wet’en people stretch ry. By early February, the RCMP had
across 22,000 square moved in to enforce the injunction,
kilometres of central and protests in sympathy with the
B.C., with the town of Wet’suwet’en people rose up across
Houston near its heart. the country.
Late last year, many Canadians be- The Wet’suwet’en conflict exposed
came familiar with the Wet’suwet’en a deep rift in how various Canadi-
for the very first time when, on Dec. ans—and, indeed, governments—feel
31, 2019, the B.C. Supreme Court about Truth and Reconciliation with
granted Coastal GasLink an injunc- Indigenous people. Throughout the
tion against hereditary chiefs. month-long protests in February, me-
The chiefs had been blocking con- dia played a significant role in how
struction of the company’s 670-kilo- that story evolved.
metre pipeline, which was set to con- While some reporters dove deep
nect natural gas fields near Dawson into the cultural and historical context
Creek with LNG Canada’s export ter- of the conflict, others approached the
minal in Kitimat, B.C. issue without any firm understanding
One day later, on Jan. 1, 2020, of the Wet’suwet’en people—ensuring
the Wet’suwet’en First Nation served a superficial treatment of a complex
Coastal GasLink with an eviction no- and nuanced story.

(This page) The scene at Main and
Hastings for Vancouver’s Women’s
Memorial March; (opposite) stu-
dent protestors outside Langara
College.
The lack of on-the-ground reporting in erings of different nations … then it paints space,” he says. Photographing someone
Indigenous communities is, according to a picture that Indigenous people are al- drumming or in regalia, for instance, can
many people who write regularly on the ways protesting,” she says. “And that’s be critical for showing a cultural perspec-
topic, a critical problem. So, too, is the definitely not the case.” tive—but it can also appear tokenistic, he
media’s obsession with conflict. Jesse Winter is a freelance visual jour- adds.
“The media has a responsibility that, nalist whose byline has appeared in The Beyond how the story is told, a lot of
when we run to where there is an appetite Guardian, VICE, Toronto Star and The attention is also focused on who is telling
[for a story], when we run to where people Globe and Mail. Winter, a Langara jour- the story. Having better representation of
want to know what’s going on, that we do nalism grad, considers himself lucky to Indigenous journalists within newsrooms
it well— that we don’t just cover the sur- have been able to do a lot of reporting on across Canada is critical, say many observ-
face issue,” says Emilee Gilpin, a Métis Indigenous communities: “You have a lot ers.
reporter who led the recent National Ob- more exposure to both the ability to report But Stephanie Wood, a reporter for
server’s series, “First Nations Forward.” on the news and also the consequences of online magazine The Narwhal, says that
“A lot of the time, media will go and chase doing it badly.” there also needs to be better representa-
the story that’s already happening without He thinks that if a reporter were to be tion in the management ranks, too.
really knowing why it’s the story.” assigned a story about the Wet’suwet’en “There needs to be more Indigenous
To tell a story about conflict responsi- conflict, and told to file within a day, it editors and people of colour doing the
bly, argues Gilpin, it’s important to take would be an almost-impossible task. Re- editorial jobs at magazines, newspapers,
the time to get to know the people of that porters need time to immerse themselves radio—people who make those final calls
Indigenous community, as well as their in an Indigenous community—before the and overview all the stories,” says Wood,
traditions. One way to do that, she sug- conflict emerges, he argues, and not just who is from the Squamish Nation.
gests, is sending reporters to Indigenous afterward, chasing some quotes. For all the problems that have emerged
communities more often, and to cover “It’s challenging operating in commu- in how Indigenous issues are covered in
good news that’s happening there, too. nities where trust has been broken for very Canada, many younger reporters hold out
That means celebrations and innova- legitimate reasons, over decades,” he says. hope for the future.
tions—not just social or economic strife. As a visual journalist, Winter feels a “I definitely see an increased interest in
“If we’re only showing up when Indige- particular responsibility to shoot photos Indigenous reporting,” says Cara McKen-
nous people are defending their lands and and video in an ethical manner. “Visual na, an Indigenous reporter and editor for
their lives, and we’re not showing up to representations of Indigenous commu- the Salish Sea Sentinel.
ceremonies and cultural events and gath- nities is often a potentially problematic McKenna was a journalism student

at Langara when Idle No More was tak-
ing place. Idle No More was, in many
ways, the precursor to the Wet’suwet’en
protests—a movement, founded in 2012
by four women (three Indigenous, one
non-Native ally), in reaction to proposed
legislative changes that were seen to erode
Indigenous sovereignty and environmen-
tal protections.
McKenna remembers the protests that
took place in 2012, and sees a subsequent
shift. After the end of the Wet’suwet’en
protests this March—marked by a draft
agreement on Wet’suwet’en rights and
title, reached March 1, between the B.C.
government, federal government and he-
reditary chiefs—she believes we will see
more reporters writing and telling stories
about Indigenous communities in dif-
ferent and, she hopes, more responsible
ways.
“Publications are suddenly covering
these stories in a way they haven’t before,”
she says.
Still, to change the systemic problem
of reporting that lacks context, a broader
societal shift needs to occur. As Emilee
Gilpin sees it, that means more compre-
hensive education for journalists—and
all Canadians—on Indigenous issues and
cultures.
While at Concordia University in Mon-
treal, Gilpin taught a workshop called
Decolonizing Media, with the aim of start-
ing a conversation around the realities of
Indigenous peoples in Canada. She says
that what she was being taught by her in-
structors wasn’t what she knew first-hand
about her Metis culture and community.
So she decided to do something about it.
“The media lacks [an understanding
about Indigenous issues] because our ed-
ucation system is so lacking when it comes
to Indigenous peoples and culture,”
she says. “Every time that we emphasize
that Canadian narrative, that colonial
narrative, we are ‘othering’
Indigenous narratives.” L
Visit LJR.ca for

an excerpt from
Seeing Red: A
History of Na-
tives in Canadi-
an Newspapers
LJR.ca
COVERING COVID-19
How a pandemic changed the rules on reporting—perhaps forever
S T O RY B Y C H R I S T I N A D O M M E R , A U S T I N E V E R E T T, M I S S Y J O H N S O N A N D J O S H U A R E Y
T
HE FIRST REPORTED CASE tre in North Vancouver, where two more connection to China inherently put it in
of the novel coronavirus in people—residents of the long-term care the coronavirus crosshairs.
Canada happened on Jan. facility—had tested positive. On March “There’s nothing now, but we had
25, 2020, in Toronto, when a 9, one of Lynn Valley’s residents became more than a dozen daily flights out of
man returning from Wuhan, Canada’s first death from the ensuing dis- YVR to Chinese cities,” notes Hager. “So
China fell ill, called 911, and was placed ease known as COVID-19. By the end of I just knew, given the flow of people, that
in isolation at Sunnybrook Hospital. March, there were over 1,000 known cas- it would become a huge local story here.”
Three days later, B.C.’s provincial health es and 24 deaths province-wide. Hager, who was travelling with family
officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, reported The COVID-19 outbreak has had a in Arizona just before the border closed
the first presumptive case on the west profound impact on many sectors of the in mid-March, says he was “glued to the
coast—a man who worked in China and, economy, including the media business. news” the whole time he was on vacation:
upon returning to Vancouver, had placed As the public has searched for answers, “I knew that it was going to be very differ-
himself into isolation. some media outlets have prospered—es- ent when I got back home.”
But for much of January and Febru- pecially those with broad reach and deep Meanwhile at the office, emails were
ary, says Andrea Woo, a Vancouver-based financial and organizational resources. sent out to Globe staff advising them
reporter with The Globe and Mail, “it was Others have floundered—especially small to get ready to work from home. Woo
an easier story for people to ignore.” The community publications dependent on says that a senior editor at the Globe
cases that were popping up were people advertising, at a time when consumer advised reporters to also consider their
who had recently travelled to China or confidence has been shaken. The journal- mental health during the crisis, while the
Iran, two coronavirus hotspots; the ear- ism business, as a result of this once-in-a- reporters’ union even sent the newsroom
ly hope was that the virus could be con- generation pandemic, may never be the N-95 masks: “Those were the signs that
tained. “If you weren’t paying attention same again. it was something that we were taking
to the news,” says Woo, “you could still Andrea Woo and her colleague Mike seriously, not just a story we were cover-
go about your day and not hear anything Hager were among the first to go behind ing from a distance.”
about it.” the scenes of the outbreak in B.C., explor- Woo says that deadlines became
Things started to change, and change ing the tragic story at Lynn Valley in a meaningless in the new COVID-19 reali-
rapidly, by early March. On March 6, Dr. March 21 feature in the Globe. As of the ty, with stories and the flood of statistics
Henry announced Canada’s first known end of March, 42 residents and 19 staff updated as they came. The boundary be-
case of community transmission—a at Lynn Valley had been infected; 12 resi- tween work and home life soon became
woman, in the Fraser Health region, who dents had died. a blur, she adds: “I roll out of bed, then
had no known contact with people trav- From the earliest days of the outbreak, I’m in front of a computer, and I might be
elling from either China or Iran. A day both Woo and Hager knew that the sto- there for 12 hours. Then I roll back into
later, that woman was identified as an ry would be impossible to ignore. Hager bed.”
employee of the Lynn Valley Care Cen- says that the Lower Mainland’s cultural “It’s been exhausting to keep abreast

of everything,” echoes Hager. “At the best views only by phone… The newsroom has anticipating how it would affect my job,”
of times, reporters are drinking from a really had to bend and adapt to a bunch of he says. “That was a connection I didn’t
news fire hose. Now it feels like a water changes at once—including losing staff to make until just before I got laid off.”
cannon every time you log on to access self-isolation.” As Thompson understands it, he’s
whatever portal you get your news from.” While organizations like CBC and The one of several reporters laid off by Black
At Canada’s public broadcaster, Globe and Mail have deep pockets and Press in the wake of the coronavirus out-
changes in how news was delivered, lots of resources to throw at a story like break (most Black Press papers rely on
thanks to COVID-19, came swiftly. On COVID-19, smaller community publica- advertising for the bulk of their reve-
March 18, Brodie Fenlon—the Toron- tions across B.C. are struggling—primar- nues). Thompson says he isn’t just wor-
to-based editor-in-chief and executive ily because they are driven by advertising ried about the number of journalists be-
director of daily news for CBC News— (most are freely distributed), and adver- ing laid off; he’s also worried about their
announced that all local TV newscasts tisers, by late March, were dropping like mental health.
would be suspended, as the broadcaster flies. “Hearing about how many people have
concentrated its efforts on national news. Cameron Thompson worked at the died, day in and day out, can take a real
As Fenlon wrote in his editor’s blog that Salmon Arm Observer for almost a year, toll,” says Thompson, who has temporar-
day: “We recognize that we are an essen- ever since graduating from Langara jour- ily relocated to Tsawwassen to live with
tial service at this time, but this is not nalism in the spring of 2019. “It was such his parents.
business as usual.” Laura Brougham is another Langa-
The move was controversial—with ra grad who was directly affected by the
many viewers in smaller communities
bemoaning the fact that they no longer
“I’ve had to come to coronavirus outbreak. Since November
2019, Brougham had been working as an
would be getting on-the-ground report- grips with going from a editorial assistant at Victoria’s Page One
ing on how the coronavirus was affecting
their families and businesses. Less than
life where you’re really Publishing Inc., which publishes several
magazines on Vancouver Island. She was
a week later, some local news was being busy to suddenly staying in Europe in March when the outbreak
inserted into the CBC News Network to
help assuage those concerns. According
at home self-isolating— hit, but managed to get back to B.C. on
March 19, expecting to start a new con-
to Fenlon, the question was partly staff- and not having anything tract on April 1. That contract was can-
ing—CBC reporters, like workers every-
where, were falling sick or at risk of in-
on the calendar.” celled by Page One, she was told, because
of COVID-19.
fection, without social distancing—and — Brendan Batchelor, Sportsnet 650 While disappointed with the job loss,
partly to address the explosion of daily Brougham acknowledges that “it’s an un-
news conferences being held across the precedented situation.” Her longer-term
country. a great place to learn and know how the hope is that the pandemic will lead to
Langara Journalism Review reached industry works and really hone your writ- people taking journalists more serious-
out to a number of CBC representatives ing skills,” says Thompson of his experi- ly—at a time when, in the age of Donald
in western Canada, inquiring as to how ence in Salmon Arm. Trump, there is little trust in the me-
local newsrooms were being affected by On March 20, Thompson received dia. “Despite every expert and everyone
the coronavirus, but most were hesitant word from his employer, Victoria-based talking about how serious [this pandem-
to discuss the corporate moves. Black Press Media, that he was being ic] is, there are still some people who just
Treena Wood, news director at CBC laid off. When he first heard about the don’t believe it—because it is the media
British Columbia—and other reporters coronavirus in early 2020, he thought he who is saying it.”
approached in the Vancouver news- wouldn’t be affected—since his commu- Community publishers, like Black
room—declined to comment. Helen Hen- nity of 18,000 residents, 500 kilometres Press and Page One, suffered immediate-
derson, senior director for journalism east of Vancouver, is isolated from ma- ly during the coronavirus outbreak be-
and programming at CBC News in Cal- jor population centres. But when people cause of a sudden lack of advertisers. But
gary, said in a short emailed response in the Interior started to get infected, what happens when your beat—the thing
that things were “frantic” and that the Thompson knew it was going to be a big you report on, day in and day out—sud-
task of covering the outbreak was “just deal across the province. denly disappears?
too much” for her to consider anything “We started writing more stories about For sports journalists, everything fell
else. “We have a crisis on our hands, how our city was closing certain things,” apart on March 12. That’s when Utah Jazz
complicated by many staff working from he says. “And bans on public gatherings forward Rudy Gobert tested positive for
home,” wrote Henderson. were put in place across the province and COVID-19, setting off a chain of events
CBC Calgary reporter Jennifer Lee how that would affect local businesses. that saw the National Basketball Associ-
said in an email that her job had seen a And on and on.” ation, followed by just about every other
dramatic shift in the weeks since the out- Once businesses started pulling their sports league, suspend its season. Soon,
break: “Long hours, the unrelenting news ads from the newspaper, however, the major events—like the 2020 Olympics—
cycle, working from home, doing inter- publisher started making cuts. “I wasn’t were also put on ice.

