PDF AVAILABLE HERE

As a public utility, The Griffins’ Nest aims to supply voters with information pertinent to the running of our democratic system.

With that, the Candidate Questionnaires preceding the 2022 Vancouver Municipal Election has the objective of showcasing the positions of potential VSB Trustees on major issues concerning the District.

As such, our Candidate Questionnaires must hold candidates responsible for any actions in the past, present, and future. This means that specific, tangible, and quantifiable answers by individual candidates are required to provide accountability. The format currently used by The Nest provides that by requiring respondents to answer individually.

However, it is not our role to make sure that each answer by candidates fulfils the criteria of being specific, tangible and quantifiable outside of the framework already established. If a candidate were to answer in an abstract, vague, and overall perplexing way, The Nest would be obliged to publish such an answer within reason. The burden of interpreting the answer would fall to voters, who can form conclusions as they will.

In the third issues questionnaire, Vision Vancouver candidates answered in a hybrid format, answering the question together, while individually providing their background and supplementing the main answer, although in an abstract way. This is after Vision answered together in the previous issues questionnaire, resulting in an email to them directing them to answer individually for future questionnaires. “We will not accept further answers that do not comply with the rules. You are politicians, we are journalists. It is our mutual responsibility to the public to stay in our respective lanes,” candidates and the party were told. We also informed Vision Vancouver that “No other political party has opted to disregard the rules this way.”

While technically offering individual answers, this hybrid methodology is a grey zone. Vision candidates did in fact answer the question, they did so together, and their individual responses only supplement that. The large preamble the party provided addresses a majority of the substantive issues within the prompt, whereas the candidates’ “perspectives” added on to such are ornamental to the Christmas Tree of non-compliance that we received.

It is the finding of The Nest that it would not be correct to publish the collective answer portion of Vision Vancouver’s response. While publishing only the individual responses would deprive their candidates from fully voicing a position on the issue, it was made clear to Vision, through direct communication and through other candidates’ responses, that each candidate must respond independently. Candidates of the same party can share common goals and views, but it is important that each candidate shares those views separately from the rest of the party line, as to fully provide accountability. Voters are voting for candidates, not parties, and deserve responses from each candidate. By providing collective responses, political parties force voters to select a numerator over nine as opposed to browsing between party lines. The latter is more respectful of municipal democracy.

Furthermore, the prescribed format must be observed. While flexible if needed, it cannot be disregarded. If candidates neglect it, it would breach our ethical standard of treating all candidates fairly, allowing some to gain an unfair advantage. Other candidates could feel blindsided by our decision to allow separate formats for some parties while they are following the one that we originally prescribed. This could lead to a lack of trust among our respondents and the public, which is something we must avoid at all costs.

It is paramount that we uphold the standards of integrity and fairness in our reporting. The Nest has a reputation for strong ethical principles, which is fundamentally important as a public utility. Referring to the Canadian Association of Journalists Ethics Guidelines: “Defending the public’s interest includes promoting the free flow of information, exposing crime or wrongdoing, protecting public health and safety, and preventing the public from being misled.” The last six words are engaged here by virtue of a political party stifling the ability of voters to distinguish candidates.

Publishing only the individual responses provides an acceptable amount of information from each candidate as to properly inform voters. It would also assert to Vision that the rules we have set in place must be obeyed, and parties cannot try to find loopholes in our system.

Going forward, we must inform readers and candidates that while we are receptive to a modification of format, we will not allow unjustifiable exceptions, especially those conjured upon what we can only reasonably understand to be political motivations.

With reasons specific and articulable, we hope this letter shares some insight into the editorial decision making of our publication and invites further questions in the interest of transparency.

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]]>Statement - Regarding Vision Vancouver’s Response to Candidates Issue Questionnaire ThreeThe Griffins' NestThe Editorial BoardThu, 07 Jul 2022 20:47:45 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/summer-vsb-election-coverage611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:62c746726091243440500982

The 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 Griffins' Nest Editorial Boards have teamed up to cover the 2022 Vancouver School Board Election.

As The Griffins’ Nest is a student club, we are generally confined to the school calendar when it comes to our journalism. However, as a publication focused on public-interest reporting that has frequently taken on stories that extend beyond the hallways of our high school, editors decided that a special summer reporting project was incumbent upon us given our duty to our community as journalists. To that end, we strongly encourage readers to fill out our Public Input Collection Form to help shape our coverage.

Our volunteer team will consist of 12 student journalists, who all have been or are incoming members of the Editorial Board, working to fulfil our three-pillared election coverage plan:

(1) Weekly Issue Questionnaires issued to candidates. Candidates will receive a question or prompt and be asked to submit a written response, which will subsequently be published on our website. Responses will be sorted by political party, in a randomized order, and a further randomized order of candidates under each party. This is to ensure we are providing equal opportunity and a platform to all candidates.

(2) Weekly Feature Stories as a background to the issues of the Vancouver School District.

(3) 'Exit Interviews' with incumbent trustees who are not seeking reelection.

The Nest is excited to continue its journalism through the summer and welcomes feedback and input from readers, as always. Candidates will be sent letters in the next few days informing them further of this project.

The 2021-2022 Editorial Board includes Executive Editors Hannah Azad, Erika Chug, Stephen Kosar, Managing Editor Jessica Kim, and Editor-in-Chief Spencer Izen. The 2022-2023 Editorial Board includes incoming Executive Editors Max von Dehn, Adelaide Guan, Ellis Jackson, Katja Radovic-Jonson, and Alanna Rudolph, Managing Editor Simone Hamilton, Design and Layout Editor Teresa Chen, and Editor-in-Chief Stephen Kosar.

The Griffins' Nest adheres to the Canadian Association of Journalists' and Society of Professional Journalists ethics guidelines.

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]]>Announcement - Special Summer Election CoverageJournalism BlogSimone Hamilton, Teresa Chen, & Katja Radovic-JonssonSat, 28 May 2022 03:30:00 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/fact-check-supreme-court-intoxication-defence611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:629190a7ba749d0c1c9b4120

The above post by @raperelief on Instagram shares a screenshot of a few paragraphs of a Global News article, “Canada’s top court says voluntary extreme intoxication a defence in violent crimes.” 

The screenshot does not display the full article, and does not elaborate on the context of the headline. Instead, it leaves interpretation up to the viewer. The interpretation gathered from said post by the seven thousand commenters was that voluntary drunkenness would now be considered a defence to violent crimes in Canada, the post targeting sexual assault especially. This conclusion is not true, and leads to harmful fear-mongering misinformation being spread on Instagram and other social media platforms including TikTok and Snapchat.

The caption reads, “Terrible decision coming down from the Supreme Court of Canada. Free pass for men to rape, beat and kill women.” Though it mobilises the user’s personal frustration with the court decision, the caption is misinforming the larger audience the post has gathered by implying that the court’s decision allows individuals to use intoxication as a defence for crimes of general intent, such as assault or sexual assault, which it doesn’t.

