It’s not everyday that a talk changes your approach to reporting, inspires you to build an interactive map or gasp, signup for Snapchat. Check out these eye-opening Teddy Talks on everything from ethics to the latest tech trends in journalism.
Stephanie: This Teddy Talks makes the case for long-form journalism. Is there room for 1000+ words in a world where shorter attention spans are speculated and news is mostly accessed through mobile devices?
Paula: This Teddy Talk examines whether newsrooms should use Instagram for micro-blogging? aka “What the Rock and the NY Times have in common”
Flora: My Teddy Talk is an introduction to interviewing people who have been through trauma, including tips on approaching people to things to watch out for during an interview.
Kajol: Making the case for Snapchat. It is a popular platform used by young millennials but most of the news found on the Discover page is tabloid media about movie stars. This Teddy Talk looks at whether mainstream media should adopt it for hard news.
Dylan: My Teddy Talk was an examination of the sports “journalism” website The Player’s Tribune. The talk centered around the question of whether pro athletes writing their own stories is true journalism or if it is just an elaborate form of PR.
Sameer: The case for better science reporting. This Teddy Talk looks at how journalists can use multimedia techniques to craft unique health stories that are both interesting and accessible.
Arash: Becoming a better networker! For my Teddy Talk I presented a few tips to help my fellow classmates network over the upcoming months.
Jason: There are many ways to express one’s identity, particularly as it relates to sexuality, gender identity and disability. This Teddy Talk provides tips on how to accurately, appropriately and respectfully incorporate a person’s identity into your reporting.
Mina: This Teddy Talk focused on educating/reminding students about avoiding conflicts of interest while working in the field of Journalism.
Robin: My Teddy Talk looked at how podcasts are perfecting the art of native advertising (an integral part of their business model), and collapsing the boundaries between original and sponsored content.
Scott: This Teddy Talk looked at Carto, a visualization tool for mapping GIS data. We combine real data detailing Toronto’s watermain breaks with weather data to build a map any journalist would want to help tell a story.
Richard: How not to waste your life! My Teddy Talk was about procrastination. I present an app that helps block distractions so that writers can focus.
Krystle: This Teddy Talk looks at how young reporters can effectively manage emotional distress/vicarious trauma brought on by events they cover and stories they tell.
Shannon: My Teddy Talk was on the recent merge of Vice and Rogers and discussing the potential of filtered/biased content, news outlets creating original series, and job opportunities in journalism.
Sara: This Teddy Talk looks at the importance of accurate representation in the media, including why we often have stereotypical representations of different groups of people and how we can change our approach as journalists.
Jayn: My Teddy Talk is about an app called Cogi. It is an audio recording app that acts as a DVR, thus allowing a journalist to only record those lightbulb moments, instead of an entire interview. This could be useful at press conferences, meetings, or interviews.
Myles: This Teddy Talk looks at paywall journalism featuring The Athletic, a new sports website in Toronto with a paywall and tons of talent. It introduces a new way of sharing journalism in an age where less people seem to be getting paid for it.
J.P.: My Teddy talk is a look at how a robust comment section can add real value to online articles. Ultimately, if conversations are managed correctly, comment sections can lead to insightful conversations and community building.
Sebastian: My Teddy Talk is an introduction to Tableau Public, a free desktop application used for data visualization. I demonstrate how a journalist could use Tableau to visualize trends in unemployment among young people in Canada.”
Jamie-Lee: My Teddy Talk was about reporting on Indigenous peoples, including tips to use when reporting on Indigenous peoples, communities and issues.
Melinda: My Teddy Talk looked at news satire as a growing trend on social media. In the age of fake news – and real news so wild, it seems fake – can we discern what’s meant to be parody? What happens when we can’t?