Langara Journalism Review LANGARA 2 0 JOURNALISM 0 9 REVIEW LJRNumber 13 This is not a Game Journalists on the Olympic beat struggle to get the full story Silencing satire Canada’s laws leave criticism in the crosshairs Simma Holt As feisty as ever, the ‘loose cannon’ tells all Caution The dangers of reporting in conflict countries It’s good to know who your friends are. The media is an important and If you want to know more exciting field. But especially in about what you should expect in this economic climate, it’s tough the world of media work, we’d to go it alone. be happy to help. The more you When you belong to a union, know, the better off you are. you’re not alone. And when you And if you think it might be belong to the Canadian Media time for you and your colleagues Guild, you are part of a group of to form a union in your work- more than 6,000 media place, we’d like to hear from employees across Canada, and you. thousands more across North Together, we can help renew America. the promise of this vital industry. The Guild represents employ- ees at some of Canada’s biggest and most important media organ- izations, including CBC/Radio- Canada, The Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters, and the Aboriginal Peoples Television 1-800-465-4149 Network. www.cmg.ca 2 Langara Journalism Review 2009 Contents Nowhere to go.........................................................5 Journalism graduates are on the hunt for employment, but are there any jobs? LJR By Sarah Douziech 2009 Juggling journalists.................................................8 Multimedia is making a hard job even harder. By Brenna Temple The incredible shrinking newsroom.........................11 Economic uncertainty and the shift to online news are causing massive job losses. By Sam Smith Bombs, bullets and bravery.....................................12 Foreign correspondents risk their lives to tell the stories of war-torn countries. By Sarah Massah Protecting their own..............................................15 Playing games..............16 A news embargo may have saved a reporter’s life, but did the CBC act ethically? The hurdles facing Olympic reporters. By Nafisa Kaptownwala By Matthew Aitken Glossed over.........................................................19 Advertorials disguised as journalism are plaguing magazine stands across Canada. By Marina Shevchuk Irrelevant editorials...............................................21 Newspapers’ political endorsements in a world of blogs, web news and voter apathy. By Janaya Fuller-Evans Instant news or immediate headache?.......................26 As the blogosphere expands, journalists and politicians weigh in on the revolution. By Alex Moser More than meets the eye.........................................27 No laughing matter.......22 Images can be altered in mere seconds, but where do photo editors draw the line? Canwest strikes back at satirical critics. By Justine Leung By Andrew Weichel Contract controversy..............................................29 Canwest’s freelancing agreements have some writers taking their work elsewhere. By Brenna Temple Penny for your thoughts.........................................34 Online news readers get a chance to voice their opinions—for better or for worse. By Kristen Douglas A world away........................................................35 A recent journalism grad shares her first foreign reporting experience. By Jessica Barrett Reminiscing reporter.....30 The tangled web we weave......................................37 A look at the vibrant life of Simma Holt. News outlets are ramping up their web presence to meet growing online demands. By Melissa Smalley By Jeremy Stothers Langara Journalism Review 2009 3 The Langara Journalism Review An annual review of trends and issues in Western Canadian journalism Editor Matthew Aitken Managing Editor Melissa Smalley Art Director Charlotte Brown Photo Editor Justine Leung Chief Photographer Stefania Seccia News Editor Jeff Lawrence LJR staff and Langara journalism diploma class of 2009 Production Editor Janaya Fuller-Evans Back row: Sam Smith, Jeff Lawrence, Jeremy Stothers, Andrew Weichel, Matthew Aitken Third row: Sarah Massah, Brenna Temple, Janaya Fuller-Evans, Charlotte Brown, Marina Assistant Publisher Shevchuk, Melissa Smalley Rachel McHollister Second row: Justine Leung, Nafisa Kaptownwala, Stefania Seccia Advertising Manager Front row: Kristen Douglas, Rachel McHollister, Ashleigh McIvor Stefania Seccia Missing: Alex Moser Copy Chief Andrew Weichel Copy Editors A letter from the editor Ashleigh McIvor, Jeremy Stothers, Sarah Massah, Kristen Douglas Like everyone else in the world, I’m trying to stay positive about the current economic situation. Not that I have much to complain about. I haven’t watched my Page Editors life savings go up in smoke on the world markets. Heck, I haven’t even lost a ten- Alex Moser, Nafisa Kaptownwala, cent piece—not that I had anything to lose anyway. Sam Smith, Brenna Temple, Marina I have