The cases involved in the Supreme Court’s decisions are R v. Sullivan, R v. Chan and R v. Brown. In all three cases, the defendants were charged with aggravated assault while intoxicated. In the cases of Chan and Brown, they were impaired by psilocybin, otherwise known as magic mushrooms, while Sullivan had overdosed on prescription drugs. Brown and Sullivan were acquitted due to them being in a state of non-insane automatism as a result of the drugs taken, and Chan was ordered a new trial. 

These cases render section 33.1 of the Criminal Code unconstitutional as it violates sections 7 and 11 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Sections 7 and 11 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are under the legal rights heading of the document. Section 7 states that every Canadian has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. And section 11 explains the rights of an individual accused of a crime in the Canadian justice system, the specific right being violated is (d): the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a fair trial.

Section 33.1 of the Criminal Code states that there is no defence of intoxication that forgoes intent available to those who are self-induced. Section 33.2 states that those who are intoxicated by self-inducement are still criminally responsible for their actions and this section remains intact. However, because of the general wording in section 33.1, it does not allow those who are self-induced to use non-insane automatism as a form of defence. Non-insane automatism could be applied to cases of extreme intoxication where the substance consumed renders the person in a psychotic state of automatism, where they have no conscious control of their bodies.

The Supreme Court judgement on R v. Brown explicitly states, “The outcome of the declaration of unconstitutionality with respect to section 33.1 has no impact on the rule that intoxication short of automatism is not a defence to violent crimes of general intent, such as assault or sexual assault.”

In the Instagram post by @raperelief, the noun “intoxication” and the verb “to be intoxicated” are used five times, but the true legal definition of the term “automatism” is only used once and is not explained. 

Oxford defines intoxication as “the state of being intoxicated, especially by alcohol”. The definition, of course, includes other substances, but culturally, the word is connected especially to alcohol. This leads to the misconception that this precedent provides a legal defence specifically for extreme self-induced drunkenness. It does not. 

Automatism, which is left undefined by @raperelief’s post, is the performance of actions without conscious control or intent. Automatism is culturally related to actions performed during sleepwalking, seizures, or a stroke. 

The Instagram post also states that “Under Section 33.1 of the Criminal Code, extreme intoxication—formally known as non-insane automatism—cannot be used as a defence in criminal cases where the accused voluntarily ingested the intoxicating substance.” 

While extreme intoxication can be a type of non-insane automatism, extreme cases of sleepwalking have also been described as non-insane automatism, such as in R v. Parks. Non-insane automatism is any involuntary action that doesn’t arise from a “disease of the mind”.

Another post made by Toronto Metropoltian University (formerly Ryerson) Student Union and the Centre For Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support, states:

“Intoxication is not consent. Intoxication is not an excuse. Intoxication is not a justification. Intoxication is not a defence.”

There is nothing in the recent precedents that disagree with any of these statements. The first three of those statements are not discussed in the precedents, and the last is not relevant.

Under section 273.2(a)(i) of the Criminal Code, it is stated that intoxication cannot be used to excuse or justify sexual assault by claiming belief in consent.

The court’s recent decision is to allow a defendant to take up the defence of non-insane automatism, where they voluntarily consume the substance that later rendered them automatic and unconscious. This is not to say that this defence will even be successful in most cases, as automatism usually requires expert opinion evidence to support the claim as it is a psychotic condition.

The Supreme Court also agrees that intoxication is not a defence. In the precedent R v. Brown, the judgement states: “Criminal liability for violent conduct produced by alcohol alone, short of the psychotic state akin to automatism experienced by B, is not in issue.” 

It is, however, true that a few legal scholars have expressed some concern regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling since it was left quite open-ended. Kerri Froc, associate professor of law at the University of New Brunswick stated in an interview with Global News that although it was said that there’ll have to be expert evidence brought, no matter what the intoxicant is, the court never ruled out any kind of intoxicant being used for extreme intoxication defence. This means that defendants could try to use non-insane automatism as a defence for cases involving alcohol, although according to the evidence presented before Parliament, its success rate would be low to zero.

“We are carefully reviewing the decision to determine its effect on victims as well as the criminal law. It is critically important to emphasize that today’s decision does not apply to the vast majority of cases involving a person who commits a criminal offence while intoxicated,” Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti said in a statement cited by multiple media outlets. 

In the aforementioned Instagram post, the repetition of the word intoxication is misleading and diminishes the true topic of the recent precedents. Intoxication is not synonymous with automatism, and they fall under very different circumstances and legal requirements.

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]]>Fact-Checking Online Discourse Around The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Intoxication DefencesThe Editorial BoardWed, 11 May 2022 04:06:11 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/letter-to-vsb-on-restricting-student-journalism611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:627b363417bdad7dd9183e59The following letter was sent via email to trustees Chan-Pedly, Fraser, Gonzalez, and Wong on May 10, 2022. A PDF is available here.

MAY 10, 2022

Vancouver School Board Policy and Governance Committee Members (trustees Chan-Pedly, Fraser, Gonzalez, and Wong) - Sent via email

Dear Members of the Policy and Governance Committee,

OPEN LETTER RE: Proposed Administrative Policies Restricting Student Journalism

We write to you as the editors of The Griffins’ Nest, a nationally-recognized, independent student newspaper based out of Eric Hamber Secondary School.

It has come to our attention that the Vancouver School Board (“VSB”) Policy and Governance Committee will be considering two administrative procedure proposals, entitled Extra-Curricular Activities - Secondary Schools and Social Media Guidelines at the May 11 committee meeting. After a careful analysis of both proposals, it is our conclusion that they threaten the very idea of a free student press and represent a dangerous precedent for the suppression of student journalism across our District and Canada.

Generally speaking, journalists are prohibited by their ethical codes from participating in advocacy when they actively report on those same subjects. However, when freedom of the press is at risk, we find ourselves in the awkward yet necessary position to become advocates. As such, while there are some elements that we find concerning from the perspective of students generally, we will restrict our feedback to you as elected officials specifically to the contexts that limit our journalism.

We call on you to reject these proposals, including "piloting" them or anything analogous, and we do not feel this proposal is in our best interest as students.

The proposed administrative procedures significantly remove students' agency from clubs, creates a state of perpetual surveillance, and affords concerning authority to non-students. There is zero possibility The Griffins' Nest or any other critical student media would be able to operate under these demonstrably restrictive proposals.

These administrative procedures were brought forth without the consultation of ourselves, as arguably the most public school-based club, and the Vancouver District Students' Council (we contacted them and checked). In addition, the Administrative Procedures Working Group does not include any student representation.

Below is a line-by-line review of elements we find concerning.

Extra-Curricular Activities - Secondary Schools

1.1 Extra-curricular activities will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Human Rights Code of BC, and board policy and regulations.

