Note: Deadline extended till March 19!
The Canadian University Press (CUP) is a national cooperative of post-secondary student publications. As such, we are the future of journalism in Canada—and as part of our mandate, we do everything in our power to support equitable, diverse and anti-oppressive newsrooms in Canadian media.
Journalism schools remain an influential part of the Canadian media landscape. They continue to pump out journalists who become powerful, established figures in the industry. For this reason, it is critical that they listen to and act proactively when their students repeatedly point out major systemic issues in curricula and how equity, diversity and inclusion in the school’s environment is improved and maintained. This is especially important for the BIPOC, LGBTQ2IA+, disabled and other communities that still remain vastly underrepresented in the Canadian media landscape.
CUP stands in absolute solidarity with the student journalists in Canada calling for change within their schools. CUP is troubled by the schools’ ongoing inaction to foster a safe and empowering environment for its students, and we are here to support any students who require support or resources to demand better of these institutions.
As a non-profit organization made up of students and recently former students, we know exactly how crucial it is to take a proactive role in supporting marginalized student journalists. Not just to foster growth and development, but to maintain their financial stability and mental health in the industry.
That is why CUP is offering three paid reporting opportunities to a staff or contributor of one of our member papers. Selected candidates will each receive a $300 grant to complete a piece of reporting regarding an LGBTQ2IA+ campus or student issue, which will be published in their student publication. Your pitch could be anything from a series of articles, a feature, a podcast, or a video project.
To apply, please email president@cup.ca and vp@cup.ca with a pitch of maximum 350 words about what you’d like to report on, what format your reporting will take, as well as which CUP publication you are a member of. Please include why you are the right candidate to be writing this story. Staff and volunteers of CUP member publications may apply (if you are not part of the LGBTQ2IA+ community, we ask that you do not apply).
The deadline for pitches is March 12, 2021.
We urge other associations and organizations to use whatever resources they have available to creatively and unconditionally support the industry’s young LGBTQ2IA+ journalists, and other marginalized journalists as long as powerful institutions continue to neglect them.
— Canadian University Press. Feb. 18, 2021.