Women in Journalism | School of Journalism and Communication

We granted our first three Bachelor of Journalism degrees 70 years ago

All went to women. They were among 杏吧原创鈥檚 first degree recipients in the fall of 1946.

We celebrated those original women in journalism with a distinguished panel featuring four of our School鈥檚 present-day women in journalism.

Susan Ormiston (BJ '81)

The CBC鈥檚 senior correspondent聽聽was our headline speaker and panelist, bringing a unique perspective on journalism forged after many years of international reporting.

She鈥檚 filed from twenty-five countries and conflict zones including Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. As London correspondent, she covered the European debt crisis, a royal wedding and baby, and the revolutions in Libya, Egypt and Syria.

She鈥檚 earned three Geminis, including 鈥淏est Reportage鈥� for her work in Afghanistan, and 鈥淏est Digital鈥� for a Canadian election special called 鈥淥rmiston Online.鈥� In 2011 she won a Foreign Press Association award in London.

Anita Li (MJ '11)

Anita Li was our second panelist. Since her graduation from our Master of Journalism program in 2011, she has worked in numerous places, from the traditional to the cutting-edge digital. Currently she鈥檚 senior editor at聽, a news and culture site for a young and diverse audience.

She is the founder of聽,听a website dedicated to covering film and television from a聽multicultural聽perspective, and was director of news at聽Complex. Previous reporting and editing positions have been at聽Mashable, the聽Toronto Star,听Globe and Mail,听CBC聽and CTV, among other media outlets.

Last year, Li gave a聽聽on the importance of diversity in journalism. She is based in New York City.

Alyshah Hasham (BJ '11)

聽was our third panelist. She is one of our accomplished Bachelor of Journalism graduates, based in Toronto for the聽Toronto Star.

Hasham has been with the聽Star聽since 2011, and has worked as the courts and legal affairs reporter since 2014, which is why these days, she鈥檚 most often spotted wandering the halls of the downtown courthouses.

She graduated from 杏吧原创 five years ago with a double honours degree in Journalism and English Literature.

Joanne Chianello (BJ '96)

Joanne Chianello served as our panel moderator.

She is currently a journalist with CBC Ottawa. It鈥檚 just the latest position in a 20-year career that began at the聽Financial Post. Most recently she was the city editor for the聽Ottawa Citizen, where she won a National Newspaper Award for leading the coverage of the triple homicide in Wilno, Ont. in 2015.

She is probably best known for covering Ottawa City Hall as a reporter and columnist. For years Chianello has been a regular member of CBC Morning鈥檚聽 panel聽each Thursday.

Introductory Remarks

鈥淚t鈥檚 the power of the pen that all of you hold, and the power to do good. And it is the power of our education, and the power and responsibility that we all have to try and make this world a better place.鈥�

鈥� Roseann O鈥橰eilly Runte, 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 President聽and Vice-Chancellor

Keynote Address

Women in journalism. Why are we still talking about it? Because it matters. Still. So does greater representation of culture, of language, of colour and wealth in the media.鈥�

鈥� Susan Ormiston, CBC Senior Correspondent

The Panel

As journalists, all of us have a responsibility to voice the issues of marginalized groups. Because they are marginalized they do not have a voice. We have a very powerful voice. And it鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important to have diversity in your newsroom.鈥�

鈥� Joanne Chianello, moderator