Neither the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms nor the Human Rights Code of British Columbia are documents that a school district can opt-in or out of. They apply notwithstanding a district's assertions. The phraseology appears to introduce the erroneous context that students are

to abide by the Charter, when in reality, that document is specifically designed to place restrictions on a public institution to prevent harm being done to those who are served by those institutions.

5.1 Each club will be identified by a name that is descriptive of the nature of the organization and will be guided by a charter which specifies the purpose, membership and operation of the organization and the name of the supervisor.

By virtue of this, we would not be in compliance with this procedure, as our name, The Griffins' Nest, is presumably not descriptive in nature.

6.4 The principal is responsible for approving the purposes and goals of an extra- curricular activity and ensuring that they are appropriate to the age, physical, and intellectual maturity of the students and, also, for ensuring the appropriate involvement of a supervisor.

This section is extremely concerning. It affords broad power to a principal to arbitrarily decide what is and is not appropriate for a student, based on very vague guidelines. For us, one could make the flawed argument that students are not capable of journalism, and therefore we should cease our operations or bring them down to a level supposedly more suited for our "intellectual maturity". Obviously, this would be an absurd statement, as without a doubt we have clearly and very publicly demonstrated that journalism capable of changing a school district is well within our capability. But yet, the threat remains.

Similarly, the same could be said for our sponsor, who has no journalism background. We, the students, are entirely responsible for editorial decisions as well as our own journalism educational development. That is a significant part of why The Griffins' Nest is such a valuable opportunity — the fact that it is student-run. The proposed administrative procedures remove the possibility of further student-led learning opportunities such as The Griffins' Nest and give administrators extreme latitude to arbitrarily determine our operation exceeds what they deem acceptable. There is also no way for students to appeal that decision.

Humbly, we understand student journalism better than any regulating authority. We abide by two sets of professional ethics codes and some of our editors are quite literally card-carrying members of the Canadian Association of Journalists. It is precisely the fact that our club does practice journalism that places the VSB in a position to afford more freedom to our operation, not less.

7.3 The statement of purpose shall not imply criminal or illegal activity; promote bigotry; suggest indoctrination; or otherwise espouse views which are antithetical to the educational values which are intended to be inculcated

This section is also extremely concerning. It is the perspective of The Griffins’ Nest that the freedoms of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, are essential human rights, and in the context of a newspaper, freedoms that invite a myriad of perspectives to inspire and bring about social, economic, scientific, and political change and progression. Is this indoctrination? Obviously not. But it is possible under these procedures we would have to fend off such arguments. This section is dangerous and should be stricken.

7.6 Generally, clubs are intended to be fiscally self-supporting. All fiscal transactions must have the authority of the sponsor and/or Principal.

This section reads as though the VSB has plans to stop giving grants to every club to support their work. Why something like that appears to be under consideration is not apparent to us. We would seek confirmation as to whether the VSB, through each respective school-based administrative team, intends to continue funding school clubs, including ourselves.

Social Media Guidelines

3.2 Employees may create school-based social media account(s) by obtaining approval from their principal or direct management supervisor. The principal or supervisor will notify the District communications department of any approved social media accounts.

3.3 Social media accounts created for/by school clubs and/or extra-curricular activities are the responsibility of the sponsor teacher. This includes account creation, access, and content.

3.4 Communications and content on school/District social media accounts must comply with this Procedure and will be subject to monitoring by the District. The District reserves the right to remove any postings, or content of any other nature, from such approved social media platforms that they consider to be inappropriate or in violation of this procedure.

These three sections are, respectfully, unconscionable and a direct threat our rights. We publish articles sometimes critical of the VSB to social media and receive confidential information from sources through those channels. It is not apparent why the District would consider something like this, except for the explicit purpose of restricting student journalism.

As these policies relate to an increase in the duties and responsibilities of administrators and teachers, as well as increases the liability of the District, we would hope that the Vancouver Secondary Teachers' Association and the Vancouver Association of Secondary School Administrators was consulted in this matter. And as these policies relate to expressive rights of teachers, we would hope that the British Columbia Teachers' Federation has been informed and had an opportunity to weigh in on this.

We urge you to vigorously reject these proposals that will damage student journalism and make you unaccountable to your constituents.

We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely,

Hannah Azad

Executive Editor

Erika Chung

Executive Editor

Spencer Izen

Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Kim

Managing Editor

Stephen Kosar

Executive Editor

CC: Alan Patola Moosmann (Vancouver DPAC)

Vik Khanna (Vancouver DPAC)

Helen McGregor, Superintendent (Vancouver School Board)
J. David Green, Secretary Treasurer (Vancouver School Board)

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]]>Open Letter: the VSB’s Proposed Administrative Policies Restricting Student JournalismThe Editorial BoardTue, 05 Apr 2022 16:31:57 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/student-journalism-foi-application-fees611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:624c6efed2e5c0291a989834

PDF AVAILABLE HERE

The Griffins' Nest Editorial Board would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to Tamara Taggart for organizing a funding campaign for freedom of information requests, as well as to all those who donated following the Vancouver School Board's disappointing decision not to waive the $10 application fee for general requests made under Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. We now have more than enough funds to conduct the reporting we intended to.

General FOI requests were free, prior to the passage of Bill-22 late last year. Public bodies across the province were empowered with the option to charge a $10 application fee and could choose not to apply the fee at their discretion. As many have noted, FOI requests are an important part of holding a public body accountable and highlighting areas for improvement. And when the VSB was told that the fee precludes us from doing that work, we were essentially told we waste the time of staff and written to in a condescending manner that ignored many of the well-documented and publicly-known challenges that The Griffins' Nest has faced both during this and last school year. However, despite our school board's reluctance to support robust student journalism and disinterest in accountability, we remain committed to our role of seeking and telling all sides in matters of the public interest in School District 39. We are not going away.

We are beyond grateful to all those who donated to support The Nest's student journalism, and whose overwhelming support is a strong rebuke of the expression, press, and information rights ignorance that has unnecessarily defined our relationship with our school board.

We look forward to continuing to tell the stories of those who shape public education in Vancouver, meaning those of students, families, teachers, principals, support staff, management staff, trustees, and all those engaged in the affairs of this District.

Thank you all for stepping up when the people we expected to did not. Please look continue to expect public-interest student journalism that holds the institutions you value accountable.

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]]>Statement - Message to Readers Regarding Freedom of Information FundsHannah AzadThu, 10 Feb 2022 04:06:27 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/artists-remove-music-from-spotify-citing-misinformation611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:62048f43ce611c253be90864

Musician Neil Young has demanded that his work be removed from Spotify due to the spread of COVID misinformation on the platform. He attributed his decision to one podcast in particular, “The Joe Rogan Experience” (‘JRE’), where the host, Joe Rogan has made numerous false claims about the virus. In a letter posted to his website, Young issued an ultimatum: “[Spotify] can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” The popular streaming service began pulling Young’s music from its site only two days later.

