RRJ wins multiple awards at AEJMC

The Ryerson Review of Journalism received five awards or honourable mentions at this year’s Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Student Magazine Contest. 

The organizers changed the competition rules, capping the number of entries per category by a submitting organization at two. Sonya Fatah, one of the journalism professors who managed the RRJ, said she had to be creative when it came to the stories being submitted. 

“I think that this year was somewhat special just because of the constraints and circumstances the book was being produced in,” said Fatah. 

Fatah said students had a challenging time working remotely to put the RRJ together, but they were able to succeed. 

The RRJ (external link)  won the award for the Online Magazine category. Catherine Abes, Hannah Alberga, Emily Latimer, and instructor Carly Lewis were the staff recognized with this award. 

Rawiya Kameir, a contributing editor at Pitchfork and the judge for this category, said in her review over email that the RRJ produced thoughtful, well-reported stories. 

“The application of different story formats is effective, and further strengthened by clear, engaging writing,” said Kameir in her review. 

“Show of Hand” (external link)  by Julia Simioni finished in second place in the Articles-First Person category. Simioni wrote about what it is like living with a hand tremor. 

Riyana Straetker, the Voices editor at PopSugar and the judge for this category, said in her review over email that Simioni’s piece was filled with detailed reporting. 

“It's very compelling, and sheds so much light on an oft underreported subject,” said Straetker in her review. “She did a great job of capturing the complexities and nuance, and I appreciate her willingness to listen and own up to her own shortcomings on the subject, even as a person with a disability.” 

“The Long, Dark Trail” (external link)  by Emily Latimer came in second place in the Articles-Feature and Articles-Reporting categories. Latimer wrote about the ethics of true crime podcasts. 

“In my undergrad, I studied criminology, and I was always interested in true crime stories,” said Latimer. “When I turned into a journalism student, I understood more of how they were actually made. So I started thinking about the ethics of these stories that a lot of people consume.” 

Molly Simms, senior editor at O the Oprah Magazine and the judge for the Articles-Feature category, said in her review over email that Latimer’s story was excellent work. 

“This was really strong and delved into a topic that's much discussed these days with real rigorousness,” said Simms. 

Kelly Bourdet, assistant managing editor at CNN Business and judge for the Articles-Reporting category, said in her review over email that Latimer’s story was well reported and edited. 

“A thorough piece for a journalism review,” said Bourdet. “The reporter found a good mix of sources with various experiences within the podcasting community and its fans.” 

Latimer said she was pleased her story won these awards. 

“It went through a lot of different iterations, but the one that turned out worked for me,” she said. “When you first pitch it, you don’t ever think it’s going to be finished.” 

She has since finished her master’s in journalism at Ryerson. She has been pitching stories to a variety of news outlets. 

“The American Literary Journalist Who Had a Passion for Canada” (external link)  by Sabina Seyidova came in third place in the Articles-People category. Seyidova profiled Edith Iglauer, an American literary journalist who explained Canadian life to Americans. 

“I am extremely thankful and grateful for the win,” said Seyidova. “It felt surreal.” 

Will Leitch, contributing editor at New York Magazine, said in his review over email that Seyidova’s piece was “warm-hearted” and “my kind of story.” 

Seyidova said she enjoyed researching, writing, and reading about Iglauer. 

“It was challenging at times, as I was not able to interview her directly; however, I was able to reach her family and friends who painted a beautiful picture of Edith Iglauer,” she said. “Her legacy lived in her work and coupled with her personality and drive, she was for sure an incredible person to do a retrospective on.” 

Seyidova has completed her master’s in journalism at Ryerson. She is looking for a journalism-related job. 

Fatah said people should look at all of the pieces in this year’s RRJ. 

“They are written and the narrative is pushed through pictures presented by young, emerging journalists, which means they have a pulse on what is interesting to them and what they’re concerned about in the practice of journalism today,” she said.