Seneca RED Fall 2021 Alumni Magazine - 24

The hijab is part
of my story because
I'm doing
something that
has never been
done before, but
I'm hoping one
day it'll just be a
footnote.
Breaking barriers
in television
Seneca Journalism grad overcoming obstacles
thought that, because of her hijab, she should perhaps
pursue a career in radio. " It was my mother who encouraged
me to follow my dream of being on television, " she
said. " It was a pipe dream for a very long time. "
In realizing her goal, Ms. Massa came to Seneca
to learn the ropes, both behind the scenes as a news
writer and producer and in front of the camera as a
television journalist.
" Seneca is so hands-on, " she said. " You are writing
and reading scripts. You are reading the teleprompter.
You are working with the camera. The teachers are all
working in the industry and you have an internship too.
I feel like I learned so much in those two years. I loved
it. I really benefited from my time at Seneca. "
Following graduation, Ms. Massa went on to work for
GINELLA MASSA HAS made international headlines
including in The New York Times and The Guardian as
Canada's first hijab-wearing news reporter, television
anchor and host. But the Seneca Journalism graduate
says she just wants to be seen as a journalist and be
judged by her work.
" I don't want to be seen as a one-trick pony or that
this is my claim to fame, " she said. " I'm not a diversity
hire. I'm actually a good journalist, and I have earned
my spot while overcoming an obstacle. "
Ms. Massa is the host of CBC's new national primetime
show Canada Tonight and a special correspondent
for the network's flagship news program The National.
Prior to making her debut with the public broadcaster
earlier this year, she was part of the CityNews team
that won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Local
Newscast in 2020.
While Ms. Massa says she didn't feel like an outsider
growing up in a multicultural city like Toronto, she had
24 RED 2021
CTV, NewsTalk 1010 and Rogers TV. When she was
hired as a video journalist for CTV News in Kitchener in
2015, it was believed Ms. Massa was the first television
news reporter ever in North America to wear a hijab on
air. A year later, she filled in for a colleague anchoring an
evening newscast at CityNews Toronto. That made the
news the next day.
" It was always in the back of my head that if I made it
on TV, that was going to be a big deal, " she said. " It's a
double-edged sword. The hijab is part of my story
because I'm doing something that has never been done
before, but I'm hoping one day it'll just be a footnote. "
PHOTO: IAN PATTERSON
Seneca RED Fall 2021 Alumni Magazine

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