Differences between American and Canadian Journalism?

Question

I am a recent American college graduate, and I have a degree in journalism. I am thinking about working abroad in Canada for several months, and I was wondering what are the differences between American and Canadian journalism? I would like to find something in print media or prublic relations in Canada, especially in Vancouver or Toronto, but I realize this is unrealistic since I have no work experience and because I'm not from Canada. Also, how difficult is it to get an entry-level reporting job in the media in Canada? How difficult is it to get a job in public relations, and would the skills an American journalist has translate well in the Canadian market?

Answer 1

Canadian journalism is quite different. We don't spend quite the amount of time talking about war and terrorist and gangs. We have other things in the new. Go online to www.cbc.ca, check www.canada.com (major news papers across the country). This is one way you could check different papers and get an idea. The globe and mail is a major national one. The journalism market is very competitive. I collected stats for several programs at a college and journalism was one of the least successful programs. It seemed that most people who were working in the field were working part time for small town papers. I did a practicum for the Calgary Sun and it seemed that most of the reporters had been there a very long time. The only jobs I ever saw were for things like I did in the library, doing research and scanning the paper for online use. For jobs you should check Canada.com, probably the individual papers on it, workopolis.ca, and monster.ca. This would be where you would see PR jobs which would be more in Toronto and Vancouver.

Answer 2

Many people will tell you there is a vast difference between American and Canadian journalism, but in truth, the differences aren't that great. The editorial stance of Canadian newspapers is slightly different than that of American newspapers. It is far simpler to get an entry level reporting job if you can show specialization in some field, in lieu of a scrapbook of clippings. Public relations is somewhat easier, because there is more involved than just journalism, and because almost every major company and corporation has a public relations arm, where they don't have a daily newspaper. So there are more options in that field.
An American journalist's skills would translate well if he or she were able to pick up on the small nuances that mark the difference between the two cultures. Such as spelling. But if you are only planning to be in Canada for a few months, I don't think any employer would be enthusiastic about hiring you. You might, however, get a spot with volunteer groups, and this would provide you the opportunity to put to use some of what you learned in journalism school and get a few clippings that could help you land a job when you return to the US.
There are also some very strict regulations about coming to Canada as a visitor and seeking paid employment.
Hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

I have a really good friend who emigrated here from Germany bearing a professional certification every university in British Columbia claimed was equivalent to a graduate level (master's) degree. She very promptly went looking for work in Vancouver and spent four months unemployed until she accepted a position as a German translator at a mail order psychic friends place. Fact is our government likes letting professionals into our country, but our employers don't like hiring them. My friend found this out the hard way and hung out at the translator job for a year until she landed a PR job in my hometown in the interior of BC. That translated into becoming the editor of a community weekly just a few weeks ago. Of course you don't have the disadvantage she did of having a student portfolio that is 90% in German, but then on the other hand you don't have the advantage she did of having a Canadian husband. All I'd say is good luck. I have a feeling you might find it a little tough.

Still there is one piece of advice I could give you to improve your chances of finding a job.Forget Vancouver or Toronto. Come to Calgary.This city is insane. The economy is so hot here stores are closing because they can't find people to run them. Fast food restaurants have thirteen year old part timers and seventeen year old managers. There will be PR and journalism work here. It just might be for an oil company or industry mag but I can guarantee you that you will not be unemployed.

Answer 4

We work from the same ethics as journalists. Trying to be objective, getting our facts straight. Both Vancouver and Toronto are very expensive cities to live in, apartment vacancies are hard to find and working at an entry level job might not cover your expenses.

The major media outlets in Canada are the CBC www.cbc.ca, CTV , www.ctv.ca, CanWest aka Global www.globaltv.ca I think. There are also smaller tv stations like Sun TV, City used to be independent owned by Chum but was just recently purchased by BCE parent company of ctv. You might want to contact the websites and ask them what their preresquites are .

You should also look up the major newspapers, in Toronto and Vancouver , just do a google or yahoo search and type in media , newspapers, canada, Toronto, Vancouver or something like that.

Can't help you with pr. You ought to take a good look into immigration regulations as well www.ccra.gc.ca

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Americans are more open and polite compared to Canadians. I have lived in both countries and I can say that I wouldn't move to Canada from the USA unless I had a VERY GOOD job offer.

Answer 6

To correct Johnny Canuck who answered your question before:

It is very easy for US citizen to get a job in Canada. US citizens arn't considered foreign people to Canada, nor are Canadian in the U.S. (in most places). It shouldn't be hard for you to get a job at a local news paper in a city near Vancouver. Make sure you ask them about the regulations and differences when applying. There the best people to ask.

As for the difference's I notice, there isn't much at all. The coverage is very much the same as in the United States. The first answerer said we don't report alot on war ect. Not true. Pick up the Toronto Sun or a news paper in any other major Canadian city. The headline will be about Iraq or some other war torn country making the news that specific week.

The Toronto sun's headline news today was "SNAKE ON A PLANE" reffering to John Karr flying back to the US from Thailand in the Jonbennet case. That murder took place in the U.S. but many Canadians watch CNN or FOX news because the truth is our news programs arn't the best (Sorry CTV national news). Because of that newspapers will report what we want to hear, and what we've been watching. In a Starbucks in Toronto the other day I heard locals saying stuff like "What do you think about John Karr, true confession?". I never saw CTV report much about it, but ofcourse CNN is about 24/7 proving that many Canadians prefer the American networks or watch them at various times of the day.

As for the Canadian news networks, there's not a lot of drama. No flashy graphics or big words flashing across the screen every few seconds like for example on CNN during the UK terror bust: "HEATHROW CANCELS FLIGHTS" - - - "MAJOR PLOT FOLIED" - - - "BRITISH AIRWAYS SUSPENDS ALL FLIGHTS OUT OF LONDON".
Its more simple on the Canadian networks like "Terror plot foiled in London England". It's very calm and relaxed, almost too relaxed. The reporters are VERY serious and rarely crack a smile. I think this is why many Canadians turn to news networks like CNN and FOX as explained above. Again, because of this many newspapers in Canada seem very similar to US newspapers because they are basing there stories off of U.S. network reports and headlines.

I don't live in Canada, but I travel frequently to Toronto for Business and to see family. I have a Nexus fast pass border card because I travel there so much.

Anyways good luck in your carrer. I hope this provided a different insight from a fellow American. I hope this helps :-)

Answer 7

Don't forget to change your spellcheck and grammar check to British... you'll need to learn how to spell colour, neighbour, honour all over again... and what might be to an American "A historic figure" is, to us,"AN historic figure".

Answer 8

check out www.cbc.ca

the other people said all i could have :)