WWU Can-Am Media Students Connect with CBC Vancouver and 'Hollywood North'

At a time of increasingly strained relations between Canada and the United States, students from Western Washington University recently received a first-hand perspective of how Canadian journalists navigate a complex landscape of national affairs and politics along with issues of media production, government funding, and technological convergence.

The visit to the British Columbia headquarters of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was part of the WWU class Canadian-American Media Systems, which is a joint venture between Western’s Canadian-American Studies program and the Department of Journalism. The Vancouver, B.C. trip represented the culmination of student work this spring quarter devoted to Canadian news industries, regulatory dynamics, film and television production, and cultural identity issues north of the border.

The trip to the CBC included visits to the network’s television and radio studios, and also included an extended dialogue with award-winning journalist Michelle Eliot, the host of the daily program BC Today and a regular guest on NPR affiliate KUOW’s All Things Considered. Eliot discussed with students her own journalism trajectory as well as contemporary topics of pressing concern within the Canadian media, including the recent Vancouver Filipino festival tragedy, where 11 people were killed, as well as ongoing national diplomacy issues between Canada and the United States. 

For Cameron Riggers, an undergraduate student in journalism at Western, the Vancouver visit highlighted the possibilities of media careers in an internationalized context. 

"Touring CBC Vancouver was an invaluable opportunity and an experience I will remember for a really long time,” he said. “It was amazing to see the intricacies of a national newsroom, and to view the ins and outs of a truly unique workspace. Opportunities like these make me excited for what the journalism industry has to offer.”

The Vancouver excursion concluded with a Hollywood North walking tour through Vancouver’s downtown and Gastown neighborhoods, led by class professor Derek Moscato, which documented iconic locations of filming for productions such as Deadpool, The X Files, and the HBO breakout hit The Last of Us. 

According to Moscato, the field trip gave students new insights into the political and cultural dynamics of Canada, but also the possibilities of collaborating with journalists and media producers north of the border. “These cross-border engagements situate our students as cultural ambassadors, which goes a long way in cultivating a healthy public diplomacy,” he said. “Engaging with the CBC also gives our students a new and richer perspective of Canadian affairs, both in terms of B.C.-specific issues but also areas of national concern, such as language, economy, and the environment.”