Magazine health editor: Ziya Jones. Creating safe spaces in health reporting.

Ziya Jones (external link) , ‘14, is currently based in Montreal, working as a senior editor at Xtra Magazine’s health section (external link) .

Before Xtra, they worked as a senior editor at Reader’s Digest Canada and as a regional trainer teaching Solutions Journalism with Journalists for Human Rights. They won gold at the Digital Publishing Awards (external link)  for best news coverage in a community publication for contributing to Xtra’s Canadian federal election coverage.

Follow Jones’ day as a health editor at Xtra Magazine.

As a remote worker, I get the privilege of starting my day later than most. The first thing I usually do when I wake up is to check my phone (terrible!), and the second thing I do is feed my three cats, who are guaranteed to be screaming for food (also terrible!). I should probably revise my morning routine.

Once the cats are placated, my morning gets more relaxed. I’ll make a quick breakfast and coffee and spend a bit of time scanning Twitter and a few different news sites to see what stories or topics are being talked about that day. 

I live with my girlfriend Nour, who also works remotely as a journalist. Most of the time that’s great—we get to bounce around ideas and commiserate about working in media—but sometimes our apartment can feel crowded, especially on days when we both have long meetings.

So while I work from home most of the time, I go to a shared studio space a couple of times a week. I love the location because it’s nearby enough that I can walk there when the weather is warm—and because it’s on top of one of my favourite queer bars, which I think is fun. It also has a nice view of Mont Royal!

I always begin by checking emails and clearing my inbox. If I’ve received any pitches, I want to make sure I’ve looked at them before I meet with my colleagues later in the morning. This is also when I’ll follow up on assignments if they’re late or do housekeeping tasks such as making sure writers’ contracts are signed and uploaded to our system. Once all is in order, it’s time to start editing. I’m responsible for Xtra’s health section (external link)  and most of our love and sex coverage, so there’s always a fun mix of stories to work on each week.

The most social time of my day is the team’s daily morning meeting, where we provide story updates, suggest pitches and talk about our daily social media strategy. I also run Xtra’s internship program, so I will often meet to catch up with interns after the larger team meeting as well. After the meeting, I go back to my regular editor tasks: editing stories, looking for new writers to work with, planning my section’s editorial calendar and assigning new pieces, and posting articles online.

I usually eat lunch at my desk (another bad habit!), but halfway through the afternoon, I’ll almost always take a walk to get a coffee. When I’m home, I’ll go with my girlfriend, and when I’m at the studio, I’ll sometimes try to coordinate to meet friends who live or work nearby. It helps to break up the isolation of remote work. After the break, I head back to my desk and work a few more hours before wrapping up my day.

After walking home, I’ll catch up with my girlfriend while we listen to music (usually Bladee) and make dinner together. Sometimes I see friends or go to events after work, but in the winter, it’s much more likely that I’ll spend the evenings watching TV, exercising at home or reading. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather—I’m much more motivated to make plans when it’s nice out.

If I haven’t gone out, I’m typically in bed by around 11 p.m.—but I rarely actually fall asleep then. I usually spend a good hour or so scrolling on social media, texting and reading. When I finally get tired, I set my alarm, kiss my girlfriend one more time, put some earplugs in (screaming cats) and go to sleep.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.