Canadian artist Joni Mitchell has since followed in Young’s footsteps, writing, “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

San Francisco Chronicle Datebook reported that the streaming platform lost $4 billion in market value following Young and Mitchell’s departure. The public has shared their support for the musicians through the hashtags #DeleteSpotify and #CancelSpotify, which have started trending on Twitter.

Exclusive licensing for JRE were purchased by Spotify in 2020 for $100 million. It is now one of the world’s most popular podcasts with an average of 11 million listeners per episode. Rogan has become infamous for making insensitive comments and promoting baseless scientific theories on the show, most of which relate to the pandemic. In September 2021, he went against the FDA’s advice by advertising ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, as an appropriate treatment for COVID-19.

Episode 1757, which aired in December, included an interview between Rogan and virologist Dr. Roger Malone. Malone, who was suspended from Twitter for violating their COVID misinformation guidelines one day prior to his feature, was given the opportunity to vocalize his stance on the virus, vaccines, and more. 

In this three-hour conversation, Malone claimed that the public was being “hypnotized” by the government due to “mass formation psychosis”–a phenomenon later proven to be fake. He proceeded to compare the circumstances to the Holocaust and discourage healthy individuals from getting vaccinated. 

Over 270 scientists, healthcare officials, and professors have signed an open letter to Spotify in response to the controversial episode. “The interview has reached many tens of millions of listeners vulnerable to predatory medical misinformation,” they wrote, “Mass-misinformation events of this scale have extraordinarily dangerous ramifications.” ​​

The letter is concluded with a demand that the site “establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation” as other major platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, have. 

Spotify’s head of global communications and public relations, Dustee Jenkins, revealed in leaked Slack messages that their team reviewed multiple episodes of the podcast and determined that “they didn’t meet the platform’s threshold for removal”. 

However, when clips of Rogan using racial slurs on JRE surfaced, a website that follows activity on Spotify, JREMissing.com, reported that 70 of its episodes were taken off of the streaming platform. Chief Executive of Spotify, Daniel Ek, revealed that he had spoken to Rogan about the insensitive language previously used on the show. He confirmed that after their discussion, it was the podcast host who chose to have the episodes removed. 

Ek has also since responded to the misinformation controversy. “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them” he stated. Addressing the public’s criticism in a separate note, Ek wrote “I want to make one point very clear–I do not believe silencing Joe is the answer.”

He assured that the platform will still be acting on the feedback they have received, revealing “We’ve heard the criticism and we’re implementing changes to help combat misinformation.” As a part of this plan, Spotify will be adding content advisories at the beginning of podcasts that discuss the pandemic.

In journalism, sources are attributed. This contrasts academic papers, which often require an organized list of all sources used. This blog post will go over different citation styles for both journalistic pieces and academic writing. 

Attribution

For everything except well-known information (ex: There are over 30 million people in Canada), reporters should clarify where they got their information. 

The teacher said her lessons were challenging for the average Grade 9 student.

“We should get another cat for our family,” said Greg Smith. 

This process where reporters state “who said what” is called attribution. There are various levels of attribution. The levels refer to the amount of personally identifying detail a reporter will disclose about their source/interviewee when presenting the collected information. 

Why is attribution important?

It allows readers to clearly identify where information in a journalistic piece came from. 

What are citations?

Citations are references to sources used in a written piece. 

Why do we cite?

Citations help readers verify the validity of a written statement, locate sources for references. It is also important in avoiding plagiarism, which refers to the presentation of someone else’s work as one’s own. Citations credit the original author(s).

Citation Styles and When to Use

Differences in information and formatting required for a citation dictate what style of citation should be used. Generally, citations can be broken down into parenthetical and numbered citation styles.

Students most commonly encounter the parenthetical MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations, which are chosen based on the topic of the student’s paper. Examples shown cite The Canadian Encyclopedia’s article on Brent Hayden.

• MLA (Modern Language Association) — Used most often in humanities (i.e. culture studies, literature, language)

  • The Modern Language Association’s scholarly journal used to require typed submissions which followed a certain format, hence MLA style was born

  • Promotes consistency in disciplines of humanities 

Williams, Cheryl. "Brent Hayden". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 04 March 2015, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/brent-hayden. Accessed 10 December 2021.

• APA (American Psychological Association) — Used most often in social and behavioral sciences (ex: psychology, anthropology, social work)

  • Designed to standardize scientific work

  • Helps researchers organize their research and helps readers understand said research

Williams, C. (2015). Brent Hayden. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/brent-hayden.

• Chicago — Used most often in history, but in some humanities subjects too

Williams, Cheryl. "Brent Hayden." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published August 13, 2012; Last Edited March 04, 2015.

Additional numbered citation styles include styles within the Vancouver and Oxford citation style families. 

• Vancouver — Numbered sequenced focussed style that synthesizes information from a high number of studies; Helps readers view the written piece without interruptions from in-text citation; Used most often in the physical sciences 

• Oxford — Footnote and endnote-focussed styles covering sources that don’t fit neatly into a paragraph form (i.e. legal documents, manuscripts)

Changes to a Citation Style

As the world of academia and publishing evolves, so must citation styles. Established citation styles have gone through a multitude of changes. For example, the 8th edition of MLA style included a general set of guidelines applicable to sources ranging from websites to DVDs. 

How are citations presented?

A bibliography, reference list/works cited organizes citations alphabetically at the end of a written piece.

• Bibliography — Lists all sources consulted, even if a source was not directly used, it must still be included

• Reference list (APA)/Works cited (MLA) — Lists all sources actually used

In-text citations like footnotes or parentheticals aid readers in viewing sources as they appear.

• Footnotes — Indicated with a raised number right after the information that was cited

• Parentheticals — Used when a direct quote is included; Usually includes the author’s name and page number of source document

Learn More About Citations

When writing academic papers for courses, university students are often required to follow a certain paper style (i.e. APA style for a psychology research paper) and include proper citations. Thus, university websites are a great resource to learn more about citations.

This blog post was written with references to the following websites (all great sources to check out!)

https://libguides.nmhschool.org/citations

https://guides.library.unk.edu/c.php?g=710678&p=5051044

https://www.bibliography.com/how-to/apa-references-works-cited-and-bibliography-differences/

https://seneca.libanswers.com/faq/195405

https://uscmed.sc.libguides.com/c.php?g=484371&p=3313015

https://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp

https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations/citationwhich

https://libguides.brown.edu/citations/styles

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/styleguide/chapter/why-is-mla-documentation-important/

https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/the-importance-of-apa-style-giving-credit-to-get-credit/

https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780190200886/student/chapter10/gline/level/

https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/mla/websites

https://spcollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=254319&p=1695316

"Joe Biden is pretending to be the president-elect," declared broadcaster Greg Kelly, host of Greg Kelley Reports on the American conservative media TV network Newsmax, on November 12, 2020. 

"Trump won the election. He'll win the recount. He'll win in court" One America News anchor Christina Bobb forcefully asserted to her viewers on November 14.