Social distancing and the wearing of medical masks were two
common sights on the streets of Vancouver during the COVID-19
outbreak this spring.
Patrick Johnston, a sports writer for

the Vancouver Sun and Province, had
been following the COVID-19 outbreak you used to roam around.” [locker] room access that we had?”
since January, but it wasn’t until the NHL Brendan Batchelor is the Canucks’ While it has been hard to find silver
and other sports leagues started closing play-by-play voice for Sportsnet 650. He linings in the grey cloud of this pandemic,
off locker rooms that he realized the im- too was in Arizona when the NHL sud- some journalists are embracing the new
portance of the issue. Then it hit particu- denly suspended its season, and says he way of reporting the news.
larly close to home: Johnston found him- is fortunate that he hasn’t been laid off, Mike Hager, for one, says he relishes
self trapped in Phoenix, on a trip to cover like many others in the business. being able to wear sweatpants and pon-
a Canucks game against the Arizona Coy- “I’m quite lucky that I haven’t had chos around the house. And since every-
otes on March 12 that never happened. any real hardship that others had to one else is going through the same isola-
“It’s never seen as real until, all of a deal with,” he acknowledges. “I’ve had tion that he is, there’s a common sense of
sudden, everything changes,” says John- to come to grips with going from a life solidarity that makes it easier for him to
ston, who went into self-isolation upon where you’re really busy to sudden- interview others.
his return flight to Vancouver on March ly staying at home self-isolating—and “Granted, I’m usually interviewing
13. He has been working from home ever not really having anything on the calen- people hit by it already, or working in
since. dar.” healthcare. But I think that extends to
“This isn’t that different for me, giv- Batchelor hopes that his work life will most of humanity right now,” Hager says.
en my routines,” he says. “I don’t see return to normal soon—though when that “There’s less pretence when you’re inter-
my colleagues and it’s been a challenge. is remains to be seen. As for Johnston, he viewing people in power.”
I’ve adapted perhaps better than others wonders about the longer-term impact With any luck, that sense of solidari-
might, because I’m kind of used to it. But COVID-19 will have on how he does his ty—and lack of pretence—is something
it’s not fun being stuck in one place when job: “You wonder… will we return to the that will endure. L

THE SIGN-OFF
The
Multi-
Taskers
How being skilled on multiple
platforms allows journalists to bring
colour and nuance to their reporting
S TO RY AND PHOTOS BY KRIS T EN HOLL I DAY
(From left): Tina Lovgreen, video

journalist for CBC Vancouver; Hayley
Woodin, multimedia reporter for
Business in Vancouver.

I
THE SIGN-OFF
It takes a minute for their voice, the way they er newsrooms allow less time when journalists leave the
Tina Lovgreen to think of an speak, tells you something for journalists to uncover and newsroom, take their camera,
answer. about their character. You get craft stories. Boynton identi- and put their boots to the
The CBC video journalist to meet them.” fies this as a major hurdle for ground.
is considering whether she Hayley Woodin, a multi- today’s reporter. “You’ll get better stories,
would rather tell a story in media reporter at Business in “The challenge in the you’ll get better colour, you’ll
250 words, one photo, or a Vancouver, says that one of future is to find ways for us to understand the story much
one-minute video. her most memorable jobs was be able to explore our multi- better because you’re in the
For some journalists, this reporting on mining company media sides and be multime- space,” Lovgreen says. “And
would be an easy question. operations in Central Amer- dia journalists, but also allow you never know, you might
The answer might depend ica. the time to do it properly and find another story on
on the specialization they’ve Woodin argues that her do it more in-depth,” he says. your way.” L
honed over their career. videos and photography For Woodin, the biggest
However, Lovgreen is a mul- added context to her written challenge is knowing when to
ti-skilled reporter, who shoots pieces. focus on improving her skills
video, writes and reports for “One of the things I relied on one platform or another.
web, and does on-air report- on in those videos was to “How do I choose which
ing for CBC television and show what it’s like to be skills to go deep on? Does
radio. there,” Woodin says. “Video that close doors?” she asks. “I
“I think it’s wonderful provides a good avenue for think sometimes it can be a
Visit LJR.ca
to be able to tell a story in letting a story speak for itself challenge being a generalist,
to hear a podcast on
different ways, because each without having it go through but there’s value in it.”
how multimedia plat-
story might be better for each my words.” Acknowledging the chal-
forms enhance journal-
platform,” Lovgreen says. She adds that her expe- lenges, Lovgreen is adamant
ists’ work.
The expectation that a rience filming in Central that better things happen
reporter should be proficient America continually reminded
in many forms of media her about the importance of
storytelling has increased leaving the newsroom, getting
over the years, as newsroom out and meeting people and
budgets have tightened and fully understanding their
layoffs have impacted the stories.
number of journalists on staff. Although she says it’s not
A 2014 study published in The realistic to do every interview
Journal of Media Innova- in person, she finds value
tions found that 58 per cent in leaving her desk to be on
of surveyed journalists said scene.
reporters are expected to be “It always amazes me how
multi-skilled in their media much you can glean,” Woodin
organizations. says. “You can sometimes find
The study’s findings also the story in the details, like
indicated that half of surveyed the atmosphere of the crowd,
journalists felt being mul- or what people are saying
ti-skilled was a benefit to a behind the scenes.”
reporter’s creativity. Sean Boynton, an online
Lovgreen says that using journalist for Global News,
photos and video allows her to says that multimedia can add
capture emotion in a way that depth and complexity to a
is more difficult to communi- longer web story: “Especially
cate in a written piece. if you’re telling a visual story,
Reading a quote is one words can only do so much.
thing, she says, but “there’s For someone to see what we’re
something so special about talking about, you get a taste
hearing someone say those of that with video.”
same words. The crack in Tighter budgets and small-

THE SIGN-OFF
The
Megaphone sell it for $2, keeping proceeds
from every sale.
express themselves and gives
them a sense of ownership
Model
As the magazine has over the magazine.
grown, the editorial team Carlson notes that a lot
has evolved to include not of “parachute journalism”
just trained journalists, like happens in the Downtown
Condon and Carlson, but also Eastside—with journalists
community members. coming in, getting quotes,
A look at Vancouver’s Megaphone has teamed snapping photos and leaving.
up with the Portland Hotel It has made community mem-
street magazine in the Society to create a writing bers resistant to talk—which
workshop for people who is part of why a magazine like
Downtown Eastside were going through treatment Megaphone exists, she says:
F
with the society. The work- “We need to starting thinking
shop provides opportunities about whose story this is and
S TORY AND PHOTO BY T I E RN EY GRAT TA N for community members to actually listen.” L
For over a decade, Meg- rapidly. “I found it increas-

aphone magazine has been oc- ingly difficult,” says Condon,
cupying a space that once felt about reporting on the issue,
unsafe for many marginalized “because the problem just
communities: the old police seemed to be getting worse.”
station on Main Street in the Condon learned about a
Downtown Eastside. street paper that had been
Since 2006, it has been a operating in Vancouver since
place for these people to feel the 1990s, but which was
empowered, with Megaphone struggling financially. Con-
just one of several non-profits don—who served as executive
sharing office space in the new director of Megaphone from
community hub. 2006 to 2016—put together
“There were a lot of our a group of journalists to help
vendors who didn’t even make it succeed.
want to come into the space Today, the magazine is
because of all the bad things run entirely by volunteers,
that happened in the police with its purpose being to
station,” says Paula Carlson, create economic opportuni-
Megaphone’s managing edi- ties for those who can’t find
tor. “We had Aboriginal elders it elsewhere. Each month
come in and bless the space.” the volunteers put together
Megaphone—a magazine Megaphone’s stories, publish
focused on stories of social the magazine, then contract
justice, culture, politics and homeless and low-income
independent arts—was re- vendors to sell it on the
launched, in its current form, streets of Vancouver and
by Sean Condon in 2005. Victoria.
At the time, Condon was The vendors—each of
working as a freelance jour- whom go through an hour-
nalist and noticed, through long training session on how
Megaphone founder Sean Condon.
his reporting, that homeless- to be a vendor—buy copies of
ness numbers were rising the magazine for 75 cents and

THE SIGN-OFF
G Given the challenge of get-

ting a job in journalism these
days, several young writers—
with little or no media experi-
ence—have decided to make a
name for themselves online.
Blogs have grown in pop-
ularity over the past decade,
blog The Venti Blonde in 2017
while stuck at a nine-to-five
corporate job. She believes
that blogging could one day
replace traditional journalism
and, like Dayal, thinks that
blogging is a great way for
someone to connect with their
and junior writers are using audience.
the new platform as a step- “People always have their
ping stone into the media phones, so blogging is such
business. a great tool to connect with
One of these writers is Har- them and build a community
man Dayal, a 19-year-old full- that shares common inter-
time correspondent for The ests,” Kowal says. “Blogging
Athletic, a subscription-based allows you to talk about a
sports website. Dayal previ- certain topic in great detail.
ously wrote for blogs such as Everything is always easily
The Canuck Way and Canucks searchable on a blog or a
Army while in high school website, so people can go back
and university. He started and read about something
Harman Dayal, staff writer contributing to The Athletic as you’ve written years later
for The Athletic. a freelancer in late 2018, and without a hassle.”
joined the team full-time less Lauren Brice is a 17-year-
than a year later. old blogger from Jackson,
Dayal originally went to Wyo., who writes a book-re-
Trinity Western University view blog called Reading,
New Kids
for a science degree before Writing and Me. She says
dropping out in July of 2019 that some people in the media
to join The Athletic. business can undervalue a
“I felt, given how difficult writer’s work because they are
on the
sports media can be to break young.
into, I had to take the leap,” “They don’t tend to recog-
he says of his decision to quit nize how much work goes into
school. it or they don’t think it’s legit-
Block
While he believes that a imate because you’re young,”
journalism degree can be she says.
helpful, Dayal thinks that “I think I just enjoy having
having a body of work and an a place to be creative and ex-
identity is more important. press my thoughts.
I also love
How young writers “When you’re applying

for a gig, the first thing the
being able to connect other
people to books that they’ll
with few credentials are prospective employer is going
to look for is your writing
enjoy.”
Dayal hopes that more
getting jobs the pros samples,” says Dayal. “You young writers get noticed
just have to find a way to build online.
are looking for your own identity.” “I don’t see why an ambi-
Kristin Kowal, a 25-year- tious young writer wouldn’t
old fashion and lifestyle blog- be able to carve a path for
S TO RY AND PHOTO BY JOS HUA REY ger from Toronto, started her themselves.” L

THE SIGN-OFF
(From left): Harrison Mooney,

Vancouver Sun reporter; Shireen
Ahmed, freelance sports writer;
Joon Lee, ESPN staff writer.
Changing gree. After some graduate work

at Trinity Western University,
he launched, along with college
still an issue.
“This is a newspaper that
represents one of the most
the Game
friend Daniel Wagner, the Pass diverse regions in the world,”
It To Bulis blog, focused on the says Mooney. “You shouldn’t
Vancouver Canucks. look around our newsroom and
“Within two years, we see only white faces, or mostly
Meet the new (diverse) faces of were running the blog for the
Vancouver Sun,” says Mooney.
white faces.”
Diversity has been a hot top-
G
sports journalism STORY BY MAXIM FOSSEY “At the end of our second year, ic in newsrooms around North
I got hired at the Sun as a web America, but it’s particularly
editor. But it was never really relevant in the sports depart-
my plan to end up here.” ments—which, more than
Growing up in Abbotford, the paper so popular with his Mooney—who self-identifies most, are still dominated by
Harrison Mooney remembers parents. as black—says that “standing older, white men. Recent con-
seeing his mother reading the Still, Mooney decided not out” has been an issue through- troversies surrounding hockey
Vancouver Sun cover to cover to pursue a journalism degree; out his life. And while he cred- commentator Don Cherry—and
every morning. From an early instead, he went to the Univer- its the Sun with progressive his views on immigrants, which
age, he says, he knew he want- sity of Fraser Valley, where he attitudes towards race, Mooney ultimately forced him out of the
ed to be a writer and work for graduated with an English de- says that a lack of diversity is Hockey Night in Canada host-
36 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photos (from left): Maxim Fossey; courtesy Shireen Ahmed and Joon Lee
THE SIGN-OFF
“We are taught to think that having

biases makes us not good journalists,
which is totally untrue... lived experience
counts for something.”
– Shireen Ahmed, freelance sports writer
ing chair—only accentuated the journalist she is today. Ahmed moment he entered college, but South Korea.
diversity problem. believes that having a differ- getting to where he is now was “I never expected to have
For Halifax native Shireen ent racial perspective is really a bumpy path. the opportunity to report in
Ahmed—a freelance sports invaluable as a journalist. “We “All of the emotional stuff Korean, seeing Chloe Kim, a
writer and co-host of the Burn are taught to think that having that you have to deal with, fellow Korean-American, win
It All Down podcast—racism biases makes us not good jour- like dealing with some people the gold for the United States,”
reared its ugly head early on. nalists, which is totally untrue,” being insensitive with race says Lee. To be there, in per-
When Ahmed was 11 years old, she says. “Lived experience and just how they talk about son, “was an incredibly
she was racially attacked by an counts for something.” it, [is difficult],” he says. Lee emotional experience.”
opponent on the soccer field. Joon Lee is another sports thinks that the more bylines, As far as Harrison Moon-
The referee ended up ejecting journalist who has had to con- TV appearances and radio ey is concerned, the value of
Ahmed, despite not hearing or front issues of race and racism spots featuring racialized sports having more diversity in the
seeing what the opponent had throughout his young career. journalists, the easier it will be sports department is that it
done. “It wasn’t the first time I The 24-year-old writer, who to encourage others to follow in often delivers more diversity in
had been racially abused,” says works for ESPN, moved with their footsteps. the journalism: “You’re looking
Ahmed. “But it was the first his family to Boston from Seoul For Lee, one of his proud- for the stuff that isn’t getting
time I had been racially abused when he was two months old. est moments—what he calls covered, the insight that’s not
in a sports context.” Lee says that sports journal- a “full-circle moment”—came being expressed—and the an-
That experience stayed ism was something he wanted two years ago, when he got to gles and perspectives that
with Ahmed, and informs the to do professionally from the go to the Winter Olympics in aren’t being elevated.” L

