Webster Award winner Melissa Vasey peruses the daily newspapers in the Clock Tower journalism lab.

Photo by Aly Couch

TRU Journalism student, Melissa Vasey was one of seven students recently awarded with the prestigious Jack Webster’s Student Journalism Award.

The Jack Webster Foundation honours excellence in journalism in British Columbia. Each year the foundation awards the awards to journalism students from across the province.

Applicants submitted essays on their views on the place of journalism in the world, why they have chosen journalism as a career, and any future career goals.

“I basically talked about the things I thought are wrong with the industry, and I talked about how I am planning on making a difference,” she said. “I think journalists are too censored these days. They don’t say what they need to say because they are too afraid of the consequences of doing so.”

Upon receiving the news of her recognition Vasey was surprised, but excited to enjoy the positive experience.

After completing two years of arts courses, she joined the Bachelor of Journalismprogram last year.

“I really enjoyed writing, and I thought that this would be a career where I could explore the community around me and do things that way,” she said.

Between her studies Vasey works at the student newspaper, The Omega, as one of the news editors. After graduation she hopes to work at a daily newspaper as a journalist, and in the long term has plans of owning her own publication.

“I kind of have a goal that by the time I’m 30 I want to be doing my own thing.”

The Jack Webster Foundation awards ceremony was held on Nov. 6 in Vancouver at the Westin Bay Shore where other award recipients had a chance to mingle. Notable journalists at the event included Peter Mansbridge and Simi Sara.

“It was really set up like the Oscar’s of journalism, it was fun,” she said.

–By Alyson Couch,
2008, The River 97.5
Public Relations Internship
Award Recipient