The Ryerson Review of Journalism, the student written, professionally edited media criticism magazine out of Ryerson University's journalism school, celebrated 25 years of “watching the watchdogs” with a party at Waterfalls Tapas Bar & Grill in Kensington Market last night. Attendees received free copies of the new spring and summer issues of the magazine, each one packed with lengthy features about the state of the fourth estate in Canada.

For those in the magazine industry, the spring issue carries stories on brand extensions, service journalism and the challenges of being a female editor, while the summer issue looks at parenting mags, the medical journal Open Medicine, the legacy of late Chatelaine editor Doris Anderson and an extensive package looking back at the Review’s first 25 years. (Lynn Cunningham’s column on the financial challenges the mag has faced will be of particular interest to cash-strapped publishers.) Both books also carry several entertaining front-of book items that poke and prod at magazines across the nation.

The magazines are available by subscription and on select newsstands. You will also be able to read the stories online at RRJ.ca over the next few months. We’ll post links to the magazine-related ones in Mags News Around the Web.

Event photos: 

RRJ editors Carla Wintersgill, Erin Tandy, Sara Chappel and Miranda Voth.

More RRJ editors: Ashley Pergolas, Chloë Tse, Rebecca Rose and Erin Tandy.

RRJ editors Mimi Szeto and William Stodalka with art director Levi Nicholson.

Ryerson instructors Alex Gillis and Tim Falconer.

Ivor Shapiro and Heather McCall of J-Source.ca.

Freelance couple Jennifer O'Connor and David Hayes with RRJ founder Don Obe.