Writing for the Headliner has been an interesting experience for me over the past several weeks. My first article was about an author who lives in Oak Bluff Manitoba. Her name is Shawnda Muir and the book she published is called Cancer Scores-a Hat Trick. Muir’s story is inspiring because her family had three cancer scares in six months. She and her husband were both diagnosed as well as her father all in six months. Her father unfortunately didn’t survive.
Muir has written a really inspirational book detailing how she stayed positive through her cancer journey. I was able to go to Muir’s book launch and take photos of her and it was super great to interview such a positive person. This was my first article I wrote for the Headliner. It was also great learning how to use the fabulous cameras at the library and actually take great photos as well as get them on my computer and send them out with cut lines. That was a learning experience in itself for me!
My second article was about a lady that lives in Headingly Manitoba who is a water conservation activist. She works for Waterlution that is a national nonprofit organization that promotes water awareness and conservation issues. Her name is Renne Bennett. Bennett tried the Water Conservation Challenge that required her to live on 30 liters of water a day for one month.
Bennett did this challenge in March 2011 to coincide with Water Awareness Month. It was really awesome listening to her stories about her experiences. Bennett lives in an apartment and didn’t have much control over what type of toilet she used. She found out that her toilet used 13 liters of water each time she flushed it. This really limited her water usage for other things! She was able to convince her landlord to put in a more water friendly toilet and now her toilet uses 6 liters of water each flush rather than 13 liters which she is very happy about. The water challenge also made her think about how long it took for her tap water to turn from cold water to hot water. She just boiled water for things after that. Plus, I was able to meet Kevin Freedman who was running in the election for Fort Gary/Riverview. He is the creator of the Water Challenge and he was super inspiring as he really cares about water conservation issues.
My third article that I am presently working on is about domestic violence. I pitched the idea of a domestic violence story to Prescott and he thought it was a great idea but had no idea how to find someone to interview. Prescott told me that the only way I could write about this topic would be if I could find someone from the RM’s that the Headliner went to that would be willing to open up and share his or her story. He basically said to me, happy hunting at the end of the email. So, I was determined and began my hunting process. I used to work at Osborne House before Crecomm so I knew there were ways in which I could connect with domestic violence survivors. The only thing is, I haven’t spoken to anyone there in a long time and my ex boss doesn’t work there anymore so I wasn’t sure if I should call again or not. So, I called anyway but I didn’t hear back for a little while and I had to keep on digging. I called everywhere from Klinic to the women shelters in Portage La Prairie and Selkirk. It was tricky because I wasn’t completely familiar with all the RM’s that the Headliner covered and all the shelters I was calling were out of those RM’s.
So, I came to a few dead ends but finally, I was able to connect with someone I used to work with at Osborne House that remembered me. She works with the clients after they leave Osborne House. She said that she had the perfect person in mind from an RM that the Headliner covered. I was so excited about this breakthrough. I really wanted to write the domestic violence article because I think the challenges to leave are different for rural rather than city women. I wanted to investigate this further. The individual I was able to interview said that rural women do have different challenges than city women. She said feelings of isolation and not being able to talk to anyone about your problems are more prevalent in smaller towns.
My contact told me she didn’t have a driver’s license either or any money so she was completely dependent on her husband for everything. She had to ask someone for a ride into the city when she was going to Osborne House and said that this was one of the hardest moments for her cause she had to tell someone for the first time.
I also was able to receive quotes from the Rural Farm Stress Line that really made my article show what rural women go through when they experience domestic violence. What I didn’t expect from writing this article would be managing the relationship of my source regarding her safety and the safety of her children with the needs of the news paper.
I was told that my article had legs and that they were thinking of placing the article on the front page of the newspaper. Here I am super excited that one of my articles may be on the front page but realizing, it might not make my subject feel safe. I thought I should ask her how she would feel about this as she just left her husband seven months ago. I am relieved I did because she wasn’t comfortable with the article being on the first page. I had to email my editor and let him know that she wasn’t comfortable about it. I was also worried because I didn’t want to upset my editor in doing this either. I had to respect my source and put myself in her shoes. She was willing to go out on a limb to tell her story and open up when she still had some reservations. I didn’t want her to feel concerned or regretful about doing this in anyway. It was such a learning experience for me to be in that position. I wanted to please the paper and my source all at the same time. I realized through this process that telling people's stories makes you more than a writer, it makes you a relationship manager too!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
My Fabulous Election Night Assignment
On election night October 4th, 2011, I went to The Winnipeg Sun. I was told to arrive at The Winnipeg Sun for 5:00pm. I arrived a bit early because I wasn’t too sure how to get there. When I arrived in the parking lot I got a bit confused about where to park but I finally figured it out.
I entered the doors and had to sign in. I was greeted by the receptionist who was very nice and taken up a large staircase. I had never been inside the Winnipeg Sun building before so this was quite exciting for me.
