Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great day and staying warm out there. 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. 

Safe injection sites in Edmonton

Within the next year there could be up to four safe injection sites in downtown Edmonton. I think there's a lot of material for a story here, whether you want to write about the concept of safe injection sites (do they endorse illegal drug use? do they save lives?) or the fact that a lot of Edmonton residents are concerned about having the sites near their residences. More info can be found here. 

The "accidental beach"

I haven't had a chance to actually visit here yet, but apparently there is lots of controversy surrouding Edmonton's accidental beach (a sandbar-ish thing that has created a bit of a beach). 236 people have signed a petition to give the beach an Indigenous name, as an act of reconciliation. Several candidates in Wards 4 and 5 are talking about making the beach permanent. What do you think about the future of the beach? Write an article about it! 

Posters comparing Alberta Education to Nazis removed from campus 

Several brochures and posters were distributed across campus, advertising for a group called "Alberta Corruption". As you can see above, the materials were pretty inflammatory and soon removed. You could write about the pamphlets themselves, the website associated with them (there's a lot to talk about there, including a weird fake Ted Talk), or the fact that the U of A decided to take down the posters - arguably giving more flame to the fire of "censorship" that the organization is so passionate about. 

It's against municipal election rules to have candidates in classrooms

Some teachers have gotten in trouble for inviting city councillor candidates into their classrooms, as you can read about here. Is this a good policy to have? Does it prevent teachers from showing bias, or does it remove a potential avenue for getting kids engaged in politics at a younger age? 

Indigenous groups have taken the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Federal Court of Appeal 

One of the lawyers involved with the case is saying that the Canadian government didn't do its due diligence in consulting with Indigenous stakeholders before approving the pipeline. More information can be found here. 

A lot is happening in Catalonia 

Spanish police forces have interfered with an independence referendum, involving quite a bit of violence. A lot of other European governments are criticizing the Spanish government for letting this happen, and the referendum did result in a pretty resounding call for independence. More info can be found here. 

A lot is happening in the US

Puerto Rico! Mass shooting in Las Vegas! Everything involved in the Trump administration! If you're feeling like writing about anything that's happening in the United States, there's a ton of material these days. 

Final mayoral candidates' forum

If you're interested in covering the municipal election, the last mayoral candidates' forum is being held at the Italian Cultural Centre from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on Wednesday October 11th. Come with us and participate in the live blog, or tag along and write an article about a specific issue, or an overview of the race. Please feel free to reach out if you want to talk more about this! 

Magazine content

I know it's only October, but December magazine content is on its way! I'm looking for Worth It/Not Worth It pieces, 55-75 word blurbs assessing something relevant to students at the U of A. The December magazine centres around the holidays and cozy winter stuff, so if you have any ideas related to that (or ideas that are more general), feel free to pitch them to me! If not, I also have some ideas below that you can pick up. - going home for the holidays - actual hibernation- outdoor skating - going to a frat party - doing a double major 

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. - 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).