RUBIX roundup
Journalism was well represented at this year’s RUBIX, the annual showcase of research and creative work done within the Creative School. The event, usually held in the Catalyst space in the RCC, was convened on Jan. 27 via Zoom instead. It featured work from j-school alum, faculty and current students.
Research projects have been tough to pursue because of the pandemic. Everything from cancelled conferences and travel for fieldwork to heavy care-giving responsibilities and remote teaching have eaten into the time that is usually devoted to this work. Hearing about projects continuing in spite of COVID marks hope for the year ahead.
As part of a roundtable session, Professors April Lindgren and Nicole Blanchett discussed the future of digital storytelling, moderated by colleague Sonya Fatah. Lindgren is currently on sabbatical but continues her work on several research fronts, including the Local News Research Project (external link) which has added the impact of COVID-19 to its continuing deep-dive into the state of Canadian news at the local level. As part of the project, the Local News Data Hub (external link) has used data sets to create local stories on Internet speed (published in August of 2021) and more recently, climate change (November 2021).
In addition to her teaching and administrative roles, Blanchett is busy with her work on the Journalistic Role Performance project. This is a major international collaboration that focuses on the gap between journalistic ideals and practice. Journalists are asked about their attitudes while their professional practice is analyzed through content analysis. In Canada alone, the project has resulted in over 3,700 stories being coded and more than 130 journalists surveyed.
As part of her RUBIX participation, Blanchett spoke specifically about the importance of audience data to digital storytelling. One of the challenges is how to value digital stories, particularly given different business models, from paywalls to stories featuring affiliate links. Blanchett calls the ability for audiences to provide input via their usage data as “participative gatekeeping” which can lead to responsive journalism. But business or editorial decisions made by news outlets may mean that the ability to provide important information in the public interest may be affected. Her work on the project will continue with further data analysis and publications.
Professor Fatah did double-duty, not only moderating but also presenting on an upcoming live journalism production to be presented in late March/early April at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton. This will be the first official production of stitched! A journalist will give a long-form narrative combined with multimedia before a live audience, who in turn, will have the opportunity to interact.
As part of the same lightning-fast PechaKucha approach to presentation which included stitched!, undergraduate student Sama Nemat Allah also shared her work. As a research assistant on Blanchett’s Journalistic Role Performance project, she shared preliminary findings, including data that suggests significant differences between the sensationalism employed by Canadian national news and other countries. The inclusion of experts in Canadian reporting may also be more ingrained than elsewhere.
J-school grad and instructor Amanda Cupido showcased Remember This, (external link) her podcast and app focused on capturing stories told by seniors. The app features easy-to-use fonts and prompts so users can record their own memories and have the result automatically mixed. If desired, they can download the recording and even submit the final project for dissemination via podcast. Cupido has recently become the Director of Talk and Talent for Global News Radio 640, but the company she founded and which created Remember This, Lead Podcasting, continues under her leadership. Remember This launched in May of 2021 and remains free to download and use.