I was then led to a room where other students were waiting patiently. We all had to sign in and were given two sheets that had the stories that were being assigned that night. Originally, I had hoped to go to the Liberal Party headquarters and speak to Kevin Freedman and Jon Gerrard.
However, we were not given the option to pitch any ideas. We were assigned where we had to go. I was a bit nervous at this point because I just wasn’t sure what the evening would hold.
I ended up getting the story of Susan Auch and Jim Rondeau running for the Assiniboia seat. Auch was running for the PC’s and Rondeau, for the NDP’s. I was also assigned a reporter and her name was Jillian Austin.
While I was at The Winnipeg Sun office, I was told to keep my story focused on Susan Auch. Austin and I went over to see her co-worker who she called “Mr. Opinion” and we had a brief little chat about who he thought was going to win. If I am not mistaken he did think that Auch would win because of her Olympic background and name recognition. He felt that Rondeau was a bit boring to compete with that. So after we discussed this, I was told to get as close to Susan Auch as I could even if she won or lost. They both agreed there was more of a story with Auch even though Rondeau won this seat three times previously.
After this, I had to get on the internet and telephone to find out where candidates were going to be that night. The computer I had was so slow. It took me forever to find this information. This was really frustrating. I wasn’t expecting this from The Winnipeg Sun. At first, I thought it was something I was doing wrong with the computer but when I asked my contact, she said that she often heard the person sitting at that computer complaining about how slow the computer is.
When I was on the phone to the campaign headquarters, it felt so strange to say I was calling from the Winnipeg Sun. That was so neat to experience. At first, it felt like I was a fraud you know? Like I wasn’t actually working for the Sun. I had to say to myself, it is ok, and you can say this for one night anyway so enjoy it! So I did!
I made sure to introduce myself to all of the Campaign Managers and took down their phone numbers. I am not very familiar with the Assiniboia area and I knew that by the time I would head out there, it would be dark outside. I certainly didn’t want to get lost tonight. I found people much more receptive when I would say I am calling from The Winnipeg Sun rather than I am a student from Red River College…
Well, I am a nervous driver too so driving from all over the city wasn’t something I was going to take lithely. I made sure to fill up on gas before I left thankfully. It was my last little bit of money until payday but I spent it wisely. I had to go from one end of the city to another. So, off in my Malibu I went.
I was trucking along when I arrived to the area of town I was supposed to get to, it was dark outside. I could barely find the addresses. Luckily, I found Susan Auch’s headquarters. I was the first one there besides the Manitoba Pork lady who was grilling up the pork patties for the evening. I was able to confirm with her that I was at the right location and could breathe a sigh of relief.
Since I was the first one there I was able to chat with a few people including Auch’s Office Manager. What I found so inspiring about Auch’s team was how dedicated they were to her. They really believed in her and would stand behind her without question. I remember one of them saying:
“You don’t become and Olympic athlete without working hard.”
I just thought that was so cool and so true. The more I talked to people, the more I realized how much they supported Susan and the PC party as a whole. It was amazing to me to see people so passionate about politics and so involved in the political process. It was contagious. It made me feel excited to be there and to be part of something greater than ourselves. When Susan Auch finally arrived, she came to tell her supporters bad news. The room was quiet except for Auch’s deep breath and her volunteers that were crying in the background. Here is what Susan Auch said:
“I am pissed!”
That was her first reaction to her loss. I couldn’t believe it. It was so heartfelt but not very articulate.
I started frantically writing this down on my pad. “We tried, she said. “ The last six months, we did everything we could. Thank you to all volunteers, Thank you to everyone.”
Auch went on to comment on the NDP’s strong foot-hold. “They ran super- hard and not entirely sportsman-like either,” she said. Auch said she “is here to stay” and is committed to Manitoba.
“We need change in the province badly. We need to be vocal continually. We can do it,” she said.
The deadline to get my quotes in to my reporter was by 10:00pm. I was worried that I was too late in calling my quotes in because I didn’t get on the phone until about 9:55pm. My reporter was really nice when I called it in and she said that I did a great job at getting some good quotes.
When I checked the paper on page six the next day, there were my quotes and my name in bold saying with files from Anrea Zaslov. I just thought this was so much fun and an awesome experience. I told the Sun that I would be happy to volunteer for them in the future. It was a great experience and a super assignment. I had a blast.
I entered the doors and had to sign in. I was greeted by the receptionist who was very nice and taken up a large staircase. I had never been inside the Winnipeg Sun building before so this was quite exciting for me.
I was then led to a room where other students were waiting patiently. We all had to sign in and were given two sheets that had the stories that were being assigned that night. Originally, I had hoped to go to the Liberal Party headquarters and speak to Kevin Freedman and Jon Gerrard.
However, we were not given the option to pitch any ideas. We were assigned where we had to go. I was a bit nervous at this point because I just wasn’t sure what the evening would hold.
