Here are some of my older posts to this blog.
Archives
Best in British Columbia
Okay, now my chest is really puffed out. That, and the pressure's on.
On the weekend I won the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association award for best columnist. I can now lay claim to being the best community newspaper columnist in B.C. It is truly an honour. In 2003 I captured third place at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards for best columnist and in 2004 I placed third. The first place win for the provincial association is truly special.
One of the things that makes it special is the fact that I grew up reading my father's columns. He was a newspaper editor and I remember the first thing we always read in the paper was his column.
He passed away in November, so it is sad that I could not share this award with him. However, one of the columns I submitted for the awards was the one I did about his death (Hands of a Father).
The other column that secured the Best Columnist Award was 'A gift that is truly unique' about Fetal Alchol Spectrum Disorder.
Both of these columns can be found in the Writer's Block spot on this blog.
In addition to my win, we here at the Free Press are also celebrating a first place finish for reporter Arthur Williams in the Best Business Writing category. His story on the feasibility of an inland port for Prince George was the winning entry.
We are also celebrating a second place finish in the Community Service category for Chris Shepherd. He was nominated for his work on saving a Christmas toy drive in Fort St. James - before he started here at the Free Press.
Picture's worth a thousand words
In the newspaper business, we put a lot of emphasis on our photos. We try to capture images of what goes on in our community from day-to-day. Good photos are crucial to a good newspaper. We,, as all newspapers, get a lot of feedback regarding the photos we publish. Some good, some bad.
Sometimes we know we're going to get some flack over photos. If we run an accident photo, particularly if it was a fatal accident, people call and complain. Those are always touchy issues. Our stand is that people have a right to know what it going on in their community -- good, bad, and tragic.
When we ran the photos of the Ultimate Fighting event we got lots of people complaining. It's funny though, when we run pictures of hockey fights we don't get complaints (except, of course, from the teams involved ... bad publicity and all that).
We even got a complaint from someone when we ran a photo of a belly-dancer on the front page recently. The woman scolded us because she has children in her house and doesn't want them subjected to such 'trash.'
But the cream of the crop had to come this week when a 'gentleman' called to complain about two photos in the Free Press. He didn't like the photo of Tina Turner impersonator Luisa Marshall on the front page and he didn't like the photo of the Alex Cuba band on Page 3.
Now, I understand that Marshall was wearing, like Turner does, a pretty short skirt, but that what was wrong with the Alex Cuba band?
Well, for lack of a better term – neither them are Caucasian. The caller was wondering what was happening to the city and the Free Press as it was much too 'colourful' for his liking.
A little shocking? Absolutely. However, we have a standing offer to the gentleman that if he wants to come down to the Free Press office with his gown and pointy white hood on, we'd be happy to take his picture and put it on the front page.
Covering the other guys
Tough competition is a bit different for me. When I was in Williams Lake there were two papers in town so there was competition, but it wasn't fierce.
One thing that I've noticed since I've been here is that the competition is tough. We try to beat the other guys and they sure as heck try and beat us. Hopefully that makes all of us stronger. But where it gets really funny is in sponsored events. I've run into that a few times since I've been here. The most recent was the Canwest Spelling Bee. It is, of course, sponsored by the Citizen. When I mentioned to a few people -- inside and outside of our office -- that we would be covering the event, they were surprised. Given that it is sponsored by the Citizen, folks somehow think we wouldn't be interested.
As far as I'm concerned, a community event is a community event, regardless of who is sponsoring it. We will continue to cover events, regardless of who sponsors them. If an event is important to the community, then presenting that to the community shouldn't depend on who sponsored the event.
Column could be tops
My chest is puffed out a little today, okay a lot.
I have been named as a finalist in the best columnist category of the British Columbia/Yukon Newspaper Association's Ma Murray awards. My column about receiving a piece of art from a convicted rapist/murderer and my column about my father's death were the two I submitted. (They are both on this blog under the Writer's Block section - Hands of a father, and Horrors of FASD - if you want to have a read.
Being named as a finalist means that I am in the top three in the province and that I get to attend (most expenses paid) the award gala at a swanky hotel in Vancouver in April.
It's quite an honour.
Free Press reporter Arthur Williams is also a finalist. His story about the feasibility of an inland port in Prince George is nominated in the best business writing category. Congratulations to Arthur.
Ethical quotes
One of my pet peeves as an editor, and I'm sure it would be for readers if they are aware of it, is quotes that aren't really quotes.
As writers, we always try to put quotes in our stories. It adds to the story by personalizing it.