Lies like these, chiefly espoused by Fox News, One America News, and Newsmax, became entrenched in the minds of millions in the days and months after last year's US President Election on November 3, fuelling the angry segment of the American population to take back their country and take matters into their own hands. 

And they did. Based on the demonstrably false lie orchestrated by right-wing media, certain members of Congress, and President Trump's inner circle, thousands of terrorists descended upon the nation's capital and staged an insurrection to overthrow a democratically elected government of the United States. 

If you don't know what happened, click here for the full story.

The insurrectionists failed. After hours of occupying the seat of the nation's power, the national guard and law enforcement agencies from multiple levels of government secured the Capitol building and made way for lawmakers to certify then-President-Elect Biden's ascendance to the Oval Office.

The vast majority of media reported the January 6 Insurrection as what it was - an insurrection, and have maintained that journalistic approach in the year since it happened. 

Since the attack, those special trio of media outlets — Fox, OAN, and Newsmax — had a different take on the insurrection: it wasn't all that bad.

They rewrote history on live TV, outwardly denying or falsifying details of the seditious events that took place and the intent behind them. Hosts downplayed the attacks as nothing more than an overexcited crowd, whose actions didn't amount to the term "insurrection", and consistently mocked others' reactions to the attack, attempting to delegitimize investigations into it. 

Fox, OAN, and Newsmax continued to spread lies about the insurrection all throughout 2021, and did the same thing on the attack's first anniversary. 

On January 3, 2022, nearly a year later, Fox's Tucker Carlson, announced “…it wasn’t an insurrection. It was a lot of things.” He then continued to emphasize “It was not an insurrection. No evidence of that.”

Grant Stinchfield of Newsmax’s said today, “I refuse to call January sixth an insurrection. I don’t even call it a riot.” During this segment, the onscreen banner read “BIDEN’S ENTIRE PRESIDENCY IS A LIE.

The way in which these media outlets portray January 6 and the 2020 presidential election have a massive misinformative impact on public opinion. 

In an Axios-Momentive poll from Thursday, only 55 per cent of Americans believe that Biden legitimately won the election, and according to another poll from the Associated Press, 61 per cent of Republicans believe that the attacks were either not violent at all, or only somewhat violent.

This contrasts massively with the Democrats’ understanding of the event, in which 87 per cent said the event was extremely or very violent.

For reference, 94 per cent of Fox News’ viewers are either Republicans or Republican leaning. OAN and Newsmax have similar demographics.

This polarizing partisan divide has created two completely different versions of the sixth’s events, both in media records of the day and its aftermath, as well as in people’s memories. A sizeable portion of the American population sincerely believes in a demonstrably false notion that their current President illegitimately rose to the Oval Office.

“While citizens can disagree on policies, people of all political stripes must agree on fundamental constitutional principles and norms of fairness, civility and respect for the rule of law,” former President Jimmy Carter wrote in a recent New York Times opinion column. With the rise of the extremely skewed and false narratives spun by some media outlets, these fundamental ideals seem to be loosing their grip on everyday citizens.

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]]>How the American media outlets that helped create January sixth have covered the insurrection in the year sinceJournalism BlogSpencer IzenWed, 29 Dec 2021 02:03:00 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/news-vs-analysis-vs-opinion-types-of-articles-in-a-newspaper611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:61cbc1ba66c6621c2fcbe78f

In a November 18 Journalism Blog post, we went over the differences between fact and opinion. We determined that a fact was defined as something that can be proven and evidenced to be true, whereas opinion cannot. So what happens when you put start putting facts or opinions together to form an article? What types of articles are there, and what's the difference between them? That's what I'll explain.

Like a lot of terms in journalism, newspaper article types vary across different news organizations. The Nest has its own way of making these distinctions and explaining them to readers, but this is a more generalized discussion of the different types.

The term "newspaper articles” is designed pay homage to print journalism, but applies the same to digital publications (and the digital sub-publications of broadcasters, like CNN.com or CTVnews.ca). The word "newspaper" by itself is often used in the industry to refer to any text-based news media communication, leading to terms like "online newspaper" in reference to digital publications like the Tyee and other web-based outlets.

The Nest's Reporter's Manual and Editorial Policy Guide (currently being renewed) describes six types of articles published in the paper: news reports, analyses, opinions, reviews, OPEDs, and editorials. Today, we’re focusing on just the first three.

The news report is the most basic type of article expected of a newspaper, and is the staple of journalistic objectivity. News reports are impartial accounts of a story based on the facts, and avoid false balances by portraying all sides in relation to the truth. While it is generally understood that no report is 100 per cent objective, and entirely bias free, news reports are the articles specifically mandated to check all forms of bias and self-interpretation at the door. When people speak of "unbiased" or "balanced" reporting, this is the type of newspaper article they are likely referring to.

The aim of a news report is to deliver an unbiased record of an event, whereas an opinion's aim is just to opposite. As its name suggests, opinions are thesis-driven, essay-like texts that draw upon facts and interpretation to draw distinct conclusions. They play an important role in determining the significance of a news story, and the greater transferring of intelligence across all disciplines and subjects. Research and evidence-based findings are combined with comment to tell readers what a columnist (someone who writes opinions) believes of a news story.

At The Nest, opinions are the medium to access the paper's commitment to free expression, where we welcome different perspectives and give student journalists a chance to publicly discuss their views. In stricter, professional newsrooms, journalists who write opinions and journalists who write news are separated, to respect and protect the objectivity of reporting from the insertion of personal biases.

News analyses are more a bit more complicated than news reports or opinions. With the growth of explanatory journalism in the last two decades, print and digital analytical articles have become increasingly employed by news media to interpret complex issues, and have been met with success among news consumers.

The Nest defines a news analysis as an "in-depth interpretation or explanation of a news story through a close examination of the facts and their contextual significance or meaning." It is intended to be separate from opinion.

News analysis are most often written by journalists with experience or knowledge in a specific subject, qualifying them make observations based on the facts of a story.

But by nature of this process, personal opinion has the increased potential to invade the fact-based observations.

For years, journalism scholars and public editors have cautioned that while increased contextualized coverage has its benefits, the differences between analysis and opinion can and has at times blurred to obstruct the lines distinguishing them.

At the same time, many in journalism and academia have also said that explanatory and analytical journalism has greatly aided the public's fluency in current affairs. News media organizations that publish analyses have their own regarding article type, including rules regarding who can write them and when its appropriate use them.


Fundamentally, news reports, news analyses, and opinion each have a specific approach to informing readers of current affairs.

News Report: Here's what happened.

News Analysis: Here's why it happened. And what it means.

Opinion: Here's what I think of what happened. Or what should have.

These three are the primary newspaper articles that The Nest publishes and has its student journalists focus on when bringing the news to Eric Hamber's community.

Ideas for future Journalism Blogs? Got a question about something you read? Send us an email here.