I ended up getting the story of Susan Auch and Jim Rondeau running for the Assiniboia seat. Auch was running for the PC’s and Rondeau, for the NDP’s. I was also assigned a reporter and her name was Jillian Austin.
While I was at The Winnipeg Sun office, I was told to keep my story focused on Susan Auch. Austin and I went over to see her co-worker who she called “Mr. Opinion” and we had a brief little chat about who he thought was going to win. If I am not mistaken he did think that Auch would win because of her Olympic background and name recognition. He felt that Rondeau was a bit boring to compete with that. So after we discussed this, I was told to get as close to Susan Auch as I could even if she won or lost. They both agreed there was more of a story with Auch even though Rondeau won this seat three times previously.
After this, I had to get on the internet and telephone to find out where candidates were going to be that night. The computer I had was so slow. It took me forever to find this information. This was really frustrating. I wasn’t expecting this from The Winnipeg Sun. At first, I thought it was something I was doing wrong with the computer but when I asked my contact, she said that she often heard the person sitting at that computer complaining about how slow the computer is.
When I was on the phone to the campaign headquarters, it felt so strange to say I was calling from the Winnipeg Sun. That was so neat to experience. At first, it felt like I was a fraud you know? Like I wasn’t actually working for the Sun. I had to say to myself, it is ok, and you can say this for one night anyway so enjoy it! So I did!
I made sure to introduce myself to all of the Campaign Managers and took down their phone numbers. I am not very familiar with the Assiniboia area and I knew that by the time I would head out there, it would be dark outside. I certainly didn’t want to get lost tonight. I found people much more receptive when I would say I am calling from The Winnipeg Sun rather than I am a student from Red River College…
Well, I am a nervous driver too so driving from all over the city wasn’t something I was going to take lithely. I made sure to fill up on gas before I left thankfully. It was my last little bit of money until payday but I spent it wisely. I had to go from one end of the city to another. So, off in my Malibu I went.
I was trucking along when I arrived to the area of town I was supposed to get to, it was dark outside. I could barely find the addresses. Luckily, I found Susan Auch’s headquarters. I was the first one there besides the Manitoba Pork lady who was grilling up the pork patties for the evening. I was able to confirm with her that I was at the right location and could breathe a sigh of relief.
Since I was the first one there I was able to chat with a few people including Auch’s Office Manager. What I found so inspiring about Auch’s team was how dedicated they were to her. They really believed in her and would stand behind her without question. I remember one of them saying:
“You don’t become and Olympic athlete without working hard.”
I just thought that was so cool and so true. The more I talked to people, the more I realized how much they supported Susan and the PC party as a whole. It was amazing to me to see people so passionate about politics and so involved in the political process. It was contagious. It made me feel excited to be there and to be part of something greater than ourselves. When Susan Auch finally arrived, she came to tell her supporters bad news. The room was quiet except for Auch’s deep breath and her volunteers that were crying in the background. Here is what Susan Auch said:
“I am pissed!”
That was her first reaction to her loss. I couldn’t believe it. It was so heartfelt but not very articulate.
I started frantically writing this down on my pad. “We tried, she said. “ The last six months, we did everything we could. Thank you to all volunteers, Thank you to everyone.”
Auch went on to comment on the NDP’s strong foot-hold. “They ran super- hard and not entirely sportsman-like either,” she said. Auch said she “is here to stay” and is committed to Manitoba.
“We need change in the province badly. We need to be vocal continually. We can do it,” she said.
The deadline to get my quotes in to my reporter was by 10:00pm. I was worried that I was too late in calling my quotes in because I didn’t get on the phone until about 9:55pm. My reporter was really nice when I called it in and she said that I did a great job at getting some good quotes.
When I checked the paper on page six the next day, there were my quotes and my name in bold saying with files from Anrea Zaslov. I just thought this was so much fun and an awesome experience. I told the Sun that I would be happy to volunteer for them in the future. It was a great experience and a super assignment. I had a blast.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Advanced Voting: Do People Care?
Each week I must blog about something related to journalism. This week I chose the topic advanced voting. Before this election, I never really gave this topic much thought. If I did think about it, I thought it was a good thing because it provided convenience to voters, it promoted democracy etc.
For a journalism assignment, I had to write a 400 word article about advanced voting. I went to a couple of the advanced voting stations in the city and started talking to people about it. I also called Elections Manitoba and spoke with the Communications Officer there who was also able to provide a bit of insight on the issue.
I started thinking about advanced voting more and since I had to find something newsy to write about it,I started thinking, who pays for advanced voting. Then I started asking myself if it is the taxpayer, would they know they are paying for these costs? If they knew they were paying for these costs, would they be more inclined not to like these extra costs that advanced voting adds to the cost of running an election at the end of the day? These were the type of questions I asked people and It seems that most of the people are in favour of advanced voting but a few people were certainly not. Most of them did not know that the polls were open an extra day this year and some knew the tax payer covered the costs and some didn't. To investigate this further I thought of contacting Elections Manitoba. They were very friendly and helpful.