So what do we do when we receive a government press release with quote already in it? We get them everyday. We often want to use the information in the press release and we may even want to use the quote. But, if we haven't talked to the person in the news release, should we quote them?
When we read a story in the newspaper, particularly if has the byline of the author, we assume that direct quotes in the story were told to the author of the story. Sadly, and I have the benefit of seeing government news releases, I see way too many stories with a byline using quotes pulled straight from press releases.
Writers who do this are not being honest with their readers. That is wrong.
Our policy here at the Free Press is to inform readers where we obtain our information. If a quote comes from a news release, we will say 'so-and-so said in a news release.' If someone gives us a prepared statement, we will say 'so-and-so said in a prepared statement."
If we're not honest with our readers, then we are not doing our jobs.
Children and families
One of the stories I always hate is when someone comes in with a complaint about the Ministry of Children and Families. Almost invariably people complain about how the ministry has taken their children for no good reason, although the ministry usually has a different take on the story.
The problem is, it's hard not to feel for people. I had a case this week when a couple came in and told me their story. The ministry had taken their grandchildren from their daughter and they simply wanted access to their grandkids. They seemed like nice people who were legitimately concerned.
When the matter came to a hearing, their daughter apparently told the judge that she didn't want her parents having access to her children (even though the ministry had taken the children from the daughter). The judge agreed with the mother and denied access, however there will be another hearing in the new year.
As in all such cases, a lot of things were said about a lot of people. This couple wanted a letter to the editor published blaming the ministry for their woes. However, I can't publish such a letter without proof that anyone has done anything wrong and getting proof in these cases is very, very difficult.
Citing privacy laws, the ministry won't discuss and details. But should we tackle stories like this at all? They are, in essence, family problems and those problems don't need to be played out in the newspaper. However, if ministry has acted inappropriately, then it does become a story. Taking custody of children and putting them in foster care is what the ministry does, so simply because children have been taken doesn't mean they've done anything wrong. In many cases, it means they've done something right.
We will pursue such stories, however, if we believe the ministry has acted inappropriately.
What do you think? Should we go after stories like these? Are they in the public's interest?
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Things have slowed down a bit here at the Free Press as we get our holiday editions out. The year in review issues are done and we're getting ready for turkey dinner.
I've already hit the turkey buffet at Esther's twice, so I'm good for a a couple of days.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone and thanks for reading my blog.
You just never know
One of the funny things about this business is that you can never guess what kind of reaction a story or column will have. Last week we had lots of discussion regarding Arthur Williams' column saying we are afraid to talk about native issue for fear of being labeled racist. We thought we would get a fair amount of flak over the column.
We didn't. There were a couple of letters to the editor but nothing more. As always, sometimes what you think will get a rise out of people doesn't and then something you think will be innocuous will result in all hell breaking loose.
You just never know.
Column sure to upset some
We had a very interesting discussion in the Free Press offices this morning over a column that will appear in the December 1 edition.
The column was written by reporter Arthur Williams and it takes issue how we address native issues. He feels that fair comment is often stifled regarding native issues as non-natives are afraid of being labeled as racist if they question what is going on.
The column will undoubtedly raise a few hackles around town. We know that we will be getting some flak over it. Fair enough. The debate we had was whether Arthur went too far in getting his point across. After a bit of debate, the only things that were changed were a couple of generalizations in the column. The old newspaper adage that "all generalizations are false," is, undoubtedly, true.
Knowing that the column will likely upset a few people, the question we faced was whether we are prepared to feel the heat when people call and complain. The answer is, obviously, yes.
The debate went around a few times when it suddenly occurred to me that our discussion about whether the column was suitable was exactly what Arthur was pointing out in his writing -- we're often too worried about what people will say when we speak up and so we don't. And that is wrong.
As a community newspaper, we can't be afraid to question everyone and everything. It's part of what we do. Arthur showed courage by putting his name to comments publicly that many are saying privately. And we, as a paper, support that courage. If it starts an open debate on the issue, then we have really done what a community newspaper is supposed to do.
What is offensive?
What is offensive? Sadly, it's like beauty and in the eye of the beholder.
Newspaper editors deal with the issue of what is offensive all the time. And it's a tough call because what some find offensive, others don't. A recent cartoon that ran in several Black Press newspapers has raised the debate among my fellow editors.
The cartoon took a good swing at the RCMP. In light of recent events that cast the RCMP in a bad light, the cartoon depicted RCMP brass coming up with a plan to combat all the bad press. The second panel of the cartoon depicted a newspaper carrier flat on the ground with a hulking figure standing over it with a smoking gun in his hand. The title of the cartoon was "shoot the messenger."