THE SIGN-OFF
Eye of the Tweetstorm

How journalists deal with social media controversy,
backlash, death threats, troll wars and more
I
S TO RY AND ILLUST RAT ION BY C HRIS T IN A DO M M E R
If you’re in the journalism ing to do with race or diversity China,” Bula says. “It just got sensitive to criticism.
industry and you don’t look for- because of my reputation [on vilified by many people.” “I remember somebody
ward to checking your Twitter those police stories],” says Li. With never-ending fires making a critical remark on my
account, you are not alone. Globe and Mail report- to fight on social media, how [work] that had nothing to do
“I once got tweeted a really er Frances Bula was at the do these journalists find the with race or gender, and I was
blurry photo of a black person centre of “some fairly famous strength and courage to keep so upset,” Li recalls. “Now I’m
lying in a pool of blood,” free- fights with people on Twitter,” logging on? a cool, calm, collected type of
lancer Anita Li recalls. Li cur- particularly focused on the “I know myself, I know my person.”
rently runs The Other Wave, housing crisis in Vancouver. As skills, I know my intention, I Bula’s social media phi-
a blog devoted to reviewing Bula describes it, some people know my skills as a reporter in losophy is a little different. “I
film, TV and movies through a were blaming wealthy Chinese particular, and as an editor,” do want to expose myself to
diverse lens. immigrants for the crisis— Li says. That self-confidence different ideas all the time and
But during her three years buying property and choosing allows Li to distinguish genuine keep learning,” she says, noting
as a reporter at Mashable, not to live here. criticism from trolling, and the that she’s very reluctant to hit
an online site that specializes “I had a few blog posts occasional attempt to convince the block button.
in science and technology where I looked at the statistics a naysayer to see things from “I’ve had people who have
developments, Li sometimes and I said, ‘we need to be care- her point of view. criticized me, libelled me,
found herself covering cases of ful in assuming it’s just them, Li remembers when that abused me on Twitter for two
police brutality. and there’s a lot of other factors wasn’t the case, though. During or three years before I’ll finally
“I would occasionally get to think about here.’ I wrote her first paid internship at The go, ‘Okay, I really can’t have a
really negative comments or a story where I profiled some Globe and Mail in the summer conversation with this person—
slurs on articles that had noth- immigrants from mainland of 2011, she was much more it’s time to go.’” L

Jeani Read was The Province
newspaper’s first full-time rock
critic, a lifestyles columnist,
and the author of 1986’s Endless
Summers and Other Shared
Hallucinations. Her husband,
Michael Mercer, was an award-
winning playwright and script
writer. Their legacy to young
writers is Langara Journalism’s
Read/Mercer Fellowship.
The spirit of thoughtful,

enquiring journalism lives on.
ENDOWMENT CREATES JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS 201ˎ FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS:
The Jeani Read-Michael Mercer Fellowship for Journalism -??A/71 (CBC): A 9A8@5
<8-@2;>9series ;:&41
was established to encourage students to continue their -5:?@>1-95:3;25:02A8:1??
pursuit of journalistic excellence through mentorship. This
1::521>)58?;: (CBC): 9A8@5
<8-@2;>9?1>51? ;:%4-@@1>10
endowed fund provides four fellowships annually worth
;99A:5@E
$7,500 each. Successful applicants will receive support for
approximately two months while they produce a major work %-?4- ,15081>(Globe and Mail): -21-@A>1;:&4153 ;5?1&41;>E
of journalism, such as an in-depth newspaper story, or series
(5;81@@->E-7 (Globe and Mail): -feature;:;A74;.;>?
of stories suitable for publication in a newspaper, magazine,
&A>.A81:@5?@;>E -A8@A>1U:01>&4>1-@.
or on the web, or for broadcast on the radio. Journalism
students may apply for this award in their final term.
Fellowships will be awarded in the Spring.
For more information visit www.langara.ca/journalism.

L A N G A R A
JOURNALISM REVIEW
Spring 2020 – No. 24 LJR.ca
CONFLICTED
VIEWS
Reporting on Indigenous issues has long been an us-vs.-them
narrative. Is it time for a new way to tell the story? p.24
NO FIXED VIRAL GAME

ADDRESS EFFECTS FACE
How a non-traditional journalist is Has COVID-19 changed the way Sports journalism in a post-
changing views on homelessness p.16 reporters work forever? p.28 Don Cherry world p.36
SUPPORT HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME VENDORS
BUY MEGAPHONE TODAY

Megaphone publishes award-winning magazines which are then sold by 175 vendors in Vancouver and
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Your support provides meaningful employment and empowers our vendors, while helping them take
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CONT ENT S
Features
12
TV on Top
Over the past few decades, many smaller com-
munities lost their local newscast. How CHEK in
Victoria and Global Okanagan in Kelowna have
bucked the trend.
21
Audio Revolution
Will the rise of uber-fans and
dedicated platforms lead to pod-
casting overtaking radio?
28
Following the
Pandemic
How B.C. journalists adapted to cover
the COVID-19 outbreak—and those
whose livelihoods suffered.
p.24
24 16
War of Taking it to
Words the Streets
In the year of the Wet’suwet’en Stanley Q. Woodvine, a journalist
protests, questions have been with no fixed address, is breaking
raised about how we tell ground covering homelessness—
Indigenous stories. Is a new age and writing about those directly
of reporting on the horizon? affected by the housing crisis.
Photos (cover and this page): Liam Hill-Allan Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 3
C ONT ENT S
The Lead
A Worldly Perspective
How global journalists report on the Meng
Wanzhou story differently. p.6
Only on LJR.ca
Matters of the Mind
The importance of empathy when writing about
issues of mental health. p.8
Intelligent Solutions
Five AI services that could change the way
journalists work. p.9
Criminal Attitudes Not So

Media coverage of parolees is harming their
Private Life
ability to reintegrate. p.10
How Canadian and British
media covered “Megxit”
Taking Credit p.6 differently
What are the dos and don’ts of making
attributions online? p.11
The Sign-Off
Getting the Whole Picture
When words are not enough to tell a story
well. p.32
A Civics Lesson
School board and city hall cov-
A Voice for the Voiceless erage flourishes with citizen
The improbable success of Megaphone
journalists
magazine, 14 years on. p.34
Kids These Days

Not everybody is cut out for j-school, as these
three upstarts prove. p.35
Sporting Change
Why game day coverage needs to evolve to
reflect societal diversity. p.36
Loss For Words
Best practices for
Toxic Tweets interviewing the general
public in times of grief
p.32 Is social media ruining how journalists interact
with each other? p.38
4 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photo/illustrations (clockwise from top left): Liam Hill-Allan, Christina Dommer, Kristen Holliday
Editor’s Note The LJR Team
J
Journalism is like energy. It will never go away or be destroyed. It will only change PUBLISHER
forms—something, I think, the distress of a global pandemic has taught us. Matt O’Grady
The stories in this magazine were mostly assigned and edited before COVID-19
fully took hold; the final production of it almost didn’t happen. Having to learn EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
to work together, remotely, has been a huge challenge, and we’ll take the lessons Missy Johnson
learned with us throughout our careers.
One of those lessons is technological, and the realization that social media is MANAGING EDITOR
one of the first and only ways many people get their news each day. But it’s not just Austin Everett
platforms of journalism that are changing; it’s also the words we use to tell stories.
Among the biggest things that the Langara Journalism Review team learned SECTION EDITORS
this year was that, as journalists, we have a huge responsibility when reporting on Maxim Fossey and Tierney Grattan
important social issues. Whether it’s homelessness, those in our court system, or
Canada’s many Indigenous communities, we have a duty to get it right. C R E AT I V E D I R E C TO R
Pulling together our feature on COVID-19 (p.28)—at the very last minute—also Liam Hill-Allan
taught us about the value of journalism to local communities, and how local media,
in particular, are under constant threat. It’s important to keep the truth alive. PRODUCTION MANAGER
These past few months, the LJR team has been on a ride; I don’t think we real- Christina Dommer
ized going in how much we would learn about journalism from the stories we got
to tell. To the many professional journalists we interacted with to help produce this D I G I TA L E D I TO R
magazine, we say thank you for your willingness to show us the way. L
Joseph Ayres
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Joshua Rey
A S S I S TA N T P U B L I S H E R
Tierney Grattan
COPY EDITORS
Joshua Rey and Maxim Fossey
CONTRIBUTORS
Joseph Ayres
Christina Dommer
Austin Everett
Maxim Fossey
Nathan Gan
Tierney Grattan
Liam Hill-Allan
Kristen Holliday
Missy Johnson
Joshua Rey
Kristian Trevena

THE LEAD
In the
Global E Early one morning in the
winter of 2020, Zhang Sen
got a call from his assignment
editor in China. He was being
asked to pack his bags and
jump on a plane to Vancouver
to cover a court case that had
ities for Huawei’s allegedly
fraudulent activity—specifi-
cally, using a shell company
to sell equipment to Iran,
which violated U.S. sanctions
against Iran, and falsely rep-
resenting that information to
Spotlight
captivated the world. Huawei’s bank, HSBC. Meng
Zhang is a Toronto-based was apprehended by RCMP at
video journalist and chief Vancouver Airport on Dec. 1,
Canadian correspondent for 2018, en route to Mexico from
China Central Television Hong Kong.
(CCTV)—covering stories that Huawei is one of the
As the world’s reporters gathered are of interest to the Chinese world’s top technology compa-
for the extradition hearing of people and, more important-
ly, the Chinese government,
nies, with a growing role in
how global citizens communi-
Meng Wanzhou, each told a which controls CCTV. cate with each other. The case
slightly different story The case that brought
Zhang (and countless other
came against the backdrop of
a trade dispute between China
international media) to B.C. and the U.S., which accused
Supreme Court in January China of dumping products
2020 was the extradition in North America. Canada got
S TORY BY AUSTIN EV E RET T / / P HOTOS BY hearing for Meng Wanzhou, caught in the middle of the
LIA M HILL-ALLAN an d A US T IN E V E RET T the high-profile CFO of Hua- duelling superpowers: shortly
wei. The hearing was looking after Meng’s arrest, China
into whether Canada could threw two Canadians expats
deliver Meng to U.S. author- into jail on spying allegations,

THE LEAD
Huawei
vs.
Apple
PLACEMENT
IN TOP 20
TECHNOLOGY
BRANDS IN 2019
*Apple: #1
Huawei: #15
Media await Meng Wanzhou

SMARTPHONE
outside B.C. Supreme Court
UNIT SHIPMENTS
(left) and her Vancouver
GLOBALLY
home (right) in January
IN 2019
2020.
Apple:
191,000,000
*Huawei:
and put trade restrictions on People’s Daily News. In it, a can write about and what you
240,600,000
Canadian imports of beef, spokesperson for the Chi- cannot, and to what extent the
pork, canola and soybeans. nese embassy in Ottawa is kind of language can be used.
But, as Zhang explains it, quoted as saying: “the Meng So guidelines are very, very NET PROFITS,
the way the Meng story is told Wanzhou incident is not just clear.” Information comes 2018
depends heavily on who the a judicial case, but the U.S. from the top down, adds Yu; (IN CDN)
audience is. “Countries have using state power to work with whether it’s national, provin-
different ideals, perspectives its certain ally to suppress cial or municipal news, “it’s all *Apple:
and ways they want to com- a private high-tech Chinese from the same source.” $79.78 Billion
municate with their people,” enterprise on unwarranted Although Zhang is unwill-
Zhang says, in Mandarin, out- charges. This is a typical bul- ing to get into details about
Huawei:
side Meng’s Vancouver home. lying behaviour.” how his stories get told in Chi- $11.46 Billion
Without a doubt, there are While western media na, he admits there is a heavy Source: Form 10-K Apple Inc.
two stories being told. “The pursue leads, deliver scoops editorial hand. annual report, 2018. Huawei annual
report, 2018
Chinese media [portray] Meng and uncover wrongdoing, in Meanwhile, the extradition
as a victim, showcasing how China journalists are required hearings for Meng remained
the U.S. is being a bully and to file stories that strictly in limbo in late spring, thanks MONEY SPENT
is trying to destroy Huawei adhere to guidelines provided to the COVID-19 pandemic. ON R&D IN
as a company,” says Yanmin by the Ministry of the Public- Expectations were that Meng 2018 (IN CDN)
Yu, who teaches media and ity Department of the Central and her lawyers would be back
international relations at the Committee of the Communist to court in June, arguing that
Apple: $19.08
University of Bridgeport in Party of China. her alleged conduct didn’t Billion
Connecticut. “[Journalists and major rise to the level of fraud under *Huawei:
To make her case, Yu cites media outlet editors] have Canadian law.
an English-language article, those editorial meetings every When that happens, Zhang $136.03
published in August 2019, in day,” notes Yu. “They receive Sen expects to be back in Van- Billion
the Chinese-government-run from higher above what you couver, reporting that story. L Source: Statista.com