I spoke to Alison Mitchell, Manager of Communications and Public Information for Elections Manitoba. She was able to provide me with clarification about the changes to advance voting polls this election.
“Advance polls start from September 24 to Saturday October 1 and are open one extra day this election with 100 poll stations across the province,” she said.
When I asked people if they knew about the extra day of advanced voting this year, many said they were not aware of this. Abby Nicholls for example is 45 and self employed, she had no idea.
“I thought the advanced voting polls were good until I heard that I might have to pay for it. I don’t want to have to pay for other people’s convenience. That is just ridiculous. Plus, I wasn’t even made aware of the extra day this year and if I am covering the costs of that, I want to know about it,” she said.
When I continued to ask Mitchell about who pays for the election costs, she was able to explain it to me like this:
“The administration of the election is paid for through public funds. So, yes, taxpayers pay for advance voting, as well as election day voting and all associated costs. The way it was tracked in 2007, the costs of advance voting were not separated from election day voting, so we don’t have a number to provide for advance voting costs but the total cost of the election in 2007 was $7.54 million,” Mitchell said.
I also asked if she had any information about any statistics for advanced voting. This is what she was able to provide me.
“We have found through our post-election survey in 2007 that only half of the respondents who voted in advance said they would have been very likely to vote in the election if they could not vote in advance. Further, over 1 in 3 said that they would have been very unlikely to vote if they could not vote in advance. We are close to 44,000 voters voting in advanced polls this election and that surpasses the total number of advanced voters from 2007,” she said.
So, from these stats, I do feel that advanced voting is a good thing. However, I can see how people would get upset by it as Nicholls expressed above.
I spoke to some other people that day including Gale Fisher who is 70 years old and a retired secretary. Fisher advanced voted at Grant Park Shopping Centre while she was on her way to see a movie. She really likes the convenience of advanced voting but was not aware of the polls being open an extra day this year. She also wasn't aware that tax payers paid for this.
“I like the convenience of advanced voting. I can go anytime during the week. This location is great. I didn’t know about the advanced polls being open an extra day during this election,” Fisher said.
Guy Coughlin is another individual I spoke to and he is a retired insurance salesman who is 80 years old. He thought advanced voting is great.
“All I needed was my driver’s license. I like that if I was in Brandon I could have voted there too. I did not know it was for one extra day this year,” he said.
For a journalism assignment, I had to write a 400 word article about advanced voting. I went to a couple of the advanced voting stations in the city and started talking to people about it. I also called Elections Manitoba and spoke with the Communications Officer there who was also able to provide a bit of insight on the issue.
I started thinking about advanced voting more and since I had to find something newsy to write about it,I started thinking, who pays for advanced voting. Then I started asking myself if it is the taxpayer, would they know they are paying for these costs? If they knew they were paying for these costs, would they be more inclined not to like these extra costs that advanced voting adds to the cost of running an election at the end of the day? These were the type of questions I asked people and It seems that most of the people are in favour of advanced voting but a few people were certainly not. Most of them did not know that the polls were open an extra day this year and some knew the tax payer covered the costs and some didn't. To investigate this further I thought of contacting Elections Manitoba. They were very friendly and helpful.
I spoke to Alison Mitchell, Manager of Communications and Public Information for Elections Manitoba. She was able to provide me with clarification about the changes to advance voting polls this election.
“Advance polls start from September 24 to Saturday October 1 and are open one extra day this election with 100 poll stations across the province,” she said.
When I asked people if they knew about the extra day of advanced voting this year, many said they were not aware of this. Abby Nicholls for example is 45 and self employed, she had no idea.
“I thought the advanced voting polls were good until I heard that I might have to pay for it. I don’t want to have to pay for other people’s convenience. That is just ridiculous. Plus, I wasn’t even made aware of the extra day this year and if I am covering the costs of that, I want to know about it,” she said.
When I continued to ask Mitchell about who pays for the election costs, she was able to explain it to me like this:
“The administration of the election is paid for through public funds. So, yes, taxpayers pay for advance voting, as well as election day voting and all associated costs. The way it was tracked in 2007, the costs of advance voting were not separated from election day voting, so we don’t have a number to provide for advance voting costs but the total cost of the election in 2007 was $7.54 million,” Mitchell said.
I also asked if she had any information about any statistics for advanced voting. This is what she was able to provide me.
“We have found through our post-election survey in 2007 that only half of the respondents who voted in advance said they would have been very likely to vote in the election if they could not vote in advance. Further, over 1 in 3 said that they would have been very unlikely to vote if they could not vote in advance. We are close to 44,000 voters voting in advanced polls this election and that surpasses the total number of advanced voters from 2007,” she said.
So, from these stats, I do feel that advanced voting is a good thing. However, I can see how people would get upset by it as Nicholls expressed above.
