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So you want to be a columnist?

Columnists are opinion journalists who regularly write their views on the news for a publication. They practice what we call commentary journalism, which is a type of journalism that takes a position on the way things should be. It's different from the reporting in our News section, for example, which is generally impartial to the way things are. The idea behind columns is that their authors are qualified by experience or expertise to consistently interpret the world in a way that justifies them being platformed by our publication.

What we are looking for

We are looking for people who enjoy learning, writing, and talking about something they are passionate about, and that is also relevant to our primary readers: UBC students, staff and faculty. We especially welcome and encourage applications from members of marginalized communities.

To get a sense of the degree of focus and specificity expected of columns, take a look at our two current columns, Point of Inquiry and Powers that Be. You should also look at Ezra Klein at the New York Times, Killian Crawford at The Tyee, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò at the Boston Review, Althia Raj or Ubyssey alumnus Bruce Arthur at the Toronto Star, Tanya Talaga, André Picard, or Andrew Coyne at the Globe and Mail, or Michelle Cyca or David Moscrop at The Walrus. Your column does not need to be about politics, though — these are just examples! Columns can be about anything relevant to our readers.

At a minimum, columns must run until the conclusion of the school year at the end of April.

What we are not looking for

Wanting to "break down," or "explain," or "raise awareness" in an "accessible" way about a topic is not sufficient grounds to make someone a columnist. Columns should consistently offer our readers courses of action or original interpretations of the news in addition to being written for a general audience.

What the benefits to you are

Like every Core-level position at The Ubyssey, columnists are volunteers. We do this work because it is a service to our community and a chance to explore our interests and develop our skills.

All participants get access to The Ubyssey's office as a workspace during the day, as well as food and beverage snacks supplied for our team. Because the products of your services are published, any editorial position at The Ubyssey increases your presence online. Many of us also find that doing journalism makes school easier, specifically with writing, researching, and generating genuinely interesting essay ideas for classes. Additionally, your supervising editor will generally be happy to serve as a reference for future applications.

All team members receive an orientation that introduces them to the basics of journalism, as well as weekly, formalized, ongoing training at the Opinion section meeting from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays (until December; the time may differ for the second semester). All the skills we develop are transferable to other opportunities.

The Ubyssey is a chance to see how the world works up close. Every year, we cover critical moments in people's athletic careers, interview people at the leading edge of their fields, monitor the movement of billions of dollars between and within our institution and more that contributes to the first draft of history.

You'll also make new friends :)

Processing this application

Your privacy is important to us. The information we collect using this form will only be used by and disclosed to relevant editors to process your application. If you are selected, when we meet you in person, we'll ask to see your UBC Student Card to verify your identity, but we will not be collecting that information here. Artificial intelligence will not be used in processing your application in any way, and all decisions will be made by our team of real people.

Applications will close on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. If you have any questions about this application, please email Opinion Editor and Deputy Managing Editor Spencer Izen at [email protected] and Managing Editor Saumya Kamra at [email protected]

Personal

What is your full name?

What is your preferred name?

What pronouns do you use?

What is your email address?

How long have you attended UBC for?

What are you studying or intending to study?

Column

Please indicate what subjects you're interested in writing about.

Please describe the focus of your prospective column. You can elaborate on this more in your answers to subsequent questions.

Qualifications

For the following questions, please upload a PDF copy of your answers.

Question 1: Please tell us why you're interested in joining The Ubyssey as a columnist, and about any experiences that might be relevant to doing journalism with The Ubyssey. Be sure to tell us why these are relevant, too.

Question 2: Columnists need to be able to offer an insightful, timely analysis of current affairs on a routine basis (twice a month, unless you and the opinion editor decide otherwise). To demonstrate your capacity to do this, please write three pitches for articles you could write for your column, relevant in this current moment. Each pitch should tell us what your thesis is and be about 100-200 words each.

Question 3: Please tell us about yourself as a news/media reader, listener, or watcher. How do you encounter news within the scope of what your prospective column would be about?

Question 4: Please fact-check this statement, and explain your thinking and the steps you took to do so: The number of international students with active study permits in Canada in 2023 was 1,040,985.