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    RJRC’s new academic director plans to build bridges between academics, journalists, public

    By ALLISON RIDGWAY Staff reporter July 20, 2018 Joyce Smith, a researcher and associate professor at the Ryerson School of Journalism (RSJ), says she is excited to promote student and public engagement with journalism research as the new academic director of the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre (RJRC).  “We’re here to support the education of young journalists, but we’re also here to support the work done by journalists who are mid-career and further on. And, perhaps more importantly than ever given the state of journalism and fake news, [we’re here] to help the public understand the practice of journalism,” Smith said.…

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    How Ottawa should spend its $50 million to support local news

    By APRIL LINDGREN Founding Director, RJRC This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. April 13, 2018 Who holds officials accountable when cities like Thunder Bay, Ont., rife with political and racial tensions, have no local reporters? (Shutterstock) There’s $50 million in federal government money on the table in Canada to support local journalism in the country’s under-served communities over the next five years. What’s the best way to spend it? Last month’s federal budget announcement is an acknowledgement that access to reliable, timely, relevant local news is a growing problem. Data from The Local News…

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    Innovative ideas to solve media challenges discussed at launch of Digital News Innovation Challenge

    Feb. 5, 2018 By AMANDA POPE Staff reporter A website to help children understand the news, a mobile platform that provides newsrooms with better access to eyewitness videos, and an online platform for distributing newscasts on voice-activated devices were among the ideas-in-progress at the recent launch of the Digital News Innovation Challenge. Nearly 100 journalists, aspiring entrepreneurs and students attended the Jan. 25 launch of the Canada-wide incubation program in Ryerson University’s DMZ. The event was an opportunity to learn more about how to become one of five journalism startups accepted into the Facebook-sponsored program. The teams selected through the…

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    New survey investigates state of smaller-market newspapers in Canada

    Feb. 2, 2018 By AMANDA POPE Staff reporter A new online survey is asking Canadian journalists working for newspapers with a print circulation under 50,000 to provide information about how their newsrooms are managing and adapting to the turbulent times. Ryerson journalism professor April Lindgren and the not-for-profit National NewsMedia Council – an alliance of the former provincial press councils – are conducting the research. Questions on the survey deal with everything from the number of reporters on staff and journalists’ perception of job security to the use of social media and the major challenges facing local newspapers. “We are…