THE LEAD
Finding a sion and objectivity, accord-

ing to André Picard, a health
reporter for The Globe and
like mental illness, because you
do have to be empathetic and
human to tell a full story.”
Balance
Mail and contributor to the Miller also thinks that news
CJF guide. media have a huge impact on
“The most influential how mental health is viewed on
change that media can and a societal level. “I wouldn’t say
should make is to start treating it’s [journalists’] responsibility
Mental health stories suffer when mental illness the way they do
physical illness: with curiosity,
to decrease stigma or increase
conversation, but they definite-
journalists are taught to put compassion, and a strong dose ly have an impact on how it’s
neutrality before empathy of indignation when people are

mistreated or wronged,” wrote
portrayed.”
Changing the language
Picard in the foreword. He also surrounding mental health cov-
A
argued that journalists need to erage is key to changing those
S TO RY BY KRISTIAN T REV E N A / / be aware of the missing pieces perceptions, according to Jan
ILLUS TRATION BY J OS E P H AYRE S of mental health coverage, and Wong, a former reporter for
be the ones to bring change to The Globe and Mail and profes-
their reporting. sor at St. Thomas University.
Anna Mehler Paperny was Journalism Forum on Vio- Tanya Miller, mental She says journalists need to add
in an interview for an intern- lence and Trauma published a health initiatives consultant at more context to their stories:
ship several years ago when free guide for newsrooms and Langara College and a former “I think that we forget to write
she was asked how she would journalism schools on how to journalism student, says that important sentences. Things
cover a suicide. She told the fairly and accurately report on reporting on mental health like ‘the vast majority of people
interviewer what questions she mental health issues. The guide often involves journalists going with mental illness are not
would ask and how she would discusses topics like stigmas, against their instincts. violent,’”
go about asking them. It was addiction, mental health in “It’s hard in journalism,” And that context starts with
a trick question, she was told: Indigenous people, and suicide. says Miller. “We’re taught to the right questions, Wong adds:
you never report on suicide. Covering such issues requires be objective, but maybe that “There are too many loaded
“That was the norm journalists to balance compas- doesn’t serve important issues questions.” L
at the time,” says the Toron-
to-based reporter for Reuters.
“You pretended like it wasn’t
there—that it was a mistake.”
One of the first things stu-
dents get taught in journalism
school is the importance of
objectivity. You are a journalist,
not an activist, and you must
remain impartial at all times.
Paperny—whose memoir,
Hello I Want to Die Please Fix
Me: Depression in the First
Person was published in 2019—
says that she has witnessed
first-hand the evolution of how
journalists cover mental health,
and has seen a difference since
she was a student, applying for
that internship.
“You pretended like [mental
illness] wasn’t there,” Paperny
says. “I think that made it so
much easier to ignore.”
In 2017, the Canadian
8 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review LJR.ca

THE LEAD
Transcription
Showdown
Five of the best AI transcription
services for today’s journalist
S TO RY BY LIAM HILL - A LL A N / /
ILLUSTRATION BY C HRIS T IN A DOMME R
F
From fake-news bots to automated articles,
journalists have good reason to be afraid of arti-
ficial intelligence. As technology becomes more
ubiquitous, there has been no hiding the disruptive
impact that AI is having on the journalism industry.
But AI also has the potential to make the lives of
journalists a little bit easier, through the power of
AI transcription. Examining factors such as design,
usability and transcription quality, we provide the
pros and cons for five of the most popular AI sites
and apps out there.
Otter Watson Speech To Text easy-to-access AI transcription offering options for integra-
What we like: Otter has What we like: Watson right into the Google toolbar. tion with other platforms and
become the go-to option for Speech To Text is a great, free What we don’t like: The site on-the-fly, group-call tran-
many journalists. The site’s option for those with more offers many of the same stand- scription—the service exceeds
clean aesthetic makes it attrac- casual transcription needs. The ard features found on sites like the needs of your average
tive and easy to use. While the IBM-created site doesn’t re- Otter, but Sonix’s overall look journalist.
site does provide a paid “pre- quire an account and is quick lacks the sleek, modern design URL: Fireflies.ai
mium” option, Otter boasts a to use, displaying everything offered by many of its com-
generous free option of 600 you need on its home page. petitors. Furthermore, the site TapeACall
minutes a month. The site is The site also transcribes up- only offers half an hour of free What we like: The TapeACall
also packed with features, such loaded audio in real-time. upload time. app is named after its primary
as analyzing transcripts for What we don’t like: The URL: Sonix.ai function: taping calls. But the
keywords and a highlighter simplicity means there is no app has another feature—tran-
that follows the transcribed option for saving documents Fireflies scription—which means that
text upon playback. post-transcription. What we like: Fireflies is recording and transcribing can
What we don’t like: Otter URL: IBM.com/Watson packed with features. Those happen in one place.
struggles to determine when with more complex transcrip- What we don’t like: The app
more than one person is Sonix tion needs might enjoy the is not free ($6.49 a month)
speaking. And if you’re trying What we like: The website’s site’s modern aesthetic and and the recording feature has
to get the right acronym, well, Google Chrome extension is a free-to-use account option. been known to malfunction
good luck! handy tool that some journal- What we don’t like: While from time to time.
URL: Otter.ai ists might find useful, placing the site is undeniably useful— URL: TapeACall.com L

THE LEAD
Life Sentence
Can convicts, having served their sentence,
ever get a fair shake from the news media?
S TORY AND ILL US T RAT I ON BY C HRI S T I N A D O M M E R
E
Early in January, Surrey
Mayor Doug McCallum
released a statement from his
office, criticizing the RCMP
and Parole Board of Canada
for granting day parole to
Gary Jagur Singh, a man con-
victed of raping 11 women.
“For the safety of the
But Singh, also known
as the Marpole Rapist, had
committed those crimes 30
years ago, and had already
served 26 years in prison.
Was McCallum’s reaction
justified, given that Singh’s
release was going to happen
eventually?
to know nothing else about
you,” says Wong, a volunteer
with Circles of Support and
Accountability (COSA), an
organization that supports
sex offenders attempting to
reintegrate into society.
Wong was a criminolo-
gy student at Simon Fraser
hardened criminals in tears
of gratitude for COSA—in
disbelief that ordinary
people would voluntarily care
about them.
“They either very rarely or
almost never had someone
care about them in that way,”
she says.
people of Surrey, I believe According to Rhiannon University when she came In her thesis, Wong uses
that our residents need to Wong, the question of how across the COSA program; the example of sex offend-
be told where this prolific parolees are treated by the she completed her master’s er James Conway—who,
sexual predator is residing media is a thorny one. thesis on sex offender alerts throughout 2014 and 2015,
in Surrey,” wrote McCallum “[Imagine] if you took in the community and the preyed on underaged girls,
in the Jan. 10 release. “That the worst thing you’ve ever unexpected consequences often luring them from
information should be made done and everyone got to that can arise from them. SkyTrain stations.
available immediately.” know about it—and they got Today, she regularly sees When he was relocated

THE LEAD
from jail into an Abbotsford

halfway house in 2015, a lo-
covers crime and the courts,
says that there’s a lot that
however, she doesn’t see this
happening any time soon.
Who Gets
cal vandal came into the attic the media overlooks when it “No one would be interested, Credit?
with a hose and managed to comes to the criminal justice so they’re not going to do it,”
flood the house, damaging system. He thinks that a dis- Wong says.
Bloggers and
the ceiling. cussion about how our cor- Both Wong and Godfrey
journalists on how
“The news reported on rections system can do more agree that media could do a
best to credit the work
[Conway] so much that he harm than good is only now better job reporting on cases
was a victim of vandalism,” starting to happen. “The vast like Conway’s or Singh’s by
of other reporters
Wong says. “You’ll get re- majority of people who are in telling audiences more about
ports that this guy is danger- jail have childhood trauma, the decisions and factors STO RY B Y JO SE P H AY RES
ous, and he’s reoffended so have mental health struggles, behind an offender’s sen-
many times, but they won’t have developmental disabili- tence. Godfrey also suggests It is now common practice for any
go into: ‘Also, the guy has ties,” Godfrey says. that reporters highlight story running online to hyperlink to
an ankle bracelet, and he’s People reading the news those offenders who undergo the work of other journalists. But
on house arrest, and he’s es- rarely know where these restorative justice in their what is the best way to credit that
corted everywhere and never parolees are coming from, sentencing. work? We asked three working in
let out of sight.’ So his risk is according to Godfrey. “There’s a growing move- the trenches for their thoughts.
theoretically almost zero.” The public is increasingly ment of restorative justice
When these offenders supportive of rehabilitating and talking about why that’s Ian Bushfield, co-host of the
have their names back in the prisoners, but correctional successful when jails have a PolitiCoast podcast
news, Wong says, potential facilities don’t have the re- far higher recidivism rate,” “We try to mention the story we’ve
read, who wrote it, and what
source it was in. So even just
something as natural as saying, ‘I
“We think that people need to be punished rather than read this story by Justin McEl-
roy, CBC,’ and so forth. We also
rehabilitated. The media has a role in showing why that can provide links to all the stories we
reference in the show notes.”
be a damaging perspective.”
Lindsay William-Ross, managing
– Dustin Godfrey, Burnaby Now editor, Vancouver is Awesome
“Well, I guess you would have to
back up and assume you were
landlords and employers can sources to do it. “The services he says. “We think that peo- making an appropriate choice
easily look them up—making are lacking if they’re there at ple need to be punished rath- in using other journalists’ work.
it even harder for them to get all,” Godfrey says. “Some of er than rehabilitated. The So not using it gratuitously like
housing or work. The average the people who are offering media has a role in showing some places, where they don’t
media consumer wouldn’t some of the programs in jail why that can be a damaging do any of their own interviewing
know the range of person- aren’t necessarily trained perspective.” L or research and then they don’t
alities and circumstances psychiatrists or therapists. credit sources—that’s problematic
that Wong encounters at They’re corrections officers to begin with.”
her COSA meetings. She’s who might’ve taken some
worked with offenders who kind of course.” Andree Lau, editor-in-chief,
have PhDs, as well as those Today’s media industry Huffpost Canada
who’ve been on the streets is pushed by the internet “to “Directly, clearly, and transparent-
since they were kids. constantly have content,” ly… I don’t think crediting another
“I truly believe that we are says Godfrey; reporters cover journalist or another outlet ruins
creating safer communities, news releases from the police anyone’s experience. It’s very easy
Visit LJR.ca to see our to incorporate it into the flow of
because I believe the way to fulfill their assignments—
to create safer communities and, he adds, he’s hardly ex-
infographic on public a story and our own reporting. It
is by helping people, not empt from this trend. Wong perceptions of the really is not only serving our col-
stigmatizing and punishing says that going in-depth criminal justice system. leagues in the industry but it also
them,” Wong says. into a success story would Plus more on crediting serves the reader.”
Dustin Godfrey, a report- help ease some of the stigma other journalists’ work.
er for Burnaby Now who associated with parolees—

The CHEK control room on
Dec. 1, 1956. CHEK was
the first privately owned
station in B.C.
12 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photo: Courtesy CHEK News

O
Up in
the Air
How small-
market TV
stations are
struggling to
survive and ON A CHILLY AFTERNOON IN THE with many of these stations reducing
serve their spring of 1976, Rick Webber walked staff levels, consolidating or closing, the
communities into a newsroom for the very first time.