I spoke to some other people that day including Gale Fisher who is 70 years old and a retired secretary. Fisher advanced voted at Grant Park Shopping Centre while she was on her way to see a movie. She really likes the convenience of advanced voting but was not aware of the polls being open an extra day this year. She also wasn't aware that tax payers paid for this.
“I like the convenience of advanced voting. I can go anytime during the week. This location is great. I didn’t know about the advanced polls being open an extra day during this election,” Fisher said.
Guy Coughlin is another individual I spoke to and he is a retired insurance salesman who is 80 years old. He thought advanced voting is great.
“All I needed was my driver’s license. I like that if I was in Brandon I could have voted there too. I did not know it was for one extra day this year,” he said.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Page One
Helo my fantastic followers. I hope you are well. For my journalism class I had to see the movie Page One this weekend and blog about it. So, here it goes.
I went to the 7:00 PM show at Cinematheque on Saturday, September 24. I went with a girlfriend of mine who I haven't seen in a long time. Page One is about the life cycle of the newspaper The New York Times. I didn't really know what to expect going into the movie. I did find it a bit long but it was very interesting not just because I am a journalism major either. The friend who I was with also found the topic interesting and she is a realtor.
The interesting thing is during the day on Saturday, I received a phone call from a telephone solicitor from the Globe and Mail. The telemarketer on the other end was informing me that I could receive the paper for 30% off and asked me if I would like to take advantage of these wonderful savings. I declined the offer because I am a student and do not have the financial means to have the paper on a monthly basis. I thought about it at the time and felt guilty that I wasn't able to get the paper considering I am a journalism student. I felt I was doing something wrong and that I should be supporting the newspaper industry now more than ever before. However, circumstances dictate what I can and cannot afford. Then I began to think, since when is news considered a luxury and not a must have or a need. I wonder how many othe people have to make this choice.
After seeing the movie Page One though, I thought it was very fitting to have had that call on the same day. That just proves to me that the newspaper industry is struggling and they are trying very hard to do what they have to.
What was interesting was the discussion about as a people, we have perceived the information we receive online is free. I realized that I do expect websites online where I find my news to be free. If I am not buying a hard copy of the newspaper, would I as a consumer be willing to pay for accessing a website to read news information? I wouldn't.
I also thought it was interesting how even the best of the best are not immune to the challanges within the newspaper industry. News is a business. I sometimes wonder when revenue can dictate what is covered in the news, this does convolute the values of traditional journalism. I am making this change to study journalism later in my life and I question if I am still interested in the subject. It makes me question, am I a writer or journalist or am I a salesperson like I have been before. Am I actually going back to school again to become what I have been all along? what I did realize was the newspaper game is a complicated web of relationships all needing each other to survive.
I went to the 7:00 PM show at Cinematheque on Saturday, September 24. I went with a girlfriend of mine who I haven't seen in a long time. Page One is about the life cycle of the newspaper The New York Times. I didn't really know what to expect going into the movie. I did find it a bit long but it was very interesting not just because I am a journalism major either. The friend who I was with also found the topic interesting and she is a realtor.
The interesting thing is during the day on Saturday, I received a phone call from a telephone solicitor from the Globe and Mail. The telemarketer on the other end was informing me that I could receive the paper for 30% off and asked me if I would like to take advantage of these wonderful savings. I declined the offer because I am a student and do not have the financial means to have the paper on a monthly basis. I thought about it at the time and felt guilty that I wasn't able to get the paper considering I am a journalism student. I felt I was doing something wrong and that I should be supporting the newspaper industry now more than ever before. However, circumstances dictate what I can and cannot afford. Then I began to think, since when is news considered a luxury and not a must have or a need. I wonder how many othe people have to make this choice.
After seeing the movie Page One though, I thought it was very fitting to have had that call on the same day. That just proves to me that the newspaper industry is struggling and they are trying very hard to do what they have to.
What was interesting was the discussion about as a people, we have perceived the information we receive online is free. I realized that I do expect websites online where I find my news to be free. If I am not buying a hard copy of the newspaper, would I as a consumer be willing to pay for accessing a website to read news information? I wouldn't.
I also thought it was interesting how even the best of the best are not immune to the challanges within the newspaper industry. News is a business. I sometimes wonder when revenue can dictate what is covered in the news, this does convolute the values of traditional journalism. I am making this change to study journalism later in my life and I question if I am still interested in the subject. It makes me question, am I a writer or journalist or am I a salesperson like I have been before. Am I actually going back to school again to become what I have been all along? what I did realize was the newspaper game is a complicated web of relationships all needing each other to survive.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Journalism and Publicity, A Solid Bond
Hello to you all. I hope you are enjoying your Friday afternoon and head into your weekend with a smile on your face.
I want to touch on the topic of how journalism relates to publicity or raising awareness. I would like to share with you fist hand experiences and how I made this happen as well as what it felt like to create a news story and watch it grow. I will use an example that is very dear to me that really represents one of my major accomplishments. It is about the public relations campaign I created and executed to ensure Frances Bay, a famous actress from Dauphin Manitoba, receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008 for her 90th birthday.