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]]>News vs. Opinion vs. AnalysisJournalism BlogSpencer IzenSat, 25 Dec 2021 03:08:27 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/list-of-independent-news-media-in-canad611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:61c68b2d75ec603fe90f52ce

In The Nest's last issue, student journalist Max von Dehn took a look at Canada's notably corporate controlled news media landscape, and what it meant for the future of local news.

The Canadian journalism ecosystem is well-established to be dominated by a few key players. Decades of reports from academic institutions, consulting groups, governmental commissions, and news media themselves have confirmed the true-north-strong-and-free's lack of news media diversity. 

Here’s one example: nearly every major Canadian daily newspaper are in the hands of the Postmedia network, owning 34 of the country's 77. Included in its collection of media "brands" are the Vancouver Sun and the Province, BC's largest papers. 

The community paper scene provincially features a similar lack of independence and diversity. The BlackPress publishing company has a substantial presence across the Pacific Northwest, owning more than 170 publications across BC, Alberta, Yukon, Washington, California, and Hawaii. Most of BackPress' titles are concentrated in BC. (Disclosure: BlackPress' Vancouver-based printing division VanPress is The Nest's printer.)

Extensive corporate ownership has been found to diminish the independence and reliability of media outlets within a company's collection. Editors with the goal of producing great journalism and management with the goal of producing great profits generally don't coincide well at the clogomerate level, exemplified well in Canadaland's reporting on that exact issue within Postmedia's newsrooms.

Reporting by Sam Smart for the Maple took a deep dive into the history of management interference in editorial decisions across media organizations nationally.

Despite the historically concentrated nature of the industry in Canada, in recent years, a spark of coast-to-coast journalism innovation spurred the onset of increased consumer choice in news and the development of independent media.

David Beers and Robyn Smith, respectively the founder and (outgoing) Editor-in-Chief of the Tyee, holistically called this collective of new, innovative outlets the “independent digital public interest journalism sector”, in their joint 2017 Policy Options op-ed.

Every outlet I cited above is a part of this sector. Canadaland, the Maple, and the Tyee are members of Canada's growing independent media, as high-quality alternatives beyond established sites, papers, and networks. 

So without further delay, here's a non-exhaustive list of trusted independent media, broken into four sections relevant to The Nest’s readership. All descriptions are from the respective outlets, obtained via their websites or their listing on unfettered.com. If you find or know more, email me at ehnewspaper@gmail.com so I can check it out and add it!

(For the crowd that likes to get news of a random Instagram page: these outlets are here for you. Find something you're interested in and learn something from them. Not Instagram.)

The Nest’s List of Independent Media

NATIONAL MEDIA

The Breach - The Breach is an independent media outlet in Canada that produces critical journalism to help map a just, viable future. We publish investigations, analysis and videos about the crises of racism, inequality, colonialism, and climate breakdown, while providing a platform for voices you won’t often find in establishment media.

Canadaland - Canadaland is a news site and podcast network funded by its audience. Our primary focus is on Canadian media, news, current affairs, and politics. Our podcasts get over 100,000 downloads per week.

Indigenous Watchdog - Indigenous Watchdog is dedicated to monitoring and reporting on how reconciliation is advancing on the critical issues that are impacting the Indigenous world – including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Our mission is to raise awareness on Indigenous issues and help “Close the Gap” on socio-economic outcomes separating the indigenous world from the rest of Canada.

New Canadian Media - New Canadian Media provides nonpartisan news and views representing all Canadian immigrant communities. 

The Line - We are a collection of Canadian newspaper and magazine writers creating an outlet for engaging, irreverent writing. We’re not culture warriors. We’re not partisan. But we are tired of institutional cultures enforcing a state of stifling conformity.

The Logic - In-depth reporting on the innovation economy

The Maple - The morning email that brings you up to speed on the top stories in Canadian politics, with progressive analysis of the news and ideas driving the day.

The Narwhal - Our team of investigative journalists dives deep to tell stories about Canada’s natural world you can’t find anywhere else.

National Observer - Observer Media Group has led the digital re-invention of Canadian media, driven the national conversation on energy and climate change, and made history as the first all-digital publication to win a National Newspaper Award and a Michener Award citation.

Passage - Passage offers left-wing perspectives on politics, economics, and culture from Canadian writers and thinkers.

The Pigeon - The Pigeon is your source of in-depth, long-form reporting about Canada-wide topics.

Rabble.ca - We are an award-winning, independent, community-driven media. Among the first digital journalism organizations in Canada, and the first to incorporate as non-profit, rabble.ca has been at the forefront of reporting on national politics with a progressive lens that centres issues of social movements, of labour, and of grassroots activism.

Ricochet - Ricochet is an audacious response to a difficult context. Independent, dedicated to investigative journalism and incisive opinion, Ricochet seeks to illuminate the cultural and political diversity within Canada.

The Walrus - The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians. As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism, produce national, ideas-focused events, and train emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management.

BC MEDIA

The Columbia Journal - The Columbia Journal is a positive progressive alternative to the conservative corporate press in B.C. Dedicated to inform, entertain and advocate for the people of B.C., it is an independent publication, promising free and open debate on all issues, a voice for people throughout B.C.

The Breaker - the Breaker is your source for news, opinion and analysis about British Columbia issues and institutions. It is a vehicle to stop secrecy, unravel the spin and enable citizens to better scrutinize those who hold power and influence on the west coast of Canada and beyond.

The Discourse - The Discourse is a digital news media company based in Vancouver B.C. We provide community-powered journalism to underserved communities. We currently operate digital media serving the Cowichan Valley, southern Alberta, Francophone Quebec and Indigenous communities in the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island.

Education Matters British Columbia - in-depth journalism about BC education that puts the wellbeing of children first.

Hakai Magazine - Hakai Magazine explores science, society, and the environment from a coastal perspective.

Indiginews - At IndigiNews we’re committed to listening to the communities we serve and making sure their stories are heard, understood and respected.

The Orca - A new independent multimedia publication for B.C. politics, business, and history. Our focus is on public policy, issues, and ideas that affect the B.C. economy, investment, jobs and long-term prosperity and opportunities for everyday British Columbians. 

The Tyee - We’re an independent, online news magazine from B.C. founded in 2003.

LOWER MAINLAND & METRO VANCOUVER

Burnaby Beacon - The spaces, faces, & community stories that matter to Burnaby.

Capital Daily- In-depth reporting and long-form journalism from Victoria

Fraser Valley Current - Plug in to the news that matters in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and the rest of the Fraser Valley.

Tri-Cities Dispatch - The Tri-Cities Dispatch is a local media non-profit covering the Tri-Cities area of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. Our mission is to provide residents of the Tri-Cities area with the news and information they need to stay in touch with their community, along with quality original reporting and journalism.

Vancouver Tech Journal - We uncover and tell the stories that matter in Vancouver's tech ecosystem. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter.