spent the past two years in a journalism program watching a once-proud Shevchuk, Rachel McHollister, industry in an uncontrollable tailspin. Conglomerates bleeding money, newspapers Kristen Douglas folding, layoffs—something is wrong. The world is grappling with a recession, but Illustrations belt-tightening and restructuring have plagued the news industry for years. Alex Cho In the ’90s it became clear the Internet was going to have a huge impact on information sharing, and its impact on the journalism industry has been gargan- Instructor/Publisher tuan. The information age has put a publishing licence in everyone’s hand. Talk has Rob Dykstra always been cheap and online it’s free. But newspapers and magazines can’t pay staff with a doing-the-world-some-good sentiment. While the industry is downsizing Produced by second-year journalism and the blogosphere is growing, we need real journalism now more than ever. students at: This edition of the LJR is a bit darker than past issues. Perhaps the economy of Langara College the day is influencing our rather bleak take on the journalism industry. 100 West 49th Avenue But everyone knows a sharp journalist with a barrel of ink can still change the Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 2Z6 world. Good journalism challenges the status quo, which would otherwise never be Telephone: 604-323-5415 questioned. It tells the stories of people who would not otherwise be heard. www.langara.bc.ca/ljr We need good journalists and good journalism. We don’t need smaller news- Email: [email protected] rooms. We don’t need a cacophony of opinions masquerading as news—a typical feature of the blogosphere. Printed in Canada on 30 per cent The recession might be tough on everyone, but it will be a harder slog for those post-consumer paper by of us in an industry looking to redefine itself in a brave new world. Nathen Printing, Burnaby, B.C. This magazine is a testament to everything we respect about journalism, and everything that needs to change. Cover: Reporter Bob Mackin, 24 Hours —Matthew Aitken Photo by Stefania Seccia 4 Langara Journalism Review 2009 Working hard but hardly working By Sarah Douziech hen I enrolled in journalism Szymczak entered school deter- low grads have gone into public relations school, I thought I was making mined to get her dream job. “If one per- or pursued jobs in other industries. Wa practical choice. Here was a son [was] going to make it, it [was] going While some view the Canadian me- way to combine a love of writing with a to be me,” she says. In some part the sta- dia as being in a state of crisis, others secure, paying job. bility of her husband’s career freed her to see the transition away from traditional One month into the program and pursue journalism. “It’s not an industry journalism as a huge opportunity. I was questioning if I could handle it. that makes a lot of money, so you really “New journalists will have to be far Deadlines were demanding, the volume do have to love it to do it.” more entrepreneurial,” according to Al- of work seemed cruel and any inclina- Meanwhile, 27-year-old King’s fred Hermida, a journalism professor at tion I had toward flowery narrative was University-College grad Sarah Hoyles the University of British Columbia. systematically forced out by a pointy in- found herself moving across Canada Hermida’s areas of expertise include verted pyramid. and abroad to find satisfying work. She virtually every new journalism buzz- Months later, that question of capa- had to be creative and flexible to secure word out there: multiplatform journal- bility seems irrelevant. meaningful employment. ism, blogging, podcasting, interactive Jeff Gaulin operates the journalism Hoyles eventually found the daily journalism and user-generated content. job website, Jeffgaulin.com, and he says news grind to be too much, so she tran- Business skills not usually taught the industry has been in decline for the sitioned into public relations jobs with at journalism school are the foundation last three to four years. non-governmental organizations and from which young journalists will launch “I’ve been running the website since now has moved to project management. their careers, according to Hermida. 1995 and this is probably the worst time “It’s a very adaptable skill set that “You need to develop your own per- for job prospects for journalists that I’ve you learn in journalism school,” Hoyles sonal brand,” he urges, and the way to ever seen.” says. Though she’s moved away from start is with a website or blog; multi- In January 2008, Gaulin posted 150 traditional journalism, Hoyles says she’s media skills are indispensable to a new jobs on his website. The same month this never had trouble finding work. journalist’s survival. year he posted only 50. Enter Noa Glouberman, a 2004 Ry- A personal website or blog can help More than 1,200 jobs were cut in erson grad who worked for magazines journalists generate income through ad the last three months of 2008: 600 at Sun in Toronto after graduating.