My husband and I were out for dinner way back when in 2007 and were in a fight. We were sitting in the Boston Pizza lounge giving each other the silent treatment. My husband wrote something on a cocktail napkin to try to get my attention and get out of the dog house. On the cocktail napkin was the best idea that would change lives forever. I remember picking up the napkin to read it as my curiousity got the best of me. The message said, "Frances Bay for Canada's Walk of Fame." Well, my eyes lit up instantly and my husband and I started talking again. We fevereshly started hashing out this awesome idea that would turn out to be the most aggressive public relations campaign that the Walk of Fame office had ever seen.
Bay is my third cousin. She is known for her roles in Happy Gilmore as Sandler's grandma, the Marble Rye Lady in Seinfeld and Fonzie's grandma in Happy Days. She has been in three David Lynch movies and won a Gemini award for her work in Road To Avonlea. You perhaps won't recognize the name France Bay, but you would recognize her face. Fran was also known as the Girlfriend to the Canadian Forces and had her own radio show called Everybody's Program. I have letters going back to 1944 saying her voice kept soldiers alive during the war. Fran is a vital piece of Canadian heritage.
So, now that you have a bit of Bay's career history, let me share how important it was building relationships with the media to get the Frances Bay For Walk of Fame campaign off the ground. I couldn't have made this happen without the media. So, I first want to say thank you to all of the journalists that saw potential in my story and helped me make it newsworthy.
I must admit, I loved creating news. I found it so exciting, and it didn't feel like work. I do remember though scrounging for change in the bottom of my couch to pay for gas money to drive to the interviews at the television studios. Luckily, I made it there and back!
I think because I had so much passion for my subject that I was promoting, the process didn't feel like work and my determination mixed with my passion came through when I communicated the key messages to the public. I did remember though, when it came to providing factual information, I knew that I had to be very careful. A few times, I read wrong information in the paper about Fran's age, or personal information. I had to learn that sometimes, things are just out of my control and I can only do the best that I could. This experience made me think about what would happen if I worked in media relations for an organization and how incredibly stressful it would be if the wrong information did come out in the papers even when you checked and checked with reporters.
Okay, back to the topic at hand. I generated news stories in all local media plus national coverage including all the mediums such as radio, tv and print media. I will never forget how excited I was when Macleans did a full feature story on my campaign. This was especially gratifying for me because I graduated from the Public Relations and Management Program from the University of Winnipeg in 2005. So, to use my skill set towards a cause like this was unbelievable. I also generated media coverage on Entertainment Tonight Canada and CBC Sunday News. If you can imagine, a producer called me from Toronto and said they would like to bring their crew out to interview me about the public relations efforts I did for the campaign. That was a high. CBC coming to my little apartment in River Heights. Yikes. Well they did come, we shot the footage in just a couple of takes. I remember saying to myself, I am born for this. I loved it. I will never forget when it aired on CBC. Wow, was that exciting but daunting all at the same time. I hate seeing myself on camera. This was up close and personal. I got through it though reminding myself that this wasn't about me, it was about Fran.
I will never forget cold calling Morley Walker. He is a tough nut to crack. Luckily, I had a bit of a connection at the Free Press tha panned out. My mom's old time friend is the aunt to Margo Goodhand, the editor of the Free Press. I cold emailed her a few times. Then, Morley Walker's email was in my inbox. I remember Morley saying, "I don't think she is going to get it kid, she isn't big enough." I had to go to the Free press building for a photo shoot. Well, when the paper came out, wow. It was a full page spread with a huge picture of me smiling proudly holding Fran's picture up. I wish I had known the photo was going to take up half the page!
I continued to promote the campaign to the bitter end. I cold called Hollywood in my pj's until late in the evening trying to break through to personal assistants. Well, my determination and passion paid off because I was able to secure letters of support for Fran's nominaiton from Jerry Seinfeld, David Lynch and Henry Winkler. Wowee!
I will never forget when Fran did get the star and how I found out about it. The CEO of the walk of fame called me at my apartment. Now, that was something. He said he had to find out who I was because the work I had done was getting a buzz. He told me Fran was going to be inducted for their 10th anniversary special. Plus, she would be the oldest person inducted. It was awesome. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I did it! I also won't forget having Morley Walker call me directly. He simply said, "Kid, you were right, you did it." Now, that was affirmation.
WIthout people like Morley Walker, or Jon Hendricks for example who is a wonderful person, campaigns like these would not have a voice. I am so thrilled that our efforts paid off.
On September 15 at around 7:15pm in Studio City, California with family at her bedside, Frances passed away at the age of 93. Now more than ever I am honoured and so thrilled I did what I did for her in 2008. It is really overwhelming though when you work as hard and tirelessly as I did over a year to make something like this happen. Now, as I digest that she is gone, I am overwhelmed with knowing how meaningful her star is and what it represents. I never thought I would have these types of emotions. They are difficult to manage.