I didn't run the cartoon here in the Prince George Free Press for the simple reason that I knew it would anger the RCMP and, being new to town, I'm trying to build a relationship with the RCMP. Not really an altruistic or ethical reason, but a realistic one.
However, the newspapers that did run the cartoon have been under some fire from their readership, not so much because the cartoon picked on the RCMP, but because it depicted a child that had been shot. Personally, I didn't find the cartoon offensive. That doesn't mean other people would, and they did. The question then is how do we gauge what is offensive and what isn't. As newspaper editors we try to gauge our community. Sometimes we're right, sometimes we miss the mark. Sometimes, however, editors aren't the only ones who miss the point. In this case the cartoonist was making a point about the upper echelons of the RCMP, not the guy on the street. It was done in a succinct and effective way -- as good cartoonists can do.
So what do you think is offensive?
Love those letters
Letters to the editor at always a tricky thing at a community newspaper.
Many people believe that freedom of speech entitles them to say what they want. That's not exactly true in respect to newspapers. Libel laws still apply and editors always reserve the right to not publish letters for reasons of good taste.
I had one of those this week. I received a letter from a former Prince George resident who was commenting on the Peter MacKay/Belinda Stronach dog reference. The author wrote a rather clever letter. However, his cleverness was aimed squarely at Stronach and, without calling her a dog, made about dog references to her. As I said, it was clever piece of writing. But, it was also sexist and demeaning. If it inappropriate for Peter MacKay to make a dog reference regarding Stronach (which is certainly is), why would it be appropriate for letter writers and editorial writers to make such references? At any rate, I will not be publishing the letter because it is sexist and demeaning.
And that leads me to another comment about letters to the editor. One of the toughest things to do as a newspaper editor is to allow free speech. Isn't always easy. Sometimes letters come in that the editor is diametrically opposed to. Such was the case with Troy Hale's letter regarding public safety. His message basically was that if everyone was packing a gun, there would be no crime. It's a shortsighted and boorish stand to take.
However, as a newspaper editor, I published the letter because even though it is borderline crazy, it's not sexist, libelous, or even in poor taste. It could be argued that it could be dangerous, but that's a bit of a stretch. As a result, the letter gets published.
So, keep the letters coming.
A smaller page
One of the big challenges for me here at the Prince George Free Press has been adjusting to less space (in the paper, the office is fine).
The previous newspaper I worked at is what is called a broadsheet, whereas the Free Press is a tabloid. The Citizen is a broadsheet-sized paper. Because the page is bigger on a broadsheet there is more room to work with. Stories can be longer, explain more, more photos can be used, etc.
It certainly is an adjustment for me. Trying to get lots of news on a smaller-sized page can be frustrating, at times, because stories get left out due to space. We try, however, to get in a much as we can.
One of my goals here is to put a dent in the Citizen's coverage of events in the community and to do that, we have to get as much as we can into the Free Press.
Let me know what you think.
Getting into the swing of things
It's been a couple of weeks now since I took over the editor's chair here at the Prince George Free Press. It has been very interesting (there's two Starbucks' and one Tim Hortons between where I'm staying and the office.
It won't be without challenge here, as my role is to try and pick things up a notch here at the Free Press. Our goal is to become more of a force, editorially, in the Prince George market. That means providing some competition for the Citizen. I admit, it won't be an easy task. The Citizen comes out six times a week and we only publish twice a week. The Citizen also has a small army of reporters, while we only have a few 'insurgents.'
Our role, however, is to be more of a community newspaper. Weekly papers are traditionally more community-oriented. We won't be covering major national or international stories, unless they pertain directly to Prince George. We will focus more on what is happening right here in Prince George.
Let me know what you think.
First week in PG
I've been here in Prince George for a week now and I'm settling in to my new job as editor of the Prince George Free Press.
It's been a week of adjusting to new people, new systems, new processes, and a new city. Luckily there are two Starbucks located between where I'm staying and the Free Press office. Can't beat that. I've been going through the process of finding a house etc. so it's a little bit trying. Being in limbo, you don't really quite feel settled.
It has been fun though. Prince George is definitely a busy, busy town and it will be a challenge just to keep up.
Blog will continue
In response to a query from Paul Willcocks, yes I will be continuing my blog when I make the trip to the frozen north as editor of the Prince George Free Press.