Webber was only in Grade 12 but he had
prospects for small-market stations is
far from certain.
been hired to run the station’s Top 40 Back when Webber started, the fu-
music show, geared towards teenagers. ture of broadcasting—and whether he
With palms sweating, his heart racing, would have a lifelong career in it—was
Story by he read the news at the top of the hour— not top of mind. All he knew was that
AUSTIN EVERETT his first live radio news broadcast. he wanted to be behind the mic: “I liked
His nerves were so overwhelmed that being a radio DJ. I thought it was fun.”
when it came time to read the report After third-year university, he left
he announced today’s “webber” and P.E.I. for the other end of the country,
named himself Rick “Weather.” “It was getting a part-time job at a radio station
a nerve-wracking start,” he recalls. in Powell River, B.C.; soon, the 19-year-
From that first day in 1976 until July old was appointed the station’s news di-
of 2019, Webber worked non-stop in rector. Webber—who, at that point, had
broadcasting—in a career that took him never written a news story—started each
from small-town P.E.I. to Kelowna, B.C, day putting on the first few records, typ-
where he retired as anchor for Global ing up a newscast, and reading the top
Okanagan last year. Over the course of stories of the morning.
four decades, Webber estimates that he “The job at Powell River was quite
read some 10,000 newscasts. eye opening,” Webber says. “I had to be
In many respects, Webber is the last a jack-of-all-trades.” The town—thanks
of a dying breed of broadcast journal- to the then-booming local mill—was
ists: someone who has made a career quite rich at the time, which drove home
working at small-market stations. To- the point for him, earning the wage that
day, journalists who come to work in he did, that “you weren’t in the media
smaller communities see it as a step- because you love the money.”
ping stone to something bigger. But As Webber moved across B.C. for

(Left) Rick Webber of me are two robot cameras that are also
retired in 2019 after a being operated from Vancouver. And I’m
four-decade career in running my own teleprompter with
I
broadcasting; (right) a foot pedal.”
the CHEK offices in
Victoria t wasn’t just in the Okanagan where
change was being felt. Other Canwest
properties—including CHEK—were
also feeling the pinch.
Diane Dakers worked for CHEK
work, the assignments got more special- the face of Okanagan news—to Victoria’s from 1999 to 2001, and is the author of
ized. He was no longer the DJ plus news CHEK, also owned by Canwest. CHEK Republic: A Revolution in Local
director; everyone had one job that they The initial idea was that Webber would Television. According to Dakers, once
were responsible for, be it editing, report- read the news from Victoria, but after pub- Canwest purchased WIC Television, its
ing or shooting. Back then, says Webber, lic outcry in Kelowna about losing their stations—including CHEK and CHBC—
news was “a licence to print money,” so local newscast—and the face of that pro- saw a 30 per cent reduction in staff.
that sort of specialization was possible. gram—the decision was reversed. Still, Rebranding stations to rationalize
After working at a variety of stations, Web- CHBC’s future was far from certain. In production costs became part of the Can-
ber moved to Kelowna in 1999 for a posi- 2009, at the depth of the economic crisis, west plan. Similar to how CHBC was now
tion at what was then CHBC (now Global letters were sent out to Webber and the Global Okanagan, with a control room in
Okanagan). Webber felt he had finally CHBC staff announcing layoffs. Vancouver, Canwest announced in 2001
found his dream job. While the layoffs never happened, Can- that it would rebrand CHEK as CH—part
But in the spring of 2000, a company west ultimately decided to rebrand CHBC of a “secondary television system” that in-
called Canwest Global Communications and fold it into the Global TV network. The cluded stations in Red Deer, Hamilton and
Corp.—which owned radio, television and move saved Webber’s job, and the station, Montreal.
publishing assets across Canada—had but would change the nature of local news The rebranding came with celebrity
purchased WIC Television, which owned in Kelowna forever. gossip and lifestyle programming that was
CHBC. As the decade progressed, Winni- Weber describes what the new reality different from what the B.C. capital had
peg-based Canwest started to rationalize looked like, upon his retirement: “With a seen before. “The local market rejected it.
services: in November 2008, 23 positions green screen behind me as a new superim- They would make decisions that weren’t
were eliminated at CHBC, while the com- posed set, I have a director in my ear, talk- in Islanders’ best interest,” says CHEK
pany announced plans to move Webber— ing to me from Vancouver. Sitting in front general manager and CEO Rob Germain,
14 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photos: Courtesy Rick Webber (left); Austin Everett (right)
save the station. When that failed, they be providing this kind of a public service,”
decided to find the money themselves. says Webber.
“We got together and started thinking “I feel privileged to work in an industry
about how we were going to stay alive,” where it has purpose, people care, and we
Germain recalls. “Investors said to us can make a difference in people’s lives,”
that if we put up our own money, they says Germain.
were more likely to consider investing.” And he’s bullish on the future too.
The initial fundraising efforts were “We had to update our cameras and
promising. Global newsrooms in Cal- all our equipment,” says Germain of the
gary, Edmonton and Vancouver each initial costs of relaunching CHEK as an
raised over $15,000 to help the CHEK employee-owned station. “Our next step
cause; local, provincial and federal poli- is to create an over-the-top channel, like
ticians voiced their support, while Van- Netflix, likely to be called CHEK-Plus. We
couver Islanders also pitched in. “Save are all really motivated here. We are doing
CHEK News” t-shirts popped up every- more than just news.” L
where in a sign of support. “The public
was a great motivator— knowing we had
them behind us helped us to get moving,”
Germain says.
TV in B.C.:
Just four days before that final news-
cast was set to air in August, $2.5 million
A Timeline
had been raised. The buyout plan was
presented to Canwest, but it was initial-
ly rejected. “I arrived at work that day
not knowing if it would be my last day or
who has worked at the station since 1995.

not,” Germain says. After another week
of negotiations, Canwest agreed to sell the
1951
Canadians, despite having no home-
“People here just didn’t like it.” station, with CHEK becoming fully em- grown TV stations, owned 25,000
D
The rebranding effort ultimately didn’t ployee-owned. television sets to watch the U.S. news
work, and by the time the 2008 financial
crisis struck, Canwest announced further iane Dakers, in her book on
cuts to the CHEK newsroom: 19 employ-
ees would be let go, leaving the Victoria
CHEK, outlines how the sta-
tion managed to survive as an
1956
The first private
workforce with just 40 staff. Then Canwest independent operator—thanks television station in B.C.,
announced that they were looking at “stra- to a combination of its unique CHEK, opens in Victoria
tegic options” for their remaining stations, business model, post-Canwest, and a close
saying that a “secondary conventional tel- bond with its community. As Dakers sees
evision network is no longer key to long-
term success.”
it, there is a deep culture of prioritizing lo-
cal companies in B.C.—especially on Van-
1957
CFJC Kamloops, CHBC Kelowna and
By May 2009, Canwest announced that couver Island—which, in part, explains
CJDC Dawson Creek go on the air for the
buyers had been found for some of its sec- CHEK’s survival.
first time
ondary CH stations, including those in The Island identity has always been a
Montreal and Hamilton. But CHEK, and unique part of Victoria and Vancouver Is-
the Red Deer station (CHCA), were with-
out buyers—and their futures in question.
land, and that’s reflected in its newscasts.
Islanders are passionate about local sto-
2008
23 are laid off in the CHBC newsroom
Rob Germain, who was CHEK’s news ries and were willing to give to the CHEK
director at the time, says that initially they cause to keep its identity alive, says Dak-
were relieved CHEK was for sale—hoping ers. “The people in Red Deer lobbied to try
that a new buyer would reverse some of to save their station in the same way,” she
2009
CHEK, facing the prospect of going off
the severe budget cuts. But when CHEK notes. “But the interest just wasn’t there.”
air, is bought by its employees
remained on the selling block as 2009 pro- From CHEK to CHBC, every small-mar-
gressed, worry began to set in. That worry ket station in B.C. has local stories to tell.
turned to panic when Canwest announced They have passionate audiences. And
that summer that CHEK would go off the they’ve provided lasting and meaningful 2020
air by August 31, if no buyers were found. careers to broadcasters like Rick Webber 15 TV stations
Germain and John Pollard, who was and Rob Germain—a legacy that both men remain in B.C. today
then CHEK’s general manager, put their embrace. “I can’t think of a better way to
heads together and came up with a pitch to spend your time, to make a living, than to
Illustration: Christina Dommer Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 15

Stanley Q. Woodvine, in front
of his bike and trailer, in
Vancouver’s Fairview
neighbourhood.

STREET
CRED
Stanley Q. Woodvine is changing
the way Vancouver sees homelessness
Story and Photography by LIAM HILL-ALLAN
S
TANLEY Q. WOODVINE ternet to blog about the things in Van-
spends much of his time couver that catch his attention. Weather
at the Waves coffee shop anomalies and the changing face of the
on Broadway and Spruce city are common topics for Woodvine.
in Vancouver’s Fairview But he also delves into weightier issues,
area, a neighbourhood he and it’s this content that has garnered
calls his own. the most attention.
Like many Vancouverites, Woodvine The blogger covers homelessness in
foregos a traditional office space in ex- Vancouver and is uniquely qualified to
change for one of the city’s many cafes. do so: he has been without a permanent
Settled on a leather armchair in a cor- residence for over a decade, and has
ner of the shop, he gets a lot done at this been writing about his experience for
location, typing away on his Panasonic much of that time.
CF30, a rugged laptop known for its Despite having less access to the ba-
use by the U.S. Army. Outside, his bike sic amenities that much of Vancouver
rests against a pole with a large trailer takes for granted, Woodvine keeps a
fastened to the back. It’s in this trailer clean-cut appearance. With black hair
that Woodvine stores many of his per- and only the occasional speck of grey,
sonal items. the blogger looks a decade younger than
Woodvine relies on the cafe’s free in- his 60 years.

In Vancouver’s Downtown
Eastside and the areas that
surround it, signs of poverty
are commonplace.
Those who are familiar with Wood- standing concerns. “Sometimes research can be helpful,
vine’s work most likely came across it in One 2018 article from The Tyee, titled especially when done respectfully in true
The Georgia Straight. The writer has had a “Can Reporting on Vulnerable People Do collaboration with the community. But
rare arrangement with the publication for a More Harm than Good?”, tells the story research can also hurt,” the authors said.
number of years; the paper’s editor, Charlie of a group of journalism students entering “Research can increase inequality, con-
Smith, is free to pull from Woodvine’s blog Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neigh- tribute to stigma, exploit peoples’ pain,
in exchange for a monthly sum of a few hun- bourhood with the intention of reporting exhaust community members and typical-
dred dollars. The result is a regular column on a popular outdoor flea market. The ly benefits researchers much more than it
T
titled “Homeless in Vancouver.” It is from group is confronted by an area advocate benefits the DTES.”
this platform that Woodvine pulls back the who criticizes them for interviewing resi-
curtain on homelessness, allowing Vancou- dents without “giving anything meaningful ravis Lupick is a freelance jour-
verites a glimpse into life on the streets of back.” nalist who has long focused on
the city. Another article, published in 2019 by the issues relating to the Downtown
It’s unsurprising that The Georgia web magazine Canadaland and titled “How Eastside, and authored the 2017
Straight has taken an interest in Wood- (Not) To Report On Vancouver’s Downtown book by Arsenal Pulp Press,
vine’s work. A 2019 homeless count in Van- Eastside,” suggests that years of poor re- Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug
couver saw 2,223 people without a roof over porting on the area have left many Vancou- Users Transformed One City’s Struggle
their heads, the highest number recorded verites with a skewed understanding of its with Addiction.
since the survey began in 2002. And it’s a residents. Lupick acknowledges that journalists are
problem on the minds of many locals; a A 2019 manifesto titled “Research 101: faced with ethical hurdles when reporting on
2012 study conducted by Angus Reid Pub- A Manifesto for Ethical Research in the marginalized communities. “Are you being
lic Opinion found that homelessness is a Downtown Eastside”— written by SFU responsible?” Lupick asks of those who con-
widespread concern for those living in Van- PhD student Scott Neufeld, in collabora- duct interviews in the Downtown Eastside.
couver—on par with affordable housing and tion with various Downtown Eastside or- Unlike many who have reported on the
transportation. ganizations—outlines the potential harm neighbourhood, Lupick has actually spent
As homeless rates have increased to that academic researchers and journalists time living there too. He says that expe-
record highs, the corresponding me- can unwittingly cause when operating in rience built in an “accountability mecha-
dia coverage has reignited some long the Downtown Eastside. nism,” meaning he could run into the peo-

ple he was writing about. “Living in the “It was about a fellow named Ted, dy- in his creativity. He remembers being in a
Downtown Eastside,” he says. “You get to ing in a Tim Hortons,” he recalls. “The City “frightening” institution as a child, yet still
W
know your neighbours.” knew he was there; they knew he’d been vir- sourcing art materials from administrators
tually living in Tim Hortons for nine years. to create his own comic book. And as he got
hile Lupick’s experience He had terminal cancer. Why did anybody older, he honed his creative skills.
has gotten him close to “I used the concept of art and pursuing
Vancouver’s poverty crises, that as a career—as a kind of goal to get
few have gotten as close as
“The entire me out of a situation that I was growing up
Stanley Q. Woodvine. Ac- within,” he says.
cording to Woodvine, it was the disconnect
experience of He eventually left the prairies, hitchhik-
between journalists and the people they ing to Vancouver in 1980. He took work as a
covered that partially inspired his journey
homelessness is graphic designer, working for such publica-
into journalism. tions as the (now-defunct) WestEnder and
“It was frustrating to me the way
largely filtered through Georgia Straight. However, lacking a mind
homelessness was being treated,” he says. for business, Woodvine says he ended up
“The entire experience of homelessness
the writing of non- focusing too heavily on the creative side of
is largely filtered through the writing of his freelance business, allowing his finances
non-homeless people.”
homeless people.” to suffer.
Using his personal familiarity with the “Part of the job that I considered to be
— Stanley Q. Woodvine
topic, Woodvine has written a wide variety onerous—and an afterthought—was all the
of stories, with titles such as: “Some posi- accounting and the billing,” he acknowledg-
tives and negatives of Dumpster diving” and leave him homeless? I mean, why? And no es. “And I paid the price for that.”
“Going to bed under Sunday’s heavy blanket one could answer that question.” By the early 2000s, Woodvine was strug-
of rain.” Woodvine’s childhood was equally har- gling to keep his business above water,
But his experience has also given him the rowing. He recounts a difficult early life in and the freelance work ground to a halt.
empathy to write about other Vancouverites Saskatoon: “I was a ward of the govern- Losing the drive to continue, Woodvine
experiencing homelessness. Woodvine tears ment. My father was on welfare.” ultimately ended up on a path to home-
up remembering a story he wrote in 2018. But growing up, Woodvine found solace lessness. “I know every flaw that I have—

intimately,” he says. “And I’ve seen the con- tough work that has inspired many articles.
sequences of them.” When night falls, Woodvine chooses to
Now, without a permanent residence for sleep in a downtown parkade. Due to the
over a decade, Woodvine seems at peace conditions of Vancouver’s homeless shelters
with his homeless status. and City-provided housing, Woodvine says
“I have said that, for most people, be- he prefers sleeping outdoors.
coming homeless is like falling off the edge While he acknowledges that his current
of the world,” he observes. “But when you situation may be unsustainable, Woodvine’s
do it, you discover that the drop is about future is uncertain.
Visit LJR.ca for a
three feet.” “If I become infirm and I am no longer
selection of Woodvine’s
These days, the writer supplements his in- able to take care of myself on the street, then
writing on homelessness
come from The Georgia Straight with mon- of course, I will have to throw myself on the
ey earned binning in Vancouver’s alleys. It’s slender mercy of the system.” L
ETHICS AND In 2019, PhD student Scott Neufeld and

a coalition of Downtown Eastside groups
THE DOWNTOWN created a manifesto on ethical research in the
neighbourhood—geared toward both journalists
EASTSIDE
1 2 3 4 5
and academics. Here’s their advice.
ork from a
W “ Don’t perpetuate “Give peers some here possible,
W “Provide resources
“trauma-informed stigma in the way actual power use a neutral for peer research-
perspective that you work with us.” in the research third-party medi- ers to support
anticipates and They argue that project.” This tip, ator to “navigate them in their lives
avoids potential prejudice against germane to aca- issues of power, beyond the re-
harms.” They note people who use demics, argues disrespect, or search project”
that histories of drugs, are home- that “tokenism” is inequality in the
trauma are com- less, engage in a common pit- research relation-
mon among mar- sex work, have fall, where DTES ship”
ginalized members poor health, or residents are
of the DTES have low incomes “given little power
“might affect the or space in the im-
way you work with portant decisions
us” and work of the
project”