To conclude, journalists and publicists need each other to share informaiton and tell the sotries of people changing the world and leaving their marks. What a fascinating relationship.
Thank you,
Anrea Zaslov
I want to touch on the topic of how journalism relates to publicity or raising awareness. I would like to share with you fist hand experiences and how I made this happen as well as what it felt like to create a news story and watch it grow. I will use an example that is very dear to me that really represents one of my major accomplishments. It is about the public relations campaign I created and executed to ensure Frances Bay, a famous actress from Dauphin Manitoba, receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008 for her 90th birthday.
My husband and I were out for dinner way back when in 2007 and were in a fight. We were sitting in the Boston Pizza lounge giving each other the silent treatment. My husband wrote something on a cocktail napkin to try to get my attention and get out of the dog house. On the cocktail napkin was the best idea that would change lives forever. I remember picking up the napkin to read it as my curiousity got the best of me. The message said, "Frances Bay for Canada's Walk of Fame." Well, my eyes lit up instantly and my husband and I started talking again. We fevereshly started hashing out this awesome idea that would turn out to be the most aggressive public relations campaign that the Walk of Fame office had ever seen.
Bay is my third cousin. She is known for her roles in Happy Gilmore as Sandler's grandma, the Marble Rye Lady in Seinfeld and Fonzie's grandma in Happy Days. She has been in three David Lynch movies and won a Gemini award for her work in Road To Avonlea. You perhaps won't recognize the name France Bay, but you would recognize her face. Fran was also known as the Girlfriend to the Canadian Forces and had her own radio show called Everybody's Program. I have letters going back to 1944 saying her voice kept soldiers alive during the war. Fran is a vital piece of Canadian heritage.
So, now that you have a bit of Bay's career history, let me share how important it was building relationships with the media to get the Frances Bay For Walk of Fame campaign off the ground. I couldn't have made this happen without the media. So, I first want to say thank you to all of the journalists that saw potential in my story and helped me make it newsworthy.
I must admit, I loved creating news. I found it so exciting, and it didn't feel like work. I do remember though scrounging for change in the bottom of my couch to pay for gas money to drive to the interviews at the television studios. Luckily, I made it there and back!
I think because I had so much passion for my subject that I was promoting, the process didn't feel like work and my determination mixed with my passion came through when I communicated the key messages to the public. I did remember though, when it came to providing factual information, I knew that I had to be very careful. A few times, I read wrong information in the paper about Fran's age, or personal information. I had to learn that sometimes, things are just out of my control and I can only do the best that I could. This experience made me think about what would happen if I worked in media relations for an organization and how incredibly stressful it would be if the wrong information did come out in the papers even when you checked and checked with reporters.
Okay, back to the topic at hand. I generated news stories in all local media plus national coverage including all the mediums such as radio, tv and print media. I will never forget how excited I was when Macleans did a full feature story on my campaign. This was especially gratifying for me because I graduated from the Public Relations and Management Program from the University of Winnipeg in 2005. So, to use my skill set towards a cause like this was unbelievable. I also generated media coverage on Entertainment Tonight Canada and CBC Sunday News. If you can imagine, a producer called me from Toronto and said they would like to bring their crew out to interview me about the public relations efforts I did for the campaign. That was a high. CBC coming to my little apartment in River Heights. Yikes. Well they did come, we shot the footage in just a couple of takes. I remember saying to myself, I am born for this. I loved it. I will never forget when it aired on CBC. Wow, was that exciting but daunting all at the same time. I hate seeing myself on camera. This was up close and personal. I got through it though reminding myself that this wasn't about me, it was about Fran.
I will never forget cold calling Morley Walker. He is a tough nut to crack. Luckily, I had a bit of a connection at the Free Press tha panned out. My mom's old time friend is the aunt to Margo Goodhand, the editor of the Free Press. I cold emailed her a few times. Then, Morley Walker's email was in my inbox. I remember Morley saying, "I don't think she is going to get it kid, she isn't big enough." I had to go to the Free press building for a photo shoot. Well, when the paper came out, wow. It was a full page spread with a huge picture of me smiling proudly holding Fran's picture up. I wish I had known the photo was going to take up half the page!
I continued to promote the campaign to the bitter end. I cold called Hollywood in my pj's until late in the evening trying to break through to personal assistants. Well, my determination and passion paid off because I was able to secure letters of support for Fran's nominaiton from Jerry Seinfeld, David Lynch and Henry Winkler. Wowee!
I will never forget when Fran did get the star and how I found out about it. The CEO of the walk of fame called me at my apartment. Now, that was something. He said he had to find out who I was because the work I had done was getting a buzz. He told me Fran was going to be inducted for their 10th anniversary special. Plus, she would be the oldest person inducted. It was awesome. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I did it! I also won't forget having Morley Walker call me directly. He simply said, "Kid, you were right, you did it." Now, that was affirmation.
