CONTRIBUTE WITH THE GRIFF
Do you want to:
- Develop your portfolio by getting published?
- Hone your craft through our editing process?
- Gain hands-on experience in news media?
- Make an impact in the city and further through your work?
Well you’ve come to the right place! The Griff can help you build pieces for your portfolio through our monthly magazine and online platforms.
By contributing with the Griff, you will be able to expand your network through reporting and interviews but also by networking during our monthly meetups.
How to get started
Well that’s the easy part. All you have to do is fill out this form with your information and sign up to our Discord server.
If you have any specific questions about contributing, you can email the Coordinating Editor, Nour Salhi at coordinating@thegriff.ca
where and when can you find us?
The Griff office is located in the SAMU building on the third floor near the elevators. If you’d like to visit any of the editors, you can email any of the editors to set up a meeting.
You can find contact information for each editor if you have questions relating to a specific area such as a story pitch, video idea, or have some questions about contributing with us, on our contact page.
We also host weekly contributor meetings every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Students’ Council chambers located on the third floor of the SAMU building. Our editors come prepped with pitches every week, so there’s never a lack of new ideas and stories for contributors to chat about or write/report on. We always encourage contributors to bring pitches of their own as well. Come get to know the editors and be a part of our newsroom!
DO I NEED EXPERIENCE?
Short answer: NO!!! Anyone can be a contributor. The only thing we need from you is curiosity and a conviction to pursue the truth. Whether that means getting to the bottom of an administrative mess at MacEwan or dissecting the latest film, we want our contributors to be asking piercing questions about the world around them.
Our contributors should be ambitious and energetic in their work. Don’t be afraid to tread new ground in your reporting, opinions, or art.
what skills do i need?
Writing is a big part of what we do, but there are so many different ways you can Griff. We are always looking for people who want to use their skills in photography, illustrations, and videography to help us. You don’t just HAVE to write.
Illustrators: Do you enjoy drawing cheeky comics? Or exploring new ways to portray stories through your art? We would love to see what you can come up with.
Videographers: Do you have an eye for visual storytelling or have a documentary you want to pitch? We would be happy to get eyeballs on your videos.
Photographers: We all know the ol’ saying… . That’s why we encourage photographers to get involved in news assignments! But we also LOVE creative works and photo essays.
expectations
All students are welcome to contribute to the Griff with no experience needed. Our editors are here to help guide you through the process and make your work ✨shine✨. We added a thorough fact-checking process this year to ensure we are maintaining our commitments to ethical and accurate coverage.
Here are some of the expectations that we have for ourselves and for you:
- Communication with team
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- No Ghosting
- Keep us updated
- Be nice
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- Effort and quality/self-editing
- Don’t phone it in
- Represent yourself through your work
- Read through your work before submitting
- Research package (See below for resources)
- Establish informed consent
- Keep source’s contact info
- Package your gathered articles and interview files
- Respect/professionalism
- Editors are here for you, but they’re students too!
- Maintain a professional and respectful relationship with editors and other contributors
- Have fun, don’t be rude
- Consider the needs of your sources and others
- Code conduct/ethics and standards
- Read them, follow them (linked below)
- READ THEM, PLEASE! ^^^^^^
- Timeliness (da news runs on deadlines)
- Deadlines keep us accountable and on schedule
You can find our full list of expectations in our code of conduct and ethics and standards documents.
PROCESS and resources
If you’re looking to contribute with us, we ask that you read through the following documents and use them during the pitching, writing, editing, and publishing process.
The Griff Ethics and Standards
The Griff In-House Fact-Checking Guide
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
We keep it simple. You own all your work and the copyright to it. All we ask is that we get to publish your article first for one week. Any other work attached to your work (photos, art, etc.) is owned by either the Griff or its creator and won’t be available for your personal use unless express permission is given.
We’ll provide an energetic promotion of your work after it’s published to help you get as many eyes on your work as possible (we’re rooting for ya!)
HOW TO GET A JOB WITH THE GRIFF
Each year, we list all of our editorial positions for hiring. These positions are usually up by March with interviews taking place shortly afterwards. Keep an eye on our social media pages for when postings go live.