The Capilano Courier reflects on the process and outcomes of hosting the 88th national student journalism conference
Adam Stothard (he/him) // Co-Editor-in-Chief
Photography by Gracie Mc Laughlin
A little over a year ago, at NASH87 hosted by the Silhouette at McMaster University, Sara Brinkac and Avery Nowicki (the previous year’s Editors-in-Chief of the Capilano Courier) set in motion their plan for the Courier to host NASH88 in North Vancouver. Like many of Brinkac and Nowicki’s ideas, it was audacious, forward-thinking and it would require a lot of work.
NASH—for those unaware—is an annual conference for student journalists from universities and colleges across Canada. It’s facilitated by the Canadian University Press (CUP), a nonprofit cooperative owned by student newspapers at post-secondary institutions throughout the country, and a different publication hosts the event each year. Over the course of three days, students from coast to coast gather and attend workshops and seminars hosted by a diverse array of experienced journalists each speaking to their expertise. But, more than that, it’s an opportunity for students to connect with each other, make friends and discuss the challenges facing each of their publications.
Another big draw for students to attend NASH are the John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism (the JHMs). Guests get dressed up and attend an evening gala—complete with dinner and drinks—and then sit eagerly to learn if they or their publication has won any awards. There are awards for virtually everything a student publication does, and the room gets rowdy with excitement for every award. This year, the coveted Student Publication of the Year Award was presented by The Globe and Mail and went to Halifax’s own The Dalhousie Gazette.
The theme for NASH88 was “Cultivate.” With that in mind, NASH88 had an expressly do-it-yourself style to it. Handmade decorations were created by volunteers for the dining hall and goodie bags were filled with hand-stamped notepads. When it came to merchandise, designs and branding, the decision was made to hire Freya Emery, the former EIC of the Courier from 2023–24. The overall brand of NASH88 was one that highlighted the nature of Vancouver as a whole, with warm earth tones present and a subtle artfulness.
In the days leading up to NASH88, volunteers gathered in the Courier office doing various arts and crafts for hours on end. For example, our Arts & Culture Editor Anonda Canadien spent hours creating pipe-cleaner flowers, and our Zine Manager Kate Henderson made centerpieces for the JHM Awards gala. There was a constant running to-and-from various stores to purchase whatever the organizers needed: coffee, snacks, gift cards, crafting supplies, decorations and the list goes on.
The conference began with David Beers, founder of The Tyee, delivering a passionate keynote address about the power of journalism and the state of the world. The grace and experience he displayed during his remarks made us organizers settle for a second, finally catching a glimpse of what the Courier had been working toward when it was agreed we would be hosting.
When asked about attending NASH88, guest Lee Hurley from The Muse—from Memorial University in Newfoundland—said, “[We] had an incredible time exploring the city, getting to hang out with other delegates, chat about issues affecting our respective papers, and offer each other advice,” and that “One minute, we were talking about how to navigate student union elections, nuanced op-eds, and conflicts of interest, and the next, we were making an elaborate drinking game to play at the JHMS. It was pretty chaotic, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Our closing keynote was Paper Rag zine founder, Blue Jay Walker, who brought an exemplary amount of DIY grit and youthful exuberance. After the conference was over, Walker posted a reel on Instagram saying he “just gave a speech to a national journalism conference that cost $500 per person,” and that he was going to share the information he gave them for free. Although this came as a surprise, part of what we found so admirable about Walker’s keynote was his open-source values, so we weren’t exactly upset with his decision to share with everyone what he had told us.
Overall, hosting NASH88 was an incredible experience for our publication and if you’re thinking of hosting NASH89, the Courier—and, of course, CUP—are happy to share anything we’ve picked up. However, I want to acknowledge my own biases as a white person when it comes to my overall experience at NASH88, and offer the space to POC voices to share their perspective on the conference.
