Ryerson Review of Journalism will continue in both print and digital form

It has been decided after a thorough review* that the Ryerson Review of Journalism is to continue as a multi-platform magazine, including an annual print edition. A note to readers from Ivor Shapiro, the chair of the Ryerson School of Journalism and the publisher says that there is a recognition that the Review is "a serious asset for students' career preparedness." 

Occupying a lot of the conversation about what the RRJ should be like in future, the outcome was pretty much what might have been predicted. The loyal readers of the magazine want to see continuation of  the annual print edition as a sort of anchor tenant for a menu of digital offerings ranging across a variety of platforms such as social media, a digital edition, a blog, a podcast and a regular e-letter. In other words, it is not an either-or proposition, print or digital, but an "audience-first" approach.

Students value the RRJ as a laboratory for learning the business. The challenge is for Ryerson, its students and those loyal readers to find a consistent and sustainable way to pay for it. It means that more readers/supporters than the current roughly 300 subscribers need to step up. (As a canny slogan of The Nation magazine used to put it "It's not enough to just subscribe to our principles.") It also means that part of being on the staff will mean asking for those orders; expanding the magazine's audience and hustling for donations.

Among the expectations coming out of the review is that students on the RRJ masthead will now be given a set publishing budget made up by the school, part of the students' ancillary fees, donations and subscriptions and that the students will be expected to make their own decisions on how to grow and spend that budget. There will also probably be more collaboration between the RRJ and  the J-Source, produced by the Canadian Journalism Project and housed in the same offices right next door. 

Readers of this blog know that I am a subscriber and have been a booster and proponent for the RRJ for a long time and that I think it is a very important venture holding the magazine and wider publishing business to account.  The annual does outstanding research, reporting and writing and if the people in this business know what's good for them, they'll see that it continues to do so. It's very much needed.  

[*Disclosure: I was one of the people consulted during the review.] 

Ryerson Review of Journalism examining its funding options

Spring 2015 issue

The Ryerson Review of Journalism, which just published its annual issue and which is highly valued by journalism students and people in the industry, is considering a fundraising campaign over the next 18 months to replace advertising support that has all-but dried up, according to a post on J-source. 

The publication went from two issues a year to one in 2013 but there remains the magazine's production and print costs of $10,000 to $13,000. Ad and sponsorship sales have declined sharply over the past 8 years.

Ryerson professor and graduate program director Bill Reynolds will head up the fundraising campaign that will, in part, determine what the RRJ’s future will look like in two years. “The print version is guaranteed for Spring 2016, but it’s not guaranteed for Spring 2017,” [he] said....Reynolds said the effort is largely to avoid a scenario beyond 2017 where the publication goes  online-only, or print-on-demand, which would cut the RRJ’s circulation and newsstand functions out of its production.

Ivor Shapiro, the chair of the school, cautions

"The plan is to brainstorm to look at various options: print and digital, print-on-demand and digital, digital-only or otherwise. The only plan really is to discuss them....It’s not necessarily that it costs too much, but it costs a great deal to print and distribute it. We’re looking at how that money’s spent, and where it’s going to come from.”

Ryerson Review summer issue looks (among other things) at influence of ads on fashion pubs

The summer issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism (RRJ) is being officially launched on Thursday 5 starting at 5:30 at the the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto (1214 Queen Street West). Editor Sara Harowitz wrote a reflection for J-source.ca about the experience, which she described as being "team cheerleader and chief worrier" -- not a bad description.

"For me, the moment came during one of our many display-writing meetings. I was sitting at the head of the table, pen in hand, staring at the white board along with the rest of the Ryerson Review of Journalism Summer 2012 team. Our display consultant, Steven Trumper, sat at the other end of the table, shooting ideas at us (he’s a genius, that man). As I sat there, sprawled across a series of chairs, I couldn’t help but think to myself: This is it. This is the stuff. And by “the stuff,” I mean: What I want to do for the rest of my life. It was a cheesy, nerdy, rather embarrassing internal moment, but it sticks with me.
When I was in third year I remember arguing with myself over whether I should take part in the student-run Review or if I should find an internship. (In Ryerson’s journalism program, fourth-year students must choose one or the other.) In the end I came to the conclusion that the Review was where I should be, and I’m so thankful that I did."

When emeritus professor and inveterate editor Don Obe, who created the magazine stream at Ryerson, founded the Review in 1984 he was said to envision "a watchdog on the watchdogs"  and that's what the twice-a-year magazine, produced by final-year students, consistently delivers.  For instance, the summer issue has Stephanie Fereiro exploring the influence of advertising on fashion publications, and Daniel Viola looking at the implications of staged news segments. There are also profiles of Amanda Lang from the CBC and Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker. The issue is now or will shortly be on fine newsstands near you. Encourage watch-doggedness by buying a copy.

[Disclosure: I teach part-time in the Chang School for Continuing Education at Ryerson, though this has nothing to do with the Review or the journalism school.]

Ryerson Review of Journalism wins six student magazine awards

Nice to see, again, that the Ryerson Review of Journalism has picked up six awards (and accompanying judges' accolades) at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication student magazine contest. Among the winners (reported by proud faculty member Tim Falconer) were:

•  Winter Issue 2011
• First place single issue print (editor Liam Casey)
• First place, consumer magazine article: investigation and analysis "Suicide Notes" (Liam Casey)
• First place, consumer magazine article "140 Characters in Search of a Story" (Ashley Csanady)
• Second place, consumer magazine article "Not all Smurfs and Sunshine" (Matthew Scianitti)
• Summer 2011
• Third place, consumer magazine article: first person "War Torn" (Vesna Plazacic)
• Third place, consumer magazine article: feature "Vice Goes Global"

At risk of repeating myself, if the RRJ didn't exist to report on the business, we'd be compelled to invent it. Nice to see that recognized elsewhere. (Disclosure; I'm a subscriber.)

Ryerson Review of Journalism summer issue launch party

I have been heard, more than once, to say that if the Ryerson Review of Journalism didn't exist, we'd need to invent it. This student-produced, twice-a-year publication often publishes stories about journalism in this country, including magazines, in ways that can be found nowhere else.

The summer 2011 issue of the RRJ is being launched in the time-honoured fashion by a party in Toronto on Wednesday, May 4 at Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen St W) from 8 pm - 2 am. RSVPs to Facebook will help them know how many nibblies to have on hand.

Tell the Ryerson Review of Journalism what you think of it

The Ryerson Review of Journalism is a truly precious resource; if it didn't exist, the industry would have to invent it.

Right now, the Review is wrapping up an online survey of its readers, and is conducting a wider, companion survey of people (mostly in related fields) who aren't necessarily RRJ readers but are interested in the topics the RRJ covers. They've asked us to make people aware of this companion survey.

Click THIS LINK to participate.