New instructors, leadership changes and farewells

Journalism at The Creative School is welcoming three new instructors for the Fall 2023 semester. 

Talia Ricci

Talia Ricci ‘12, has worked as a multimedia reporter for major networks across Canada for over a decade and is currently reporting for CBC News in Toronto. Ricci returned to TMU last year to work part-time as a teaching assistant. 

What are you most excited to teach this semester?

I'm teaching JRN270 "Producing the News," which will be a fairly fast-paced and hands-on course. I remember those being my favorite types of classes when I was at TMU, because it felt like working in an actual newsroom. 

Is there anything that you learned over the course of your career that you're hoping to impart to the young journalists you'll be meeting this year? 

Journalism is such an odd industry, there isn't really a direct path to getting the job you want. I'm hoping to create an environment in my classroom where students feel comfortable asking me about the industry and for any advice they need to help them navigate it. I'd really like to be a positive voice for my students and show them that it's possible to land a job you love, and encourage them to pursue journalism because we need good journalists now more than ever.

Ginella Massa

Ginella Massa is a broadcast journalist with over 13 years in national and local broadcast newsrooms, on and off, air, including CBC, CTV News, CityNews, Newstalk 1010, and Rogers TV. She has written for the Globe and Mail, National Post, Chatelaine Magazine, and Refinery29 Canada. She is perhaps best known for making history as the first woman to anchor a national newscast in North America while wearing a hijab.

What are you most excited to teach this semester?

So I'm only teaching one course, JRN270 - It's “Producing the News” and I'm really excited about it because it's very much what I do and have done every day as a reporter. I'm excited to help students learn how to work to a deadline because that's a big part of being a journalist and I know that a lot of us are high achievers, so we have perfectionist tendencies, which can be our biggest detriment. 

Is there any advice that you've learned over the course of your career that you're hoping to impart to the young journalists you'll be meeting this year?

Journalism is such a competitive field right now. It's shrinking, there are lots of grads who are gonna be vying for a smaller pool of jobs. I've always told people it's not always the most talented people who get the jobs, it's the ones who are the most persistent and who have the most gumption. 

In a landscape that is increasingly hostile to journalists, what is on your mind as we enter the school year?

The thing is that young people have a lot to teach us about how people are accessing news, the voices that they trust, and the sources that they go to for information. I think in many ways we can learn from them about what mediums we should be more focused on as an industry. I think often those of us who work for traditional media can feel a sense of entitlement. The reality is that just because we have this institutional history behind us doesn't inherently mean that the public will come to us for their news.

Sam Pazzano

Sam Pazzano ‘79, spent 26 years covering courts for PostMedia/The Toronto Sun (external link)  then moved into producing 20 true crime shows for Canadian, American, British and Australian production houses. After leaving daily news reporting, he also became a paralegal.

What are you most excited to teach this semester?

I am thrilled and excited to be teaching TMU Masters of Journalism students Law and Ethics for Journalists. I am hoping my extensive background will enable me to teach these motivated graduate students how to navigate the courts, avoid defamation lawsuits and break stories.

Your daughter Jasmine ‘14, taught at the School before you. Did she give you any tips? 

My daughter taught “Producing the News” a few years ago, so her course material had no connection with mine. She did offer some tips: work hard; respect your students; and, offer positive reinforcement on the strengths of the students' work. Some of those tips came from her father and I like the fact she recycled them back to me. She was a model student and an outstanding teacher, I’ll have to work hard to emerge from her shadow.

Is there any advice that you learned over the course of your career that you're hoping to impart on the young journalists you'll be meeting this year?

Your best defence against libel, slander and defamation is to be a good journalist. Be accurate, fair and balanced. Truth is the first defence for defamation, so shoddy reporting undermines your first - and best - line of defence. It sounds so simple, but it is a challenge, especially in the face of the endless deadlines that journalists now face.

School leadership changes

The School of Journalism also welcomes a change in the leadership team: Prof. Adrian Ma, MJ ’09, is the new undergraduate program director. Ma is an award-winning journalist, multimedia producer and author. In a decade of teaching, he has specialized in teaching digital news reporting, personal branding and 360/VR storytelling. This fall he is teaching JRN305: Digital Reporting Workshop.

He will work closely with other members of the leadership team to support students, instructors and staff members as much as possible. 

“In my case, I'm here as a resource for students, particularly when it comes to helping them navigate their courses, their academic progress and even their career goals. This role really allows me to connect my years of experience working in newsrooms with my experiences as an educator, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity,” said Ma.

Prof. Sonya Fatah will begin her role as associate chair in the school.  

Fatah joined the Journalism faculty in 2017 after teaching at other journalism schools both in Canada and in India. At TMU, she’s taught Feature Writing, Law and Ethics, Social Issues in Journalism, Narrative Writing, Magazine Workshop and Reporting and Writing. She has also co-led the masthead newsrooms (news and the Review of Journalism). This fall, Fatah will be teaching JN8104: Urban Politics and Society to students in the Masters of Journalism program.

Marsha Barber continues as graduate program director. 

Saying goodbye to Lisa Taylor

The School of Journalism is also saying goodbye to a long-time leader and faculty member: Lisa Taylor. Taylor began as a part-time instructor at TMU 15 years ago, and in 2018 became the school’s undergraduate program director. 

“[When I started] I was worried about whether a school just steps away from Yonge and Dundas was the right place for me. But it soon became clear that, while (TMU) was a monolith of a university, (the J-School) was a small and incredibly welcoming community, “ Taylor said. “Most of all, I am grateful for the countless students who helped me grow as a teacher — I appreciate how many of them I count among my friends.”

A former practicing lawyer, she shared her expertise on issues related to the intersection of law and journalism ethics with students. Taylor received a JD and LLM from the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. 

“Lisa prioritized students’ academic and emotional well-being, and ensured the curriculum was consistent, rational and transparent. She spearheaded a change to admissions and, she worked with Ann Rauhala to ameliorate course outlines to develop learning outcomes, fine-tune assessment and evaluation methods,” said Prof. Janice Neil, a former chair of the J-School. “Lisa challenged outdated systems so students could flourish and graduate. She listened when they were in crisis - escorting them to counseling and spending nights with students who were terrified about a missing classmate.”