. . .A Continuation
Student journalists of colour speak on how hopeful the industry feels for the 25 per cent
Jasmine Garcha (she/her) // Managing Editor, Capilano Courier
With background from Laura Morales (she/her) // Co-Editor-In-Chief, Capilano Courier
& prospective from Kavi Vidya Achar (she/her) // Editor-In-Chief, The Fulcrum
Note: The NASH88 organizers were contacted for comment on who was consulted leading up to the conference, whether diverse topics were brought up, how guest speakers were chosen and advice for future NASH organizers to prevent important topics from slipping through the cracks. The Courier did not receive a statement by the time of publication.
Background
Who works in Canadian newsrooms? The Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey (CNDS), presented by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), answers this question by producing a national breakdown of the race and gender of those who work in media with the data from over 6,000 journalists working in 273 newsrooms nationwide. “As an industry that demands transparency and reports on the diversity of government bodies, public agencies, and private-sector organizations” reads the 2023 CNDS report, “data on diversity for Canadian media is critical to ensure fair and equitable employment opportunities.”
The 2023 CNDS results show that 76 per cent of journalists identify as white, 5.2 per cent identify as Indigenous and 19.3 per cent identify as a visible minority. Considering that 68.8 per cent of the Canadian population is white, Canadian journalists are “slightly more likely to be white than the overall population,” according to the report.
The CAJ also asked newsrooms to indicate “if they had a visible minority or Indigenous journalist in a top-three editorial position.” The results show that 76 per cent have no visible minority or Indigenous people in a top leadership role, with the majority of the racial diversity concentrated in part-time and intern roles.
NASH88 in Retrospect From A Student Journalist of Colour
My article-writing journey started on a blog managed by a Punjabi man. Upon coming to CapU, I was taught article-writing by a Japanese man. My aunt was among the first South Asians to report on a Canadian news network in the early 2000s, and a Punjabi man from the CBC was invited to a Courier event two years ago where he encouraged me to apply to the Courier. At NASH87, I attended a roundtable discussion led by a South Asian man who spoke about student advocacy and the extra barriers that come with the POC experience, and a workshop led by a POC who spoke about interacting with marginalized communities. After all of this, I was so excited for NASH88, and I even offered to invite my aunt as a guest speaker the same day that our EICs inquired about hosting.
Stepping into NASH88 came with the sudden awareness that at least 75 per cent of the room was not like me. The part that felt most unsafe was that nobody addressed it; nobody commented on the disparity in these statistics—and particularly the desire to change them—in the first place. As stated by Morales, 68.8 per cent of the Canadian population is white, but, according to the CBC, 54 per cent of Vancouver residents identify as a visible minority. This wasn’t reflected in our lineup of guest speakers, with few being POC, and no spaces had been created to discuss issues that centre marginalized communities or a lack of diversity in the field.
My individual experience falls into a greater, more general one, and we are left with the question: What can we do better? The entire journalism industry’s DEI standards do not fall under the responsibilities of me, CUP or the NASH organizers. However, when facilitating a national conference for any industry in 2026, it should be considered basic standard practice to take into account the minority population. The spaces I landed in which allowed for those aforementioned discussions were not created through protest: the organizers opened that space for us. I know those spaces exist, because I’ve been a part of them before. I know those spaces are possible, because the CBC’s corporate plan summary for 2025–26 states that 84 per cent of their new hires in 2024–25 were POC, and because we could have had one of the first South Asian reporters on TV in Canada speaking at NASH88.
Future Prospective
Kavi Vidya Achar speaks on the lack of diversity in student journalism being traceable to the roots; “The Fulcrum was started by a group of young white men, and we look back in our archives—of which there are many—and there [is] some really awful, belittling, racist and misogynistic language, especially in our opinion sections,” she says, “It also bleeds into the way we cover news.”
“Trying to undo that culture, or create a culture of inclusivity has to be active, and—at least in my perspective—it feels like student journalism today takes a very passive approach to inclusivity,” she continues, “Instead of encouraging editors-in-chief or people with actual power in our newsrooms to create new spaces for marginalized people in any form, there’s instead an emphasis on teaching marginalized people how to fit into the spaces of student journalism already.”
“I’m sure there’s no easy solution in trying to fix all the many issues that come with white heteronormativity in every space, but I think the least that student organizations—and also organizations like CUP or the people who organize NASH—can do is actively create these spaces, not just passively expect people to themselves fit into the space.”