Gabriel Noda, Humber Et Cetera editor, said recognizing the website and newspaper beyond Canada is a big step towards growing the hyper-local news organization.
Noda is one of many reporters who innovated Humber News by introducing Esport reporting to the journalism program.
“As a student journalist, to find out about it and have it be a U.S. award is great because that means our reach hasn’t just been Toronto or Ontario. It’s reached more places than we ever thought and to have it be recognized by Columbia University is great,” he said. “This award shows our work has paid off and can be showcased through different channels.”
HumberNews.ca and Humber Et Cetera newspaper have been nominated for a Crown Award hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. On March 21, the Humber journalism program will receive a gold or silver crown. Humber is one of seven schools nominated for the hybrid category and the only Canadian nominee.
Eleanor Kate Tulabot-Iglesia, a former Humber News and Humber Et Cetera reporter, said the program gave her a platform to write about topics that she is passionate about.
“I wanted something fun and something different every day that kind of challenged me. being In Humber News, it kind of gave me a path to see exactly what outcomes there are for me because Humber News also had audio and TV and the print side,” she said.
Rob Lamberti, a Humber journalism professor, said the reporters like to keep the audience guessing what stories will come out next because they rise to every occasion.
“It’s pretty exciting that we did get nominated and it is reflective of the hard work that our students put in and what they learned from the course and applying it to real situations. It's really impressive,” he said.
He said the reporters are good at humanely handling crises.
“We had a tent city being removed,” he said. “They showed persistence, curiosity, understanding, empathy. I mean, they walked out students and came back reporters.”
Noda said writing for Humber News and Humber Et Cetera helped him see the perspective of the audience and enhanced his storytelling.
“I’m still kind of processing that were nominated for this type of award that is actually pretty huge,” he said. “I’m not just writing these stories for myself. I’m writing them for a lot of different people who do take these newspapers who do read our stories.”
He said being Humber’s first Esports writer challenged him to take a mentorship role for other journalists in the program.
“Esports writer and editor was the first ever positions made specifically for me,” he said “Being able to not only take a writer like Julia Ilano under my wing was great, but to also be able to continue the relationship I have with Humber Esports and being able to share that with Julia.”
Lara King, Humber journalism program coordinator said the program starts with the basics of journalism which later lets students flourish.
“So by second year they’re using lots of different platforms but they’re also producing more content on a regular basis. By the time they get to their final year, we have editors working with reporters, pitching news stories in the morning and delivering by the afternoon.
She said the three-year program allows students to build their skills and explore different kinds of storytelling.
“We’ve been really successful. Even up against American universities. And again these are all student-led where the students get to decide the type of content,” King said.
Santiago Helou Quintero, the fall editor-in-chief of the Humber Et Cetera newspaper, said he is most proud of the hyper-local stories the paper covers.
“We’re covering stories that you don’t see as much in the big Toronto dailies. We’re amplifying voices that are often not being amplified. The kind of coverage we are giving, that’s my proudest accomplishment,” he said.
He said that though listed as editor-in-chief he couldn’t have done it without his team members, such as his second-in-command, Isabelle Ferrante.
“I don’t really care a lot about awards, but this one, it honestly feels really nice. I think myself and all the people who were with me on that newspaper team, we put in a lot of work,” he said. “I wish this kind of paper existed more. I think it’s something that as a society we desperately need. We need more things like Humber Et Cetera.”
