VIU Media Highlights: November 15-29, 2021

A roundup of VIU students and employees in the news.

Top-performing Broadcast Story

• VIU alumnus Wawmeesh Hamilton was the featured guest on the November 23 edition of the Our Native Land podcast on CHEK News. Reach: 42,000 people. 

Top 10 News Stories

1. Toronto Star (through local journalism initiative): Indigenous journalists essential in amplifying the stories of Indigenous people. See VIU News Release. Picked up by Hamilton Spectator, Yahoo News, and others. Reach: 9.4 million people.
2. Black Press Media: B.C. university student wins Miss Canada Pacific crown. Picked up by 63 Black Press outlets. Reach: 3.44 million people.
3. CHEK News: Vancouver Island woman wins pageant contest, will represent Canada at international event next year. Reach: 544,000 people.
4. Nanaimo Bulletin: VIU women win two more basketball games to stay unbeaten. Reach: 149,000 people.
5. Nanaimo Bulletin: VIU Mariners win as college basketball returns to the court. Reach: 149,000 people.
6. Nanaimo Bulletin: Nanaimo-area IT firm looks for local talent to help industries fend off cyberattacks. Features an interview with Graham White, ITAS Program Chair. Students are often recruited by cybersecurity firms due to the specialized skills they are learning. Reach: 149,000 people. 
7. Nanaimo Bulletin: VIU dessert chefs stir up one-of-a-kind ‘Spindle Whorl’ chocolate recipe. Rewrite of VIU News Release. Reach: 149,000.
8. Nanaimo News Now: Custom chocolate blend developed by Nanaimo VIU student & instructor in Paris. Reach: 146,000.
9. Education News Canada: VIU baking program launches exclusive signature chocolate. Reprint of VIU News Release. Reach: 21,500 people.
10. Academica Group: BC post-secondary institutions cancel classes, close campuses due to inclement weather. Reach: 6,000 people.

VIU News

• VIU News Release: Christmas Magic Returns this Holiday Season to VIU’s Milner Gardens & Woodland.
• VIU News Release: 16 Days Campaign Call on Community Members to Speak Up on Gender-Based Violence. Story picked up by My Coast Now and Eduvation Insider.
• VIU News Release: VIU Baking Program Launches Exclusive Signature Chocolate. Story picked up by Nanaimo Bulletin, Nanaimo News Now, Education News Canada and CHEK News.
• Alum of the Month: J’net Ayayqwayaksheelth.
• VIU News Release: VIU Professor Researching Work-Life Balance of Employed Parents During Pandemic. Story picked byNanaimo Bulletin and Targeted News Service (behind a paywall – no link). 
• VIU Blog: Your top questions about VIU Engineering Technologist program, answered.
• VIU Blog: Cultivating the courage to complete her education: Leanor Hampton.
• VIU Blog: Looking out for number one: How to practice self-care during mid-terms and finals.

VIU Student Pulse

• November 17 Edition: Open rate: 73%

• Most-clicked link: VIU Students’ Union Stressbuster Series

Social Media

• Top Tweet: A promotion of the Indigenous Speakers Series featuring Connie Walker, which was on November 22, reached more than 12,000 people. 
• Top Facebook post: A story about VIU’s new exclusive chocolate flavour reached more than 10,000 people.

• Top Instagram post: A story about the free clothing swap in the cafeteria on November 17 reached more than 2,100 people.