Journalism Professor Angela Misri aims to enact industry change

Award-winning journalist, author and Journalism Professor Angela Misri (external link, opens in new window)  is passionate about implementing change in journalism schools and newsrooms alike. As part of the JRN851 Newsroom Masthead course, Misri is offering weekly discussions on pressing topics identified by students. Discussion topics range from intersectionality, microaggressions, avoiding exploitation, reporting on trauma and diversifying sources. 

The idea for Newsroom Notes stemmed from an  (google doc) open letter (external link, opens in new window)  constituted by journalism students last year, titled It is Time for Change: A Call for Change at the Ryerson School of Journalism. The open letter inspired Misri to start the conversation and create a safe space for students to learn from working journalists about topics of interest. 

“Out of that document where they were asking for change, I looked at the ones I thought I could speak to or that I could find someone to speak to,” she said. “There are things that were talked about in that document that I don't feel personally capable of speaking to, so I looked for people who could speak to it.” 

Newsroom Notes has had four sessions to date, with working journalists sharing their experience and expertise with students. In the first session, titled Intersectionality and Diversifying Our Sources, Rogers Journalist in Residence Duncan McCue and Journalism Professor Eternity Martis tackled the topics of diversifying sources without overloading them, approaching community representation with accuracy and respect and the methods student journalists can use to find diverse sources. The sessions are created to tackle discussions that may not happen in traditional classroom settings, but students are curious to learn about.

Learning as a collective

As a South Asian woman, Misri has had her own experiences with mistreatment and microaggressions during her time working in newsrooms. However, acknowledging this, Misri also says it’s important for journalists to be aware of their own biases and privilege, regardless of their background. 

“We all have biases and we all have things we need to deal with. I know how to deal with certain things in newsrooms, and there's some things that I've never had to deal with,” she explained. “With these discussions, I want to bring it all forward. Let's talk about what everyone deals with because when we all get smarter, we make better newsrooms.” 

Audience takeaways

Through Newsroom Notes, Misri has a few key messages that she hopes her students will take away from the sessions. 

“I want my students to know that they are on equal footing when they walk into a newsroom. I want them to see themselves as equals to higher level journalists and I want them to see themselves as worthy of respect,” Misri said. “I also want them to ask questions and speak up when something isn’t okay. Lastly, I want them to feel like they can bring things up to the journalism department so we can respond to it in real time.” 

This is the first semester that Newsroom Notes is taking place, but Misri says she looks forward to continuing the initiative in the future. In an effort to create a confidential and safe space, sessions are not recorded or live streamed but attendance is open to anyone who wants to learn. 

The sessions take place on Wednesdays at 9 a.m. at The Venn in the Rogers Communications Centre. For a full list of discussion topics, click  (google doc) here (external link, opens in new window) .

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