H O C K E Y
TA L K
Can podcasts challenge radio

for sports journalism supremacy?
Story by MAXIM FOSSEY
Photos by JOSHUA REY

B
EFORE MOVING those passions on podcasts is a popular is an idea and a microphone. “There is
to Vancouver in option, according to Satiar Shah, a host some skill involved in it, and some learn-
January 2020, on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. ing curve, but compared to making a TV
Nanaimo native “The only way you get better on air is show it is significantly easier,” she says.
Chris Faber says by doing it repeatedly,” says Shah. “It’s While McGregor acknowledges the
he never expected like anything in life: the more you do it, threat podcasting poses to radio, she
his hockey-orient- the better you get at it and the more con- thinks that radio still has certain com-
ed podcast to get fident you get. You learn the craft and petitive advantages. “Radio is capable of
as big as it has. start mastering that craft.” reporting on things that are happening
Faber, a con- Hannah McGregor, a publishing in- right now,” says McGregor. “Whereas
tributor to the Canucks Army website structor at SFU with an expertise in pod- podcasting has a tendency to be a bit be-
and co-host of the Canucks Conversa- lated.”
tion podcast, credits his mother with Satiar Shah agrees, noting that, as a
instilling a love of hockey in him. When host, he is able to get live news content
he was a teenager, she would drop him “If you’re tuned into as is happens.
off at BCHL games on Friday nights to “If you’re tuned into a podcast,” he
watch the Nanaimo Clippers in action. a podcast, you’re notes, “you’re tuning into the reaction,
Soon, Faber was recording podcasts based on what happened earlier today or
on his Yeti microphone and editing them tuning into the the day before. Or somebody is looking
on his laptop. ahead. Radio has the advantage where
It was at the age of 22, while working reaction, based on everything is immediate,” Shah says. “If
at a mill in Nanaimo, that Faber says he something happens, like a trade, we’re
got addicted to the medium. “I started what happened on air and we’re talking about it, break-
listening to podcasts quite a bit at the ing it down right away.”
mill,” he says. “It got me through the 10- earlier today or the Still, while radio remains his medium
hour shifts that we had to do.” of choice, Shah acknowledges that pod-
Today, the 26-year-old BCIT Radio day before. casts present significant competition to
Arts student has listeners for Canucks what he does. “You can choose to lis-
Conversation from all over the world, a Or somebody is ten to podcasts and listen to live radio,
sponsor, and a growing audience for the if that’s what you want to do,” he says.
show: now in its third year, the podcast looking ahead. “There is a competition, but I do believe
has between 7,000 and 8,000 listeners a both can coexist.”
month, according to Faber. Radio has the Ultimately, says Shah, sports radio
The rise of podcasting has been a hosts have to be attuned to the needs of
trend for many years now. But in the advantage where their audience. Radio, unlike podcasts,
sports world, until recently, radio was is a highly interactive medium—with lis-
the go-to medium for many sports nuts everything is teners calling in or texting as you’re on
on the run. With Canucks Conversation air. And that presents unique challenges.
and similar podcasts grabbing a greater immediate.” “With live shows, you really have to
and greater audience share, is this about have that energy high at all times,” he
to change? — Satiar Shah, Sportsnet 650 notes. “You need to hit those big topics,
Faber’s co-host on Canucks Conver- make sure you play the hits and are on
sation is David Quadrelli. Quadrelli says top of the really important daily topics—
that he became a Canucks fan listening casts, credits the ubiquity of the smart- and making them into interactive things
to games on the radio with his Italian phone with the rise in podcasting. “The [where] people can chime in, live.” L
grandfather, who moved to Canada when fact that we all carry devices around
Vancouver was just an NHL expansion us now that have data and internet on
team. “That was how he learned Eng- them—a portable listening device, plus
lish,” says Quadrelli, “listening to radio.” portable internet connection—is really Visit LJR.ca for
Faber and Quadrelli have turned just perfect for podcasting,” she says. a timeline of
their passion for hockey into a profes- The other key factor explaining pod- key milestones
sion—and for those looking for novel casts’ rise, says McGregor, is the low in podcasting
ways into the media business, pursuing barrier to making them: all you need

(This page) Chris Faber makes
up one half of the Canucks
Conversation podcast, along
with David Quadrelli (lead
page)
LJR.caLJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 2323

Hundreds march through the
Downtown Eastside in
Vancouver’s 29th annual
Women’s Memorial March.

FIRST THINGS

FIRST
Putting more resources into on-the-ground
Indigenous reporting is key to getting the story right
S T O RY B Y M I S S Y J O H N S O N
T
HE TRADITIONAL tice—claiming that the company was
territories of the Wet’su- trespassing on its unceded territo-
wet’en people stretch ry. By early February, the RCMP had
across 22,000 square moved in to enforce the injunction,
kilometres of central and protests in sympathy with the
B.C., with the town of Wet’suwet’en people rose up across
Houston near its heart. the country.
Late last year, many Canadians be- The Wet’suwet’en conflict exposed
came familiar with the Wet’suwet’en a deep rift in how various Canadi-
for the very first time when, on Dec. ans—and, indeed, governments—feel
31, 2019, the B.C. Supreme Court about Truth and Reconciliation with
granted Coastal GasLink an injunc- Indigenous people. Throughout the
tion against hereditary chiefs. month-long protests in February, me-
The chiefs had been blocking con- dia played a significant role in how
struction of the company’s 670-kilo- that story evolved.
metre pipeline, which was set to con- While some reporters dove deep
nect natural gas fields near Dawson into the cultural and historical context
Creek with LNG Canada’s export ter- of the conflict, others approached the
minal in Kitimat, B.C. issue without any firm understanding
One day later, on Jan. 1, 2020, of the Wet’suwet’en people—ensuring
the Wet’suwet’en First Nation served a superficial treatment of a complex
Coastal GasLink with an eviction no- and nuanced story.

(This page) The scene at Main and
Hastings for Vancouver’s Women’s
Memorial March; (opposite) stu-
dent protestors outside Langara
College.
The lack of on-the-ground reporting in erings of different nations … then it paints space,” he says. Photographing someone
Indigenous communities is, according to a picture that Indigenous people are al- drumming or in regalia, for instance, can
many people who write regularly on the ways protesting,” she says. “And that’s be critical for showing a cultural perspec-
topic, a critical problem. So, too, is the definitely not the case.” tive—but it can also appear tokenistic, he
media’s obsession with conflict. Jesse Winter is a freelance visual jour- adds.
“The media has a responsibility that, nalist whose byline has appeared in The Beyond how the story is told, a lot of
when we run to where there is an appetite Guardian, VICE, Toronto Star and The attention is also focused on who is telling
[for a story], when we run to where people Globe and Mail. Winter, a Langara jour- the story. Having better representation of
want to know what’s going on, that we do nalism grad, considers himself lucky to Indigenous journalists within newsrooms
it well— that we don’t just cover the sur- have been able to do a lot of reporting on across Canada is critical, say many observ-
face issue,” says Emilee Gilpin, a Métis Indigenous communities: “You have a lot ers.
reporter who led the recent National Ob- more exposure to both the ability to report But Stephanie Wood, a reporter for
server’s series, “First Nations Forward.” on the news and also the consequences of online magazine The Narwhal, says that
“A lot of the time, media will go and chase doing it badly.” there also needs to be better representa-
the story that’s already happening without He thinks that if a reporter were to be tion in the management ranks, too.
really knowing why it’s the story.” assigned a story about the Wet’suwet’en “There needs to be more Indigenous
To tell a story about conflict responsi- conflict, and told to file within a day, it editors and people of colour doing the
bly, argues Gilpin, it’s important to take would be an almost-impossible task. Re- editorial jobs at magazines, newspapers,
the time to get to know the people of that porters need time to immerse themselves radio—people who make those final calls
Indigenous community, as well as their in an Indigenous community—before the and overview all the stories,” says Wood,
traditions. One way to do that, she sug- conflict emerges, he argues, and not just who is from the Squamish Nation.
gests, is sending reporters to Indigenous afterward, chasing some quotes. For all the problems that have emerged
communities more often, and to cover “It’s challenging operating in commu- in how Indigenous issues are covered in
good news that’s happening there, too. nities where trust has been broken for very Canada, many younger reporters hold out
That means celebrations and innova- legitimate reasons, over decades,” he says. hope for the future.
tions—not just social or economic strife. As a visual journalist, Winter feels a “I definitely see an increased interest in
“If we’re only showing up when Indige- particular responsibility to shoot photos Indigenous reporting,” says Cara McKen-
nous people are defending their lands and and video in an ethical manner. “Visual na, an Indigenous reporter and editor for
their lives, and we’re not showing up to representations of Indigenous commu- the Salish Sea Sentinel.
ceremonies and cultural events and gath- nities is often a potentially problematic McKenna was a journalism student

at Langara when Idle No More was tak-
ing place. Idle No More was, in many
ways, the precursor to the Wet’suwet’en
protests—a movement, founded in 2012
by four women (three Indigenous, one
non-Native ally), in reaction to proposed
legislative changes that were seen to erode
Indigenous sovereignty and environmen-
tal protections.
McKenna remembers the protests that
took place in 2012, and sees a subsequent
shift. After the end of the Wet’suwet’en
protests this March—marked by a draft
agreement on Wet’suwet’en rights and
title, reached March 1, between the B.C.
government, federal government and he-
reditary chiefs—she believes we will see
more reporters writing and telling stories
about Indigenous communities in dif-
ferent and, she hopes, more responsible
ways.
“Publications are suddenly covering
these stories in a way they haven’t before,”
she says.
Still, to change the systemic problem
of reporting that lacks context, a broader
societal shift needs to occur. As Emilee
Gilpin sees it, that means more compre-
hensive education for journalists—and
all Canadians—on Indigenous issues and
cultures.
While at Concordia University in Mon-
treal, Gilpin taught a workshop called
Decolonizing Media, with the aim of start-
ing a conversation around the realities of
Indigenous peoples in Canada. She says
that what she was being taught by her in-
structors wasn’t what she knew first-hand
about her Metis culture and community.
So she decided to do something about it.
“The media lacks [an understanding
about Indigenous issues] because our ed-
ucation system is so lacking when it comes
to Indigenous peoples and culture,”
she says. “Every time that we emphasize
that Canadian narrative, that colonial
narrative, we are ‘othering’
Indigenous narratives.” L
Visit LJR.ca for