STUDENT MEDIA - SECONDARY & POST SECONDARY

Yes, we're including student media. Why? Because by virtue of reading this article you've proven why student media is important.

The secondary publications list is not complete, and only contains outlets confirmed to be active. Send an email to add to the list!

SECONDARY

Avolution Magazine - Lord Byng Secondary

The Bruin Bulletin - Britannia Secondary

The Daily Wale - Prince of Wales Secondary - (just launched 2021)

The Griffins’ Nest - Eric Hamber Secondary

Point Grey Journal - Point Grey Secondary

The Tupper Times - Sir Charles Tupper Secondary

DT Journalism Club - David Thompson Secondary

Van Tech Newspaper - Vancouver Technical Secondary

WEST VANCOUVER

Rockridge Post - Rockridge Secondary

The Sun Sentinel - Sentinel Secondary

SURREY

The Maritimes - Earl Marriott Secondary 

Hawk Word - Fraser Heights Secondary

RICHMOND

SLSS Press - Stevenson London Secondary

Strikers News - McRoberts Secondary

COQUITLAM

The Eddy - Riverside Secondary

The Edge - Glendale Secondary

NEW WESTMINSTER

NDUB Student Press - New Westminster Secondary

ABBOTSFORD

Hurricane Alert - Rick Hansen Secondary

BURNABY

PRINTS Newspaper - Burnaby Mountain Secondary

Central Paws - Burnaby Central Secondary

DELTA

The Griffins Gazette - Burnsview Secondary

POST SECONDARY

The Ubyssey - (UBC) - The Ubyssey is the definitive source of news on campus. Published every Tuesday during the school year, it is the largest student paper in Western Canada.

The Peak - Simon Fraser University's independent student newspaper since 1965.

The Omega - Thompson Rivers University's independent student newspaper and news website, is a free publication written by TRU students for the TRU campus community of students, faculty and staff.

The Capilano Courier - Capilano University’s number one campus newspaper. In fact, we’re the only one, so we’re taking the cake by default. Established in 1968, the Courier is published weekly by the Capilano Courier Publishing Society, an independent non-profit society. The Courier is led by both students and alumni, and is funded by student fees and the occasional advertising.

The Runner - The Runner is student owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society (PIPS).

The Cascade - The University of Fraser Valley’s autonomous student newspaper and was founded in 1993. We publish fact-based journalism in The Cascade and online at ufvcascade.ca.

Link BCIT & Beyond - the expression of student ideas and culture at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. These are the stories, issues and trends that matter to this community today, and all of our content is produced by students on and off-campus.

The Other Press - Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976 published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer.

The Langara Voice - The Voice newspaper and its digital edition, The Voice Online, are produced by Langara College journalism students as part of their multimedia production courses.

(Disclosure: journalist Sam Smart is one of the two Western Representatives for the Canadian University Press, a post-secondary student journalism collective that endorsed the Student Press Freedom Act, legislation that I drafted with another member of The Nest's Editorial Board, Jessica Kim) 

(I'll also note that for conservative-leaning folks, you may have come across the Post Millennial in your search for independent media, but I excluded it as the publication is known to spread COVID-19 dis/misinformation, and it has been reported that its Editor-at-Large Andy Ngo has connections to far-right militant groups in the United States. The Post Millennial has been accused of propagating Islamophobia, among other forms of hatred, and also falls substantially outside the realm of acceptable reliability when I compared its score to the generally conservative National Post and Toronto Sun on the Ad Fontes Interactive Media Bias Chart ©. In short, it fails our vetting process.

Similarly, I also excluded the True North after determining its journalism did not meet the bar for reliability, finding its high level of opinion content, the titles of the that content, the publication's clickbait-style visual presentation, and interview-flattery of Ezra Levant, are consistent with news sources popular in far-right conspiratorial circles in the United States. For these reasons, I deem the True North a disreputable publication, alongside the Post Millennial.)

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]]>The Nest’s List of Independent News MediaJournalism BlogSpencer IzenThu, 18 Nov 2021 21:59:00 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/fact-vs-opinion611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:6196c69ded01ce72bc02eb73

The ability to determine the difference between fact and opinion is a fundamental news literacy skill. Confusion between the two fuels the spread of misinformation and contaminates media comprehension. A media literate population is essential in the preservation of healthy democracy, and we all need to read a little closer into the information we receive. 

You may have learned this before, maybe you did it in Socials or English, maybe a Science teacher talked about it once, but trust me, media literacy is a skill everyone needs, so go through this article and arm yourself with the tools to confidently go about media consumption in any format. 

The Basics: What are Fact & Opinion? 

A fact is a provable piece of information supported by evidence. Canada is the second-largest country in the world. Eric Hamber was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. This website was made with Squarespace. Those are all statements that can be verified. They are facts. 

An opinion on the other hand is a statement with which you can choose to agree or disagree. It is a perspective. You cannot prove an opinion to be true. Pierre Trudeau was the greatest Prime Minister. Apple is better than Samsung. Instagram is superior to Snapchat. Those are all statements that you cannot prove, but you can use facts to support your claim and convince others to agree (but remember, agreeing with an opinion does not make it true, and certainly does not make it a fact!). 

Take this statement: “Justin Trudeau was born in Canada”. Is that fact? Or opinion? Can we prove that Justin Trudeau was born in Canada, or is it something we can have a different perspective on? Place of Birth is something one can prove, using records (among other things) as evidence. Therefore, it is a fact that Justin Trudeau was indeed born in Canada, as it can be proven. 

Conversely, the statement "Justin Trudeau is the best Prime Minister", is not a fact. Why? Because if we refer back to the definition of a fact, we recognize that for something to be classified as factual, it must be verifiable. There is no way to prove anyone is the best Prime Minister. Prime Ministers can be ranked according to a methodology, they can be praised or condemned for their actions, but they cannot be given a universal descriptor such as "best", because those terms are reliant upon what somebody thinks. Facts are reliant upon objective evidence. Opinions are reliant on subjective thought (which may be based on facts). Therefore, we know this statement to be an opinion, because there is no way to prove with evidence Justin Trudeau is the best Prime Minister. 

Fact and Opinion in News Media

News media often makes a point of denoting factual statements in the form of designating news reports, and opinion articles. 

In both print and online media, it is standard practice to label opinion content as such, so readers are clear on what they're looking at. For example, an article titled "The VSB Needs to Lower International Tuition to Attract Foreign Students" would be tagged legibly with "OPINION". Sometimes news media use terms such as "commentary" or other similar language to indicate opinionated content. 

However, with the increasing abundance of news consumed from social media, the distinction between fact and opinion has become less obvious to users, in the observation of The Nest's Poynter Institute-accredited student journalists. Tags denoting fact from opinion are significantly less common than in print. While it may be convenient to get information off of social media, there is no room to drop your guard when interacting with news content, and we must be aware of the media we consume. 

