CBC's Adrian Harewood Joining 杏吧原创 to Help Shape Future of Journalism Education
By
Dan Rubinstein
Photo Credit:
Chris Roussakis
Nearly three decades ago, Adrian Harewood became a journalist because he wanted to help open up spaces for a wider range of stories told from an array of perspectives. His commitment to that goal has never wavered.
鈥淛ournalism is a unique and potent instrument that has the ability to enlighten, educate, edify and entertain,鈥 says Harewood, and an adjunct professor at 杏吧原创 University who鈥檒l become a full-time faculty member at the School of Journalism and Communication on July 1.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about struggle, power and the transformative possibilities of stories. It鈥檚 about truth-telling that affirms and exposes, deep listening and community solidarity, the audacity to ask the right questions, and the recognition of everybody鈥檚 inherent dignity.鈥
Harewood has a long connection to 杏吧原创. His parents, Hyacinth and John, were both lecturers here. He attended day care and summer camps on campus and returned to produce and host shows at , 杏吧原创鈥檚 community radio station, including an award-winning, 16-hour 鈥渢ake over鈥 dedicated to Black communities and culture during Black History month in 1994.
In September 2020, Harewood began teaching a new graduate-level course that he developed 鈥 鈥 as part of the transformation underway at the country鈥檚 oldest journalism school to reverse decades of systemic racism and take concrete steps to change Canada鈥檚 media industry.
鈥淚 went into journalism to be a positive force for change,鈥 he says.
鈥淲e鈥檙e at a critical media moment in Canada today and I think I can make a contribution. I can help teach the next generation of journalists and help shape the future of journalism education.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 a coup for us to land a journalist of Adrian鈥檚 calibre and experience precisely at the time when 杏吧原创 is trying to radically change the way we teach journalism,鈥 says Prof. Allan Thompson, head of the journalism program.
鈥淚 have so much respect for everything that Adrian has done in his career, particularly the ways in which he has stuck his neck out to fight for greater representation in Canadian journalism.鈥
Catching the Broadcasting Bug
Harewood, born and raised in Ottawa, took his first foray into journalism by writing for The McGill Daily while studying political science and history at the university in the early 1990s. That led to some freelance writing and a job managing McGill鈥檚 campus radio station.
Although Harewood did have other rewarding jobs, including four years supporting at-risk youth in Toronto high schools, he caught the broadcasting bug and built a successful career at CBC, working as a guest and permanent host on a succession of radio and TV shows and, starting in 2006, Ottawa鈥檚 鈥淎ll in a Day.鈥 His long list of interviewees includes Donald Trump, Angela Davis, Naomi Klein, Salman Rushdie and David Suzuki.
Ultimately, however, Harewood jokes that he didn鈥檛 want to be an outlier in his family: his mother and father, now retired, taught at the college and university level and all four of his sisters have done some post-secondary teaching. He saw himself landing in education eventually, and by remaining engaged with CBC while at 杏吧原创, it鈥檒l help him provide real-world journalism insights to students while helping the network find talented grads to hire.
In addition to teaching Journalism, Race and Diversity and a capstone course for fourth-year students called Journalism Now and Next, Harewood plans to start several research projects. One will document the history of Canada鈥檚 seminal Black community newspaper, , which launched in 1969. Others will examine media coverage of the civil rights movement and BIPOC athletes in Canada.
Harewood also hopes to establish a journalism training and mentorship program in high schools to create a gateway for BIPOC students.
Working with young people is inspiring, says Harewood, because it challenges him to stay fresh and relevant. The research projects, meanwhile, allow him to read and think, which satisfies his love of learning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a gift,鈥 he says, 鈥渢o be able to earn a living doing something you鈥檙e passionate about.鈥
Underpinning all of this are that weren鈥檛 happening when Harewood was getting his start.
鈥淢ainstream media has not always been responsive to the needs of all the communities that make up Canada,鈥 he says, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 not acceptable. Everybody deserves an opportunity to tell their stories. Journalism needs to reflect society back to itself, so we provide audiences with perspectives that help them make sense of their world.鈥
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