Ryersonian continues to publish despite COVID-19 pandemic

Peter Bakogeorge, one of the journalism professors who works with the Ryersonian staff, said he is proud of the team in the first half of the fall semester after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the newsroom to operate remotely this fall. 

“We’re satisfied with the volume of content that students have turned out,” said Bakogeorge. “And we’re mostly satisfied with the internal systems for copy flow, but it’s not the same.” 

Bakogeorge said doing the Ryersonian remotely has meant students could not produce print papers. He said it has been disappointing the Ryersonian could not publish hard copies, because students could not see what a newspaper production day is like. Students have been unable to experience how stressful and beneficial production day is. 

But he also said doing the Ryersonian online reflects where the industry is going. Prioritizing online journalism enables students to be better equipped for the world they graduate into. 

Focusing on online journalism has allowed the Ryersonian to turn around stories faster. Bakogeorge said doing the Ryersonian online was great because it was easier to display photos, graphics, and other artistic pieces that will help to tell stories. Corrections and clarifications can also be added to stories quicker. 

Story meetings have been held on Zoom. There was a first meeting held at 10 a.m. Another meeting would be held at 3 p.m. to allow team members to update each other. 

Team members use Slack to communicate with each other. They are also encouraged to contact each other through email and phone. 

Patrick Swadden, the editor-in-chief at the Ryersonian, said he has enjoyed taking on this job, but it has come with challenges.  

“Newsrooms are generally full of energy and vivacity, and while we are all working from home, it’s difficult to say it has the same feel of a newsroom,” said Swadden. “However, our reporters and editors have shown a lot of enthusiasm and done some exceptional work remotely.” 

Swadden said all of the people on his team had a particular beat or subject they were eager to report on. What he enjoyed was hearing the multitude of different topics his team wanted to pursue. 

Bakogeorge said the Ryersonian did some great stories (external link)  about how COVID-19 has affected teaching, people, and residences at Ryerson. The staff put out a package (external link)  about the Egerton Ryerson statue, the name of the university, and the pros and cons of changing it. 

Bakogeorge said the Ryersonian needs to continue to publish stories despite COVID-19 because it is part of Ryerson’s identity. 

“The Ryersonian has been around for a long time, and it’s an important institution on campus,” he said. “It’s important that journalism students have a place where their work can be published.”