Nash 72: A take on student journalism in Canada

By Brady Tighe [Vancouver Island University Navigator]

When you take about 500 journalists from all across Canada and shove them in a hotel on the outskirts of frigid Edmonton, you get mayhem—lots and lots of it. There was learning, of course: wise advice was handed out by guest speakers like Andrew Potter, Jan Wong, Adrienne Arsenault, and Jesse Thorn. However, the guest list was also awash with Heineken, Budweiser, Absolut, Smirnoff, 10,000 cigarettes, and maybe one or two substances that Stephen Harper wants to erase from the face of the earth.

The big topic on everyone’s mind was the changing face of journalism as we know it. The industry is moving beyond the medium of printed paper, moving into the digital realm. Twitter, YouTube, blogs and every other brand-new frontier of the profession were explored. Pros and cons were discussed, with opinions being split down the middle. Some felt that remaining as close as possible to the original methods would keep journalism the way it is—a steady force unhindered by the problems of technology. Others felt that without moving into these new frontiers, the industry will perish and die.

Everyone also learned that the Lion’s Head pub in the Radisson Hotel (home of the conference) has cheap pints of beer for five bucks. Also, that hotel security doesn’t enjoy roving gangs of arts editors with open alcohol singing Venom tunes at 4:30 a.m. And if the Internet doesn’t work at a digital conference, everyone is going to immediately become a hedonist.

In the face of a changing industry, one question burning up every student attending, besides “when is last call?” was: “If the industry is changing so fast, will the skills I have now be worth anything in getting me a job when I graduate months or years down the road?”

The guest speakers at NASH 72 addressed this by discussing the techniques that they used to stay relevant and useful. Even in the whirlwind of change, the policies of integrity and dedication to accuracy and quality writing will always be important. One seminar was entirely devoted to explaining that being a good writer supersedes knowing how to use any kind of camera or digital device. Knowing how to string together a good story with nothing but words won’t get you to the top, but it will be a massive advantage over someone who just knows how to shoot video.

Amusingly enough, though, with all the discussion of heading the industry into the maw of the future, the conference had no wireless Internet set up for five hundred laptop-wielding students. I’m positive that this is something that contributed greatly to the mass net loss of brain cells that occurred.

Another positive point of NASH 72 was the amount of great networking and bonding that occurred over games of pool and pints of lager. There is something cool about hanging with a news editor from Ottawa, a punk rock reviewer from Manitoba, a whole multitude of British Columbians, and even a Newfoundlander or two who review books and write a blog about Mexican food. All of you agree you have the best jobs ever, and immediately decide to celebrate that fact by drinking to oblivion and running amok in a hotel. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said, “It’s noon, I’m cracking a beer.”

I slinked myself in with some beer drinkers and hell raisers from Manitoba, and the crew of a B.C. paper in its first year. Both were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and I had one of the most rock ’n’ roll times of my young life. I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, I drank a lot. By the conclusion of NASH 72, I didn’t fear for the industry. It’s going to be amazing with this bunch leading the way. I do, however, fear for any city or hotel that decides to try and contain this army of badasses.

Also, Edmonton’s freakin’ cold.