Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and are refreshed and ready to write some articles! Here are some story pitches if you're interested in writing this week. First drafts should be about 500-550 words, and will be due to me by 5pm Friday evening (but if you want to send them earlier, that's amazing). Just reply to this email if you want to pick up any of these pitches, or if you want any more information about these stories! And as always, if you have an idea for an article, feel free to send it my way.

December magazine stuff!

Want to be in the December magazine? I'm looking for content for the Worth It/Not Worth It section. Write 55-75 words about something holiday-themed or something campus-related! If you're interested, but don't have any ideas, let me know and I can send you some of mine.

Survey shows lots of Edmontonians feel socially isolated

Nearly one in five Edmontonians responded that they feel isolated from their communities. Certain groups were more likely to report social isolation, including seniors, immigrants, Indigenous people, new mothers, low-income families and people who identified as LGBTQ. Does Edmonton have a community-building problem? Is there anything we can do as a city to make our city more inclusive?

Google Canada is investing in a program to help students spot fake news

The program, called NewsWise, will target five million Canadians aged 9 to 19, aiming to make them more "news literate" and to increase understanding of journalism's role in democracy. More info here. There's a lot to write about here! Will this be helpful? Is the classroom the best place for this learning to happen? What about kids who don't have any exposure to the news in the first place? Do we run the risk of overplaying the narrative of fake news, and causing people to lose faith in journalism altogether?

Elizabeth Fry Society raises concerns about the treatment of Indigenous women and women with mental illnesses in Edmonton prison

The organization discusses a number of issues including overcrowding, a lack of emphasis on psychiatric care, and a disproportionate use of solitary confinement. You can read more about their concerns here.

Pot is being legalized and there are lots of details involved in that

From deciding where people are allowed to smoke, to legislating access to edibles, there are a lot of decisions to be made surrounding marijuana legalization, and most of those have been designated to the provinces. More info here.

Survey shows that one in three Canadians wouldn't vote for someone who wears a turban, regardless of their policies 

Not gonna lie, this one blew my mind. You can read the full results of the study here. Results showed that these numbers are even higher in Quebec. What does this say about the state of our country? Why are people so weird about turbans? How can we fix this?

The Gateway Presents!

As you may already know, every second Friday from 5:30-6:30pm, CJSR airs a segment of our radio show, The Gateway Presents. Each segment includes an Opinion piece where two people debate on a hot-button issue. Along with pitching Opinion stories for the website or the magazine, please also feel free to pitch me content for The Gateway Presents! Whether you know someone who'd be interested in debating on the show, you have a topic you'd like to see presented, or you'd like to produce a segment all by yourself, let me know and we'll make it happen.

Shorter segments

Don't have time to write a whole 500-word article this week but still want to write something? Write one of these! They're about 200-300 words and a really good time. - Group Commentary: Contribute to a conversation with other volunteers about...pretty much anything! Past topics have included favourite conspiracy theories and most annoying stories of kids in public. I would really like to have a Group Commentary on what you learned/didn't learn in CALM (if you attended high school in Alberta). - Streeters: I'll match you up with a Photo volunteer and you'll hit the mean streets of campus, armed with a question and a camera, to survey some U of A students. Past questions have included: what should the university's logo be, what was your worst live music experience, and where do you poop on campus.- Burlap Sack: Rant about something that bothers you! - Marble Pedestal: Rant about something you love! - Adulting 101: Either tell us how to do something adult (how to use an iron, how actually make food, etc.) or tell us about a time you failed to do something adult (like that time you put the red sock in with the whites and now everything is pink).