Oftentimes, the platform we use to inform ourselves with news is one of the hardest platforms to judge fact vs. opinion, and the algorithms that filter and aggregate content don't necessarily help with that either. A well-known MIT study found that fake news, usually crafted with opinionated content, spreads six times faster than real, accurate news. 

Why it Matters: 

News is information. Information is powerful, powerful in that everything we do, everywhere we go, our past, present, and future, is and are all shaped and designed using the information we have access to and consume. 

The ability to distinguish is fundamentally important beyond current affairs followers. Your ability to comprehend information and its role in the continuance of a healthy and sustainable democracy cannot be overstated. 

So next you find yourself scrolling through Instagram, watching a YouTube video, reading a magazine or newspaper, stop and ask yourself "is this fact or opinion?". It's a question you should be able to answer, because democracy depends on it. 

It is established law that as students, we enjoy the right to freedom of expression and of the press in Canadian public schools, regardless of our status as minors or our non-commercialized practice of journalism. We are student journalists of a country that constitutionally enshrines these freedoms, recognizing their historical and present relevance to bring about social, political, economic, and scientific advancement and progression. 

We recognize the responsibility of school officials to uphold their legislated and professional obligations to protect the wellbeing of the school community. 

However, we remind all Vancouver School Board staff that any limitation of a Charter right, regardless of statutory roles and requirements in the School Act, School Regulation BC Reg 265/89, or any related documents, requires such limitation to “be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society”. The Constitution is the supreme law of Canada. It is not something akin to a restaurant's "Catch of the Day", in which patrons may decipher whether the sea bass is in fashion. Public officials, including school officials, are bound to respect Charter rights. 

The Griffins’ Nest is a legitimate journalistic institution, governed by standards from the Canadian Association of Journalists and Society of Professional Journalists. Our reporting is well respected among our diverse community readership, and on the national stage with high praise and support. We remain editorially independent from non-students, from the methodology with which we select articles to the weights of the typefaces that comprise our bylines, students are in control. Student control is what protects press freedom. 

Press freedom obstructions do not always come in the form of direct censorship. Freedom of information issues, bureaucratic hurdles, financial limitations, privacy violations, and removal of student control substantially impedes our ability to report the news pursuant to our motto. 

It is in the best interest of everyone who interacts with the education system to support and defend student press. 

We are appreciative of the support of our press freedom partners, particularly the assistance of the Canadian Association of Journalists, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, and Student Press Law Center, of Washington D.C., in their efforts to protect the rights of those who dare to report the news, all the news, without fear or favour. 

And to our readership, whose support we consciously and gratefully acknowledge in our work: we ask that you speak up for and share your support for The Nest’s rights to freedom of expression, information, of the press, and all other rights pertaining to our reporting.

An “approved” press is not a free press, and The Nest will never relinquish the rights and freedoms the Constitution bestowed upon each and every person in Canada. And one does not require any such law, journalism, governmental degree or any other related post secondary or professional accreditation, to understand that. 

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]]>Statement: Freedom of Expression and Freedom of The Press in Canadian SchoolsThe Editorial BoardThu, 30 Sep 2021 16:00:00 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/statement-the-nests-commitment-to-reconciliation611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:61560e17058afb7efffadde8

PDF Statement

On the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, The Griffins’ Nest joins the Canadian Association of Journalists in its call for media outlets and journalists, including us, to uphold the principles of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in their reporting. 

The Nest is committed to supporting and covering the 94 Calls to Action proposed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, specifically in recognizance of our power as media in respect to our ability to support and bring about the reconciliation process. 

Citing the 84th Call to Action - Media and Reconciliation - The Nest intends to continue to develop content and initiatives that educate and inform Non-Indigenous members of our community of the history and present experiences of Indigenous Peoples, including the residential school system and reconciliation process. 

The Nest is further committed to using its platform for free expression, defended without fear or favour, to support the reconciliation process, including its specific relevance and application to the education system and the Vancouver School District. 

As student journalists, it is our role to report the news, all the news, in full accurate form. We will continue to be guided by the 94 Calls to Action and other coverage guides for Indigenous reporting in the community, situated on the traditional unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. 

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]]>Statement: The Nest’s Commitment to ReconciliationThe Editorial BoardSat, 18 Sep 2021 07:15:30 +0000https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/journalism-blog/statement-vsb-foi-fee-waiver611f22bdb2968d4dc5726d7f:6120736e9b85b93f7f720210:614587cdf3af1204825d7313Read our letter to the VSB regarding the waiver denial. Sent September 17, 2021.

Update: On October 14, the VSB reduced The Nest’s fee estimate following a formal request for reconsideration.

In August, The Griffins’ Nest sent an FOI request under section 5 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) to the Vancouver School Board for records related to an educational program of the district for upcoming an investigative article. The records requested were related to financial spending and program effectiveness, and were clearly in the public interest.

Under FOIPPA, public bodies, including school boards, are required to respond, assist, and provide records to a person who submits a request for information regarding the body’s activities. There are a few narrow exceptions under FOIPPA where a public body does not have to, or cannot provide the applicant with the requested information, but generally they have to provide the applicant with the requested information.

All of this is intended to be done free of charge, except when a large request is submitted where the public body is permitted to charge a reasonable processing fee under section 75 of FOIPPA. However, where records are in the public interest (as in they contain information the public should know in a democratic country), or where the applicant is unable to pay the fee for a valid reason, the applicant may write to the public body requesting a fee waiver under s. 75(5)(a) or (b).

The Nest did just that when it was given a $220 fee estimate by the VSB’s FOI office. We submitted a fee waiver request, under both the affordability and public interest exemptions. (The letter is linked at the top of this statement).

The waiver request was promptly denied, in an email simply saying "Unfortunately, we are unable to grant your fee waiver request.", before going on to inform us we may reduce the size of our request to lower the fee. No actual reason was given.

The Nest wrote back in the above letter asking the VSB to reconsider their fee waiver denial, a step required before a compliant to the OIPC is filed.

The Nest’s Editorial Board strongly disagrees with the VSB’s undemocratic and restrictive approach to our press freedom. The $220 fee in our view is more of an attempt to keep files away from the public rather than cover the cost of a large FOI request. It is a direct attack on freedom of information, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.

The records we requested are clearly and obviously in the public interest, and as students, our own school board should not be trying to charge us for accessing democracy. That is completely unacceptable.

This is the second major press freedom obstruction incident The Nest has had to deal with in the past year.

The Nest intends to continue to defend its press freedom, and defend the public’s right to an open and transparent government — a government that doesn’t withhold public interest documents and charge kids for trying to access them.

The Griffins’ Nest Editorial Board and Staff Reporters are grateful for the support of its readership, particularly the students, staff, and parents/guardians of the Eric Hamber Secondary Community. Follow the Journalism Blog for more details on Hamber’s nationally recognized student newspaper.

We try to be as transparent as possible with readers, so please visit the contact page to get in touch with any questions, comments, or concerns.