The search for a new editor here at the Williams Lake Tribune has ended. Ken McInnes, who has spent time in the north and was most recently working in the Lower Mainland, has been hired as editor of the Tribune. He will start here on September 25. My last official day at the Tribune will be Friday, September 1. However, I will be putting on my editorial director hat and helping out while the Trib is short-staffed and with the transition when Ken arrives.
And then the rains came
That was quite the rain/hail storm yesterday. It sent many people scrambling for cover. For us here at the Tribune, though, it created a little more havoc than that. The lightning shorted out our server, which wasn't a major thing except a few people lost work that wasn't saved.
The rain, though, caused a little bit of flooding in our mail room. A drain at our backdoor couldn't handle the flow of water, which then proceeded under the door and into the mailroom. Our bay doors at the front also turned into a convenient river for the onslaught. When you work with paper, dampness is a real issue. Luckily, most of our paper was on pallets and the water didn't do too much damage. However, some paper did get wet during the mini-flood.
It was truly quite the storm.
On the Move
I'm on the move. I've accepted the editor's job the Tribune's sister paper, the Prince George Free Press. I will start at the Free Press on Tuesday, September 5.
After being in Williams Lake for 15 years, it's quite a move for me. But it should be an exciting and challenging one.
Responding to Thor
Okay, I have to respond. Mighty Thor commented on my blog about rumours and I have to respond.
I don't hide the fact that Scott Nelson and I are friends. We were friends long before he became mayor and before I became editor of the Tribune. I try my hardest to ensure that our friendship does not affect the coverage given by the Tribune.
As for the car accident issue, let me set the record straight. Scott Nelson was not involved in a car accident. It was his wife Twila who was involved in the car accident. Plus, I did not write the story regarding that matter. I assigned the story to the best reporter I had on staff at the time and she did an excellent job of covering the story, despite the fact that I was with Nelson when he was arrested that night. Her boss was part of a story that involved the mayor getting arrested -- she was in a tough spot and performed admirably. That was the only time where my friendship with Scott posed a real conflict. I did not edit the story and deferred final say on publishing the story to the Tribune publisher.
As for the prominent businessman charged with trafficking cocaine, whose name, according to Mighty Thor, was published on CBC -- if Mighty Thor wants to call me at 392-2331 and give me the name of this businessman I would be happy to do a story on it. People assume that we are notified when people are charged with a crime. We monitor local court dockets, but if someone is charged in a different city we are not automatically informed. And I can assure Mighty Thor that the editorial department of the Williams Lake Tribune is not for sale. Advertisers do not get to tell us what to put in the paper. For the record, we have lost advertising revenue for political stands we have taken and for news coverage we have given certain events. It is a peril we face every day but, just as former Mayor Rick Gibson wouldn't muzzle himself knowing there would be ramifications to his business, we do not allow advertisers to dictate our editorial content.
Mighty Thor also questioned why there isn't a drug squad in town. This matter has been raised in the Tribune. The RCMP have put resources elsewhere. Thor seems to suggest that the Tribune is missing something here. I don't know that we are, other than we haven't raised it as an issue editorially. Perhaps we will in the future.
Mighty Thor also says his son knows of several cocaine dealer in town. My question to Mighty Thor is -- has he urged his son to tell the RCMP who these dealers are?
Back from the rumour mill
After a couple of weeks R&R (putting in the hay in record-breaking 40 degree Celsius heat) I'm back in Williams Lake.
I'm glad the rumour mill has quieted since I left. When I left I joked that, since I would be out of town for a couple of weeks, that the rumour would either be that I'm dead or running drugs somewhere.
As often is the case with rumours, when the rumours are confronted, the rumours dissipate. Kudos to Mayor Scott Nelson for speaking out about the rumours and putting the issue to bed. There will be some who don't believe him (or the paper or the RCMP because we're all in on it, don't you know), but we can't please everyone.
For the paper, it's a tough issue to deal with. We don't want to repeat the rumours, because that simply sends the rumours out to more people. It makes it hard to say something isn't true without saying what that something is. When Mayor Nelson decided to say what the rumours were, it made our job a little easier.
Things have certainly quieted down, and that's a good thing.
Rumours
Rumours, rumours, rumours.
Recent events in our community have gotten the rumour mill working overtime. Yesterday and today the rumours have been absolutely wild. And, that's what they are -- rumours. If you haven't heard the rumours, I'm not going to repeat them here.
However, what I will say is they involve the murder of Peter Schnellhardt last week. Subsequent events in the community, including the death of a well-known Williams Lake man that the RCMP are investigating as a suicide, have tongues wagging.
There is an old saying "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." It's good advice. And, if you hear and rather incredible story, ask the storyteller where they heard it from.