an excerpt from
Seeing Red: A
History of Na-
tives in Canadi-
an Newspapers
LJR.ca
COVERING COVID-19
How a pandemic changed the rules on reporting—perhaps forever
S T O RY B Y C H R I S T I N A D O M M E R , A U S T I N E V E R E T T, M I S S Y J O H N S O N A N D J O S H U A R E Y
T
HE FIRST REPORTED CASE tre in North Vancouver, where two more connection to China inherently put it in
of the novel coronavirus in people—residents of the long-term care the coronavirus crosshairs.
Canada happened on Jan. facility—had tested positive. On March “There’s nothing now, but we had
25, 2020, in Toronto, when a 9, one of Lynn Valley’s residents became more than a dozen daily flights out of
man returning from Wuhan, Canada’s first death from the ensuing dis- YVR to Chinese cities,” notes Hager. “So
China fell ill, called 911, and was placed ease known as COVID-19. By the end of I just knew, given the flow of people, that
in isolation at Sunnybrook Hospital. March, there were over 1,000 known cas- it would become a huge local story here.”
Three days later, B.C.’s provincial health es and 24 deaths province-wide. Hager, who was travelling with family
officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, reported The COVID-19 outbreak has had a in Arizona just before the border closed
the first presumptive case on the west profound impact on many sectors of the in mid-March, says he was “glued to the
coast—a man who worked in China and, economy, including the media business. news” the whole time he was on vacation:
upon returning to Vancouver, had placed As the public has searched for answers, “I knew that it was going to be very differ-
himself into isolation. some media outlets have prospered—es- ent when I got back home.”
But for much of January and Febru- pecially those with broad reach and deep Meanwhile at the office, emails were
ary, says Andrea Woo, a Vancouver-based financial and organizational resources. sent out to Globe staff advising them
reporter with The Globe and Mail, “it was Others have floundered—especially small to get ready to work from home. Woo
an easier story for people to ignore.” The community publications dependent on says that a senior editor at the Globe
cases that were popping up were people advertising, at a time when consumer advised reporters to also consider their
who had recently travelled to China or confidence has been shaken. The journal- mental health during the crisis, while the
Iran, two coronavirus hotspots; the ear- ism business, as a result of this once-in-a- reporters’ union even sent the newsroom
ly hope was that the virus could be con- generation pandemic, may never be the N-95 masks: “Those were the signs that
tained. “If you weren’t paying attention same again. it was something that we were taking
to the news,” says Woo, “you could still Andrea Woo and her colleague Mike seriously, not just a story we were cover-
go about your day and not hear anything Hager were among the first to go behind ing from a distance.”
about it.” the scenes of the outbreak in B.C., explor- Woo says that deadlines became
Things started to change, and change ing the tragic story at Lynn Valley in a meaningless in the new COVID-19 reali-
rapidly, by early March. On March 6, Dr. March 21 feature in the Globe. As of the ty, with stories and the flood of statistics
Henry announced Canada’s first known end of March, 42 residents and 19 staff updated as they came. The boundary be-
case of community transmission—a at Lynn Valley had been infected; 12 resi- tween work and home life soon became
woman, in the Fraser Health region, who dents had died. a blur, she adds: “I roll out of bed, then
had no known contact with people trav- From the earliest days of the outbreak, I’m in front of a computer, and I might be
elling from either China or Iran. A day both Woo and Hager knew that the sto- there for 12 hours. Then I roll back into
later, that woman was identified as an ry would be impossible to ignore. Hager bed.”
employee of the Lynn Valley Care Cen- says that the Lower Mainland’s cultural “It’s been exhausting to keep abreast

of everything,” echoes Hager. “At the best views only by phone… The newsroom has anticipating how it would affect my job,”
of times, reporters are drinking from a really had to bend and adapt to a bunch of he says. “That was a connection I didn’t
news fire hose. Now it feels like a water changes at once—including losing staff to make until just before I got laid off.”
cannon every time you log on to access self-isolation.” As Thompson understands it, he’s
whatever portal you get your news from.” While organizations like CBC and The one of several reporters laid off by Black
At Canada’s public broadcaster, Globe and Mail have deep pockets and Press in the wake of the coronavirus out-
changes in how news was delivered, lots of resources to throw at a story like break (most Black Press papers rely on
thanks to COVID-19, came swiftly. On COVID-19, smaller community publica- advertising for the bulk of their reve-
March 18, Brodie Fenlon—the Toron- tions across B.C. are struggling—primar- nues). Thompson says he isn’t just wor-
to-based editor-in-chief and executive ily because they are driven by advertising ried about the number of journalists be-
director of daily news for CBC News— (most are freely distributed), and adver- ing laid off; he’s also worried about their
announced that all local TV newscasts tisers, by late March, were dropping like mental health.
would be suspended, as the broadcaster flies. “Hearing about how many people have
concentrated its efforts on national news. Cameron Thompson worked at the died, day in and day out, can take a real
As Fenlon wrote in his editor’s blog that Salmon Arm Observer for almost a year, toll,” says Thompson, who has temporar-
day: “We recognize that we are an essen- ever since graduating from Langara jour- ily relocated to Tsawwassen to live with
tial service at this time, but this is not nalism in the spring of 2019. “It was such his parents.
business as usual.” Laura Brougham is another Langa-
The move was controversial—with ra grad who was directly affected by the
many viewers in smaller communities
bemoaning the fact that they no longer
“I’ve had to come to coronavirus outbreak. Since November
2019, Brougham had been working as an
would be getting on-the-ground report- grips with going from a editorial assistant at Victoria’s Page One
ing on how the coronavirus was affecting
their families and businesses. Less than
life where you’re really Publishing Inc., which publishes several
magazines on Vancouver Island. She was
a week later, some local news was being busy to suddenly staying in Europe in March when the outbreak
inserted into the CBC News Network to
help assuage those concerns. According
at home self-isolating— hit, but managed to get back to B.C. on
March 19, expecting to start a new con-
to Fenlon, the question was partly staff- and not having anything tract on April 1. That contract was can-
ing—CBC reporters, like workers every-
where, were falling sick or at risk of in-
on the calendar.” celled by Page One, she was told, because
of COVID-19.
fection, without social distancing—and — Brendan Batchelor, Sportsnet 650 While disappointed with the job loss,
partly to address the explosion of daily Brougham acknowledges that “it’s an un-
news conferences being held across the precedented situation.” Her longer-term
country. a great place to learn and know how the hope is that the pandemic will lead to
Langara Journalism Review reached industry works and really hone your writ- people taking journalists more serious-
out to a number of CBC representatives ing skills,” says Thompson of his experi- ly—at a time when, in the age of Donald
in western Canada, inquiring as to how ence in Salmon Arm. Trump, there is little trust in the me-
local newsrooms were being affected by On March 20, Thompson received dia. “Despite every expert and everyone
the coronavirus, but most were hesitant word from his employer, Victoria-based talking about how serious [this pandem-
to discuss the corporate moves. Black Press Media, that he was being ic] is, there are still some people who just
Treena Wood, news director at CBC laid off. When he first heard about the don’t believe it—because it is the media
British Columbia—and other reporters coronavirus in early 2020, he thought he who is saying it.”
approached in the Vancouver news- wouldn’t be affected—since his commu- Community publishers, like Black
room—declined to comment. Helen Hen- nity of 18,000 residents, 500 kilometres Press and Page One, suffered immediate-
derson, senior director for journalism east of Vancouver, is isolated from ma- ly during the coronavirus outbreak be-
and programming at CBC News in Cal- jor population centres. But when people cause of a sudden lack of advertisers. But
gary, said in a short emailed response in the Interior started to get infected, what happens when your beat—the thing
that things were “frantic” and that the Thompson knew it was going to be a big you report on, day in and day out—sud-
task of covering the outbreak was “just deal across the province. denly disappears?
too much” for her to consider anything “We started writing more stories about For sports journalists, everything fell
else. “We have a crisis on our hands, how our city was closing certain things,” apart on March 12. That’s when Utah Jazz
complicated by many staff working from he says. “And bans on public gatherings forward Rudy Gobert tested positive for
home,” wrote Henderson. were put in place across the province and COVID-19, setting off a chain of events
CBC Calgary reporter Jennifer Lee how that would affect local businesses. that saw the National Basketball Associ-
said in an email that her job had seen a And on and on.” ation, followed by just about every other
dramatic shift in the weeks since the out- Once businesses started pulling their sports league, suspend its season. Soon,
break: “Long hours, the unrelenting news ads from the newspaper, however, the major events—like the 2020 Olympics—
cycle, working from home, doing inter- publisher started making cuts. “I wasn’t were also put on ice.

Social distancing and the wearing of medical masks were two
common sights on the streets of Vancouver during the COVID-19
outbreak this spring.
Patrick Johnston, a sports writer for

the Vancouver Sun and Province, had
been following the COVID-19 outbreak you used to roam around.” [locker] room access that we had?”
since January, but it wasn’t until the NHL Brendan Batchelor is the Canucks’ While it has been hard to find silver
and other sports leagues started closing play-by-play voice for Sportsnet 650. He linings in the grey cloud of this pandemic,
off locker rooms that he realized the im- too was in Arizona when the NHL sud- some journalists are embracing the new
portance of the issue. Then it hit particu- denly suspended its season, and says he way of reporting the news.
larly close to home: Johnston found him- is fortunate that he hasn’t been laid off, Mike Hager, for one, says he relishes
self trapped in Phoenix, on a trip to cover like many others in the business. being able to wear sweatpants and pon-
a Canucks game against the Arizona Coy- “I’m quite lucky that I haven’t had chos around the house. And since every-
otes on March 12 that never happened. any real hardship that others had to one else is going through the same isola-
“It’s never seen as real until, all of a deal with,” he acknowledges. “I’ve had tion that he is, there’s a common sense of
sudden, everything changes,” says John- to come to grips with going from a life solidarity that makes it easier for him to
ston, who went into self-isolation upon where you’re really busy to sudden- interview others.
his return flight to Vancouver on March ly staying at home self-isolating—and “Granted, I’m usually interviewing
13. He has been working from home ever not really having anything on the calen- people hit by it already, or working in
since. dar.” healthcare. But I think that extends to
“This isn’t that different for me, giv- Batchelor hopes that his work life will most of humanity right now,” Hager says.
en my routines,” he says. “I don’t see return to normal soon—though when that “There’s less pretence when you’re inter-
my colleagues and it’s been a challenge. is remains to be seen. As for Johnston, he viewing people in power.”
I’ve adapted perhaps better than others wonders about the longer-term impact With any luck, that sense of solidari-
might, because I’m kind of used to it. But COVID-19 will have on how he does his ty—and lack of pretence—is something
it’s not fun being stuck in one place when job: “You wonder… will we return to the that will endure. L

THE SIGN-OFF
The
Multi-
Taskers
How being skilled on multiple
platforms allows journalists to bring
colour and nuance to their reporting
S TO RY AND PHOTOS BY KRIS T EN HOLL I DAY
(From left): Tina Lovgreen, video

journalist for CBC Vancouver; Hayley
Woodin, multimedia reporter for
Business in Vancouver.

I
THE SIGN-OFF
It takes a minute for their voice, the way they er newsrooms allow less time when journalists leave the
Tina Lovgreen to think of an speak, tells you something for journalists to uncover and newsroom, take their camera,
answer. about their character. You get craft stories. Boynton identi- and put their boots to the
The CBC video journalist to meet them.” fies this as a major hurdle for ground.
is considering whether she Hayley Woodin, a multi- today’s reporter. “You’ll get better stories,
would rather tell a story in media reporter at Business in “The challenge in the you’ll get better colour, you’ll
250 words, one photo, or a Vancouver, says that one of future is to find ways for us to understand the story much
one-minute video. her most memorable jobs was be able to explore our multi- better because you’re in the
For some journalists, this reporting on mining company media sides and be multime- space,” Lovgreen says. “And
would be an easy question. operations in Central Amer- dia journalists, but also allow you never know, you might
The answer might depend ica. the time to do it properly and find another story on
on the specialization they’ve Woodin argues that her do it more in-depth,” he says. your way.” L
honed over their career. videos and photography For Woodin, the biggest
However, Lovgreen is a mul- added context to her written challenge is knowing when to
ti-skilled reporter, who shoots pieces. focus on improving her skills
video, writes and reports for “One of the things I relied on one platform or another.
web, and does on-air report- on in those videos was to “How do I choose which
ing for CBC television and show what it’s like to be skills to go deep on? Does
radio. there,” Woodin says. “Video that close doors?” she asks. “I
“I think it’s wonderful provides a good avenue for think sometimes it can be a
Visit LJR.ca
to be able to tell a story in letting a story speak for itself challenge being a generalist,
to hear a podcast on
different ways, because each without having it go through but there’s value in it.”
how multimedia plat-
story might be better for each my words.” Acknowledging the chal-
forms enhance journal-
platform,” Lovgreen says. She adds that her expe- lenges, Lovgreen is adamant
ists’ work.
The expectation that a rience filming in Central that better things happen
reporter should be proficient America continually reminded
in many forms of media her about the importance of
storytelling has increased leaving the newsroom, getting
over the years, as newsroom out and meeting people and
budgets have tightened and fully understanding their
layoffs have impacted the stories.
number of journalists on staff. Although she says it’s not
A 2014 study published in The realistic to do every interview
Journal of Media Innova- in person, she finds value
tions found that 58 per cent in leaving her desk to be on
of surveyed journalists said scene.
reporters are expected to be “It always amazes me how
multi-skilled in their media much you can glean,” Woodin
organizations. says. “You can sometimes find
The study’s findings also the story in the details, like
indicated that half of surveyed the atmosphere of the crowd,
journalists felt being mul- or what people are saying
ti-skilled was a benefit to a behind the scenes.”
reporter’s creativity. Sean Boynton, an online
Lovgreen says that using journalist for Global News,
photos and video allows her to says that multimedia can add
capture emotion in a way that depth and complexity to a
is more difficult to communi- longer web story: “Especially
cate in a written piece. if you’re telling a visual story,
Reading a quote is one words can only do so much.
thing, she says, but “there’s For someone to see what we’re
something so special about talking about, you get a taste
hearing someone say those of that with video.”
same words. The crack in Tighter budgets and small-

