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| Ginella Massa – “Canada's First Muslim TV News Reporter |
About Ginella Massa:
Ginella Massa became Canada’s first hijab-wearing television news reporter in January 2015. Her current role is News Reporter at CityNews. In the past, Ginella has worked both behind-the-scenes and on-air for local and national Canadian news outlets since 2010, including CityNews, CTV, NEWSTALK 1010, and Rogers Television.Ginella graduated with an Honours B.A. in Communication Studies at York University, and has a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Seneca College. She has co-hosted and produced her own web-series, provided live coverage of provincial and municipal elections, and has been published in the Globe and Mail and National Post.
Interview:
Where were you born? Where is your family from?
I was born in Panama, which is where both my parents are from. I came to Canada with my mom when I was 1 year old, and grew up in Toronto. She converted to Islam from Catholicism when I was very young so I was raised Muslim.
What did you study?
I studied Communications and Sociology at York University, then did a diploma in Broadcast Journalism at Seneca College.
How did you get into journalism? Did you always know you wanted to get into journalism?
I was a very talkative and energetic kid, so it made sense to be in a field that would lend well to that. I always wanted to work in broadcasting or media in some capacity, and my real desire was to be in front of the camera, but in the back of my mind I worried about whether I could make it very far in hijab.
I don’t think I really believed it could be a viable career until I was at Seneca, and landed my first internship in a newsroom.
I fell in love with telling stories, discovered the adrenaline rush of breaking news, and loved that every day was challenging and different. I realized this was something I could be good at, and that’s what pushed me to work really hard, in the hopes that someone would see past my hijab and give me a chance to show my skills.
What role has family played in getting you to where you are?
My parents always made me believe I could be whatever I wanted. Even when I had my own doubts about making it as a hijabi on TV, my mom always told me that just because it hadn’t been done before, didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. I think they believed I could achieve my goals even before I did.
Who or what inspires you to do the work you do?
I love that local news allows you to share the stories of the people in our community who otherwise may not have a voice. I think local news is really important when it comes to examining issues that affect us directly.
I’m also motivated to be a positive image for Muslim women. It’s so rare to see women in hijab in media, so I want to let young Muslim women to know it’s possible, and I want to show people that a piece of cloth doesn’t stop me from doing my job well.
We all have ups and downs in life is there a significant incident that impacted your life in a way that lead you to your current career / life path?
I think every Muslim was impacted in some way by the tragedy of 9/11. Until then, people didn’t really talk about Muslims or Islam at all – good or bad. With all the negative imagery in the media, I had to think really hard about whether I wanted to pursue a career that might reject me because of my religion. I was faced with a choice: I could hide my Muslim identity, knowing the impact it could have on my future, or I could continue wearing hijab, knowing I might have to work twice as hard to pursue my goals. I chose the latter, because in some ways I felt it was now that much more important, given everything that was being said about us in the media, to show what Muslims were really about.
What’s it like being the only hijabi in mainstream media in the GTA and beyond?
It’s exciting. It’s so encouraging when young women come up to me and tell me they’re inspired, and how seeing me succeed has impacted them.
Growing up I never saw anyone who looked like me on TV. I think our society is realizing that hijab doesn’t have to be this scary, mysterious thing. I hope that I’m changing a perception about Muslim women, just by doing my job well every day. I hope this can open the door for other women to succeed in this industry, and for people to give them a chance.
What advice would you give other women with hijab who are interested in joining media?
It’s a tough business to be in, whether you wear hijab or not. You have to have thick skin, you have to be willing to work really hard, and you have to absolutely love it.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
It’s hard to say because this industry is changing so fast – I really don’t know what the news industry will look like in 10 years. For so long, I imagined myself making it to this point. Now that I’ve finally achieved this milestone, I have to start making new ones. I’m so early on in my career, I’m still learning and growing, and just taking it one day at a time.
Photo Credit: Biliana Gortchova
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