Panel to discuss journalism amid reality of fake news
What: Southam Panel: The Future of Journalism in the Age of #FakeNews Where: Harry Hickman Auditorium (HHB 105), University of Victoria When: 7 p.m. Tuesday More info: Free event, finearts.uvic.ca/writing/
When the Southam guest lecture program was started at the University of Victoria 10 years ago, the hottest issue in journalism was how the internet threatened an industry largely dominated by print, says the chairman of the writing department.
“Some of our first topics were about the challenges of the internet and how print could survive in the digital age,” said David Leach. “Now, we’re recognizing the threat of the internet in terms of the spread of fake news, filter bubbles and the vital role investigative journalism has in sustaining our democratic institutions.”
The Future of Journalism in the Age of #FakeNews is the topic of a panel discussion at the university on Tuesday, featuring six journalists who have been Southam fellows: former Times Colonist columnist Jody Paterson, Ottawa Citizen foreignaffairs columnist Terry Glavin, former CBC host JoAnn Roberts, author Tom Hawthorn, freelance and satire writer Mark Leiren-Young and Vivian Smith, a former Globe and Mail editor who wrote a book about the lack of women in journalism leadership roles and why many leave careers they love. The panel also features Quinn MacDonald, a recent student in the program who founded Concrete Garden magazine.
Each year, the Harvey Stevenson Southam Guest Lectureship program features a mid-career journalist teaching a class and giving a public talk on a mediarelated topic. This year’s edition will look at the state of the media and panellists’ experiences in the classroom, said Leach, noting journalism in the age of Trump and struggling traditional media formats will likely be of interest to attendees from the public.
The annual event is one of the few in the city that explores issues related to journalism with those working in the field.
Leach said the course and lecture are popular, with favourites over the years including a talk by Hawthorn on sports journalism and one by the late author Richard Wagamese on incorporating Indigenous story-telling into journalism.
“He had students giving stories orally as well as writing. His public talk was incredible, very powerful,” Leach said.
The incoming Southam lecturer will be Judith Pike, a social-issues documentary filmmaker who will arrive in January.
Her class and lecture will look at how to investigate and tell stories through film, and how to reach different audiences, said Leach, adding that technical barriers, such as access to equipment and distribution, have changed for documentarians, with many using SLR cameras and iPhones.