THE SIGN-OFF
The
Megaphone sell it for $2, keeping proceeds
from every sale.
express themselves and gives
them a sense of ownership
Model
As the magazine has over the magazine.
grown, the editorial team Carlson notes that a lot
has evolved to include not of “parachute journalism”
just trained journalists, like happens in the Downtown
Condon and Carlson, but also Eastside—with journalists
community members. coming in, getting quotes,
A look at Vancouver’s Megaphone has teamed snapping photos and leaving.
up with the Portland Hotel It has made community mem-
street magazine in the Society to create a writing bers resistant to talk—which
workshop for people who is part of why a magazine like
Downtown Eastside were going through treatment Megaphone exists, she says:
F
with the society. The work- “We need to starting thinking
shop provides opportunities about whose story this is and
S TORY AND PHOTO BY T I E RN EY GRAT TA N for community members to actually listen.” L
For over a decade, Meg- rapidly. “I found it increas-

aphone magazine has been oc- ingly difficult,” says Condon,
cupying a space that once felt about reporting on the issue,
unsafe for many marginalized “because the problem just
communities: the old police seemed to be getting worse.”
station on Main Street in the Condon learned about a
Downtown Eastside. street paper that had been
Since 2006, it has been a operating in Vancouver since
place for these people to feel the 1990s, but which was
empowered, with Megaphone struggling financially. Con-
just one of several non-profits don—who served as executive
sharing office space in the new director of Megaphone from
community hub. 2006 to 2016—put together
“There were a lot of our a group of journalists to help
vendors who didn’t even make it succeed.
want to come into the space Today, the magazine is
because of all the bad things run entirely by volunteers,
that happened in the police with its purpose being to
station,” says Paula Carlson, create economic opportuni-
Megaphone’s managing edi- ties for those who can’t find
tor. “We had Aboriginal elders it elsewhere. Each month
come in and bless the space.” the volunteers put together
Megaphone—a magazine Megaphone’s stories, publish
focused on stories of social the magazine, then contract
justice, culture, politics and homeless and low-income
independent arts—was re- vendors to sell it on the
launched, in its current form, streets of Vancouver and
by Sean Condon in 2005. Victoria.
At the time, Condon was The vendors—each of
working as a freelance jour- whom go through an hour-
nalist and noticed, through long training session on how
Megaphone founder Sean Condon.
his reporting, that homeless- to be a vendor—buy copies of
ness numbers were rising the magazine for 75 cents and

THE SIGN-OFF
G Given the challenge of get-

ting a job in journalism these
days, several young writers—
with little or no media experi-
ence—have decided to make a
name for themselves online.
Blogs have grown in pop-
ularity over the past decade,
blog The Venti Blonde in 2017
while stuck at a nine-to-five
corporate job. She believes
that blogging could one day
replace traditional journalism
and, like Dayal, thinks that
blogging is a great way for
someone to connect with their
and junior writers are using audience.
the new platform as a step- “People always have their
ping stone into the media phones, so blogging is such
business. a great tool to connect with
One of these writers is Har- them and build a community
man Dayal, a 19-year-old full- that shares common inter-
time correspondent for The ests,” Kowal says. “Blogging
Athletic, a subscription-based allows you to talk about a
sports website. Dayal previ- certain topic in great detail.
ously wrote for blogs such as Everything is always easily
The Canuck Way and Canucks searchable on a blog or a
Army while in high school website, so people can go back
and university. He started and read about something
Harman Dayal, staff writer contributing to The Athletic as you’ve written years later
for The Athletic. a freelancer in late 2018, and without a hassle.”
joined the team full-time less Lauren Brice is a 17-year-
than a year later. old blogger from Jackson,
Dayal originally went to Wyo., who writes a book-re-
Trinity Western University view blog called Reading,
New Kids
for a science degree before Writing and Me. She says
dropping out in July of 2019 that some people in the media
to join The Athletic. business can undervalue a
“I felt, given how difficult writer’s work because they are
on the
sports media can be to break young.
into, I had to take the leap,” “They don’t tend to recog-
he says of his decision to quit nize how much work goes into
school. it or they don’t think it’s legit-
Block
While he believes that a imate because you’re young,”
journalism degree can be she says.
helpful, Dayal thinks that “I think I just enjoy having
having a body of work and an a place to be creative and ex-
identity is more important. press my thoughts.
I also love
How young writers “When you’re applying

for a gig, the first thing the
being able to connect other
people to books that they’ll
with few credentials are prospective employer is going
to look for is your writing
enjoy.”
Dayal hopes that more
getting jobs the pros samples,” says Dayal. “You young writers get noticed
just have to find a way to build online.
are looking for your own identity.” “I don’t see why an ambi-
Kristin Kowal, a 25-year- tious young writer wouldn’t
old fashion and lifestyle blog- be able to carve a path for
S TO RY AND PHOTO BY JOS HUA REY ger from Toronto, started her themselves.” L

THE SIGN-OFF
(From left): Harrison Mooney,

Vancouver Sun reporter; Shireen
Ahmed, freelance sports writer;
Joon Lee, ESPN staff writer.
Changing gree. After some graduate work

at Trinity Western University,
he launched, along with college
still an issue.
“This is a newspaper that
represents one of the most
the Game
friend Daniel Wagner, the Pass diverse regions in the world,”
It To Bulis blog, focused on the says Mooney. “You shouldn’t
Vancouver Canucks. look around our newsroom and
“Within two years, we see only white faces, or mostly
Meet the new (diverse) faces of were running the blog for the
Vancouver Sun,” says Mooney.
white faces.”
Diversity has been a hot top-
G
sports journalism STORY BY MAXIM FOSSEY “At the end of our second year, ic in newsrooms around North
I got hired at the Sun as a web America, but it’s particularly
editor. But it was never really relevant in the sports depart-
my plan to end up here.” ments—which, more than
Growing up in Abbotford, the paper so popular with his Mooney—who self-identifies most, are still dominated by
Harrison Mooney remembers parents. as black—says that “standing older, white men. Recent con-
seeing his mother reading the Still, Mooney decided not out” has been an issue through- troversies surrounding hockey
Vancouver Sun cover to cover to pursue a journalism degree; out his life. And while he cred- commentator Don Cherry—and
every morning. From an early instead, he went to the Univer- its the Sun with progressive his views on immigrants, which
age, he says, he knew he want- sity of Fraser Valley, where he attitudes towards race, Mooney ultimately forced him out of the
ed to be a writer and work for graduated with an English de- says that a lack of diversity is Hockey Night in Canada host-
36 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photos (from left): Maxim Fossey; courtesy Shireen Ahmed and Joon Lee
THE SIGN-OFF
“We are taught to think that having

biases makes us not good journalists,
which is totally untrue... lived experience
counts for something.”
– Shireen Ahmed, freelance sports writer
ing chair—only accentuated the journalist she is today. Ahmed moment he entered college, but South Korea.
diversity problem. believes that having a differ- getting to where he is now was “I never expected to have
For Halifax native Shireen ent racial perspective is really a bumpy path. the opportunity to report in
Ahmed—a freelance sports invaluable as a journalist. “We “All of the emotional stuff Korean, seeing Chloe Kim, a
writer and co-host of the Burn are taught to think that having that you have to deal with, fellow Korean-American, win
It All Down podcast—racism biases makes us not good jour- like dealing with some people the gold for the United States,”
reared its ugly head early on. nalists, which is totally untrue,” being insensitive with race says Lee. To be there, in per-
When Ahmed was 11 years old, she says. “Lived experience and just how they talk about son, “was an incredibly
she was racially attacked by an counts for something.” it, [is difficult],” he says. Lee emotional experience.”
opponent on the soccer field. Joon Lee is another sports thinks that the more bylines, As far as Harrison Moon-
The referee ended up ejecting journalist who has had to con- TV appearances and radio ey is concerned, the value of
Ahmed, despite not hearing or front issues of race and racism spots featuring racialized sports having more diversity in the
seeing what the opponent had throughout his young career. journalists, the easier it will be sports department is that it
done. “It wasn’t the first time I The 24-year-old writer, who to encourage others to follow in often delivers more diversity in
had been racially abused,” says works for ESPN, moved with their footsteps. the journalism: “You’re looking
Ahmed. “But it was the first his family to Boston from Seoul For Lee, one of his proud- for the stuff that isn’t getting
time I had been racially abused when he was two months old. est moments—what he calls covered, the insight that’s not
in a sports context.” Lee says that sports journal- a “full-circle moment”—came being expressed—and the an-
That experience stayed ism was something he wanted two years ago, when he got to gles and perspectives that
with Ahmed, and informs the to do professionally from the go to the Winter Olympics in aren’t being elevated.” L

THE SIGN-OFF
Eye of the Tweetstorm

How journalists deal with social media controversy,
backlash, death threats, troll wars and more
I
S TO RY AND ILLUST RAT ION BY C HRIS T IN A DO M M E R
If you’re in the journalism ing to do with race or diversity China,” Bula says. “It just got sensitive to criticism.
industry and you don’t look for- because of my reputation [on vilified by many people.” “I remember somebody
ward to checking your Twitter those police stories],” says Li. With never-ending fires making a critical remark on my
account, you are not alone. Globe and Mail report- to fight on social media, how [work] that had nothing to do
“I once got tweeted a really er Frances Bula was at the do these journalists find the with race or gender, and I was
blurry photo of a black person centre of “some fairly famous strength and courage to keep so upset,” Li recalls. “Now I’m
lying in a pool of blood,” free- fights with people on Twitter,” logging on? a cool, calm, collected type of
lancer Anita Li recalls. Li cur- particularly focused on the “I know myself, I know my person.”
rently runs The Other Wave, housing crisis in Vancouver. As skills, I know my intention, I Bula’s social media phi-
a blog devoted to reviewing Bula describes it, some people know my skills as a reporter in losophy is a little different. “I
film, TV and movies through a were blaming wealthy Chinese particular, and as an editor,” do want to expose myself to
diverse lens. immigrants for the crisis— Li says. That self-confidence different ideas all the time and
But during her three years buying property and choosing allows Li to distinguish genuine keep learning,” she says, noting
as a reporter at Mashable, not to live here. criticism from trolling, and the that she’s very reluctant to hit
an online site that specializes “I had a few blog posts occasional attempt to convince the block button.
in science and technology where I looked at the statistics a naysayer to see things from “I’ve had people who have
developments, Li sometimes and I said, ‘we need to be care- her point of view. criticized me, libelled me,
found herself covering cases of ful in assuming it’s just them, Li remembers when that abused me on Twitter for two
police brutality. and there’s a lot of other factors wasn’t the case, though. During or three years before I’ll finally
“I would occasionally get to think about here.’ I wrote her first paid internship at The go, ‘Okay, I really can’t have a
really negative comments or a story where I profiled some Globe and Mail in the summer conversation with this person—
slurs on articles that had noth- immigrants from mainland of 2011, she was much more it’s time to go.’” L

Jeani Read was The Province
newspaper’s first full-time rock
critic, a lifestyles columnist,
and the author of 1986’s Endless
Summers and Other Shared
Hallucinations. Her husband,
Michael Mercer, was an award-
winning playwright and script
writer. Their legacy to young
writers is Langara Journalism’s
Read/Mercer Fellowship.
The spirit of thoughtful,

enquiring journalism lives on.
ENDOWMENT CREATES JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS 201ˎ FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS:
The Jeani Read-Michael Mercer Fellowship for Journalism -??A/71 (CBC): A 9A8@5
<8-@2;>9series ;:&41
was established to encourage students to continue their -5:?@>1-95:3;25:02A8:1??
pursuit of journalistic excellence through mentorship. This
1::521>)58?;: (CBC): 9A8@5
<8-@2;>9?1>51? ;:%4-@@1>10
endowed fund provides four fellowships annually worth
;99A:5@E
$7,500 each. Successful applicants will receive support for
approximately two months while they produce a major work %-?4- ,15081>(Globe and Mail): -21-@A>1;:&4153 ;5?1&41;>E
of journalism, such as an in-depth newspaper story, or series
(5;81@@->E-7 (Globe and Mail): -feature;:;A74;.;>?
of stories suitable for publication in a newspaper, magazine,
&A>.A81:@5?@;>E -A8@A>1U:01>&4>1-@.
or on the web, or for broadcast on the radio. Journalism
students may apply for this award in their final term.
Fellowships will be awarded in the Spring.
For more information visit www.langara.ca/journalism.

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L A N G A R A

NO FIXED VIRAL GAME

BUY MEGAPHONE TODAY

@Megaphone Magazine @MegaphoneMag www.megaphonemagazine.com

Criminal Attitudes Not So

Kids These Days

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 5

6 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

Media await Meng Wanzhou

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 7

Finding a sion and objectivity, accord-

neutrality before empathy of indignation when people are

8 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review LJR.ca

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 9

S TORY AND ILL US T RAT I ON BY C HRI S T I N A D O M M E R

10 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

from jail into an Abbotsford

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 11

12 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review Photo: Courtesy CHEK News

communities into a newsroom for the very first time.

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 13

who has worked at the station since 1995.

Illustration: Christina Dommer Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 15

16 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 17

18 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 19

ETHICS AND In 2019, PhD student Scott Neufeld and

20 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

Can podcasts challenge radio

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 21

22 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

LJR.caLJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 2323

24 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 25

26 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

Visit LJR.ca for

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 29

30 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

Patrick Johnston, a sports writer for

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 31

S TO RY AND PHOTOS BY KRIS T EN HOLL I DAY

(From left): Tina Lovgreen, video

32 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 33

For over a decade, Meg- rapidly. “I found it increas-

34 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

G Given the challenge of get-

How young writers “When you’re applying

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 35

(From left): Harrison Mooney,

Changing gree. After some graduate work

“We are taught to think that having

LJR.ca Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review 37

Eye of the Tweetstorm

38 Spring 2020 – Langara Journalism Review

The spirit of thoughtful,

For more information visit www.langara.ca/journalism.

NO FIXED VIRAL GAME