WIthout people like Morley Walker, or Jon Hendricks for example who is a wonderful person, campaigns like these would not have a voice. I am so thrilled that our efforts paid off.
On September 15 at around 7:15pm in Studio City, California with family at her bedside, Frances passed away at the age of 93. Now more than ever I am honoured and so thrilled I did what I did for her in 2008. It is really overwhelming though when you work as hard and tirelessly as I did over a year to make something like this happen. Now, as I digest that she is gone, I am overwhelmed with knowing how meaningful her star is and what it represents. I never thought I would have these types of emotions. They are difficult to manage.
To conclude, journalists and publicists need each other to share informaiton and tell the sotries of people changing the world and leaving their marks. What a fascinating relationship.
Thank you,
Anrea Zaslov
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Writing Tips
Good afternoon my woderful followers. I hope you are doing well on this fantastic day of September 7, 2011. I saw frost on my car this morning but am happy that it will warm up this aftrnoon and be hot all week. I am not ready to put on my fall clothes yet. Are you?
With a new semester upon us, brings more blog entries. I have to blog once a week for my Journalism class. My last post invovled discussing the topic What Is Journalism? For this post, I thought to explore the world of writing for the news. I dont want to work in a newsroom but I thought it is still something I should be aware of if I am going to work in the exciting field of Journalism.
I came across a very informative article written by Peter Cole, a writer for an internet website called the www.guardian.cu.ca. Let me summarize Coles important points for you. He suggests that the first thing to do when writing news is stop and think and not start writing until you have a plan. He makes the point of saying it is really important to read through all your notes, marking the most important pieces of information and the quotes you want to use. The information you have gathered will not have entered your notebook in order of importance. You need to decide what is more important, what is less important, to establish a hierarchy of pieces of information. Cole indicates that this is where you must think about your audience. Not necessarily what interests you most, but what will interest them. It may not be the same thing, and this is where knowing, having a feeling for, understanding your audience is so important. As you stare at the blank screen try to imagine the reader.
I think this is so important. I have a background in public relations and graduated with a Diploma in Public Relations and Management from the University of Winnipeg. In every class our teachers emphasized the importance of knowing your audience. By the end of the course, I couldn't hear that expression any longer. However, from my work experience as a communicator in the non profit sector, knowing your audience only makes you a better communicator, a better fundraiser and a better manager as a whole. I get to know my audience by trying to put myself in their shoes at all times and asking open ended questions to promote two way communications with them. In my opinion, If you start with that remedy, you can't really go wrong.
Cole also suggests that you can start to know your audience by understading the intentions of the publication you write for. This to me makes total sense. If you write for a travel magazine, you make a few assumptions in that your audience will enjoy travelling, parhaps have a bit more disposable income to travel so may be more educated. Of course, assuming is risky but somtimes warranted to know your audience. Another hint Cole talks about in his article is The market sector in which the newspaper is located is also relevant to how you write.
These were the major points that I thought were very helpful and I will put these to use when writing in the future. I hope you found these tips as useful and helpful as I did.
Hae a fantastic Wednesday everyone!
Kindly,
Anrea Zaslov
With a new semester upon us, brings more blog entries. I have to blog once a week for my Journalism class. My last post invovled discussing the topic What Is Journalism? For this post, I thought to explore the world of writing for the news. I dont want to work in a newsroom but I thought it is still something I should be aware of if I am going to work in the exciting field of Journalism.
I came across a very informative article written by Peter Cole, a writer for an internet website called the www.guardian.cu.ca. Let me summarize Coles important points for you. He suggests that the first thing to do when writing news is stop and think and not start writing until you have a plan. He makes the point of saying it is really important to read through all your notes, marking the most important pieces of information and the quotes you want to use. The information you have gathered will not have entered your notebook in order of importance. You need to decide what is more important, what is less important, to establish a hierarchy of pieces of information. Cole indicates that this is where you must think about your audience. Not necessarily what interests you most, but what will interest them. It may not be the same thing, and this is where knowing, having a feeling for, understanding your audience is so important. As you stare at the blank screen try to imagine the reader.
I think this is so important. I have a background in public relations and graduated with a Diploma in Public Relations and Management from the University of Winnipeg. In every class our teachers emphasized the importance of knowing your audience. By the end of the course, I couldn't hear that expression any longer. However, from my work experience as a communicator in the non profit sector, knowing your audience only makes you a better communicator, a better fundraiser and a better manager as a whole. I get to know my audience by trying to put myself in their shoes at all times and asking open ended questions to promote two way communications with them. In my opinion, If you start with that remedy, you can't really go wrong.
Cole also suggests that you can start to know your audience by understading the intentions of the publication you write for. This to me makes total sense. If you write for a travel magazine, you make a few assumptions in that your audience will enjoy travelling, parhaps have a bit more disposable income to travel so may be more educated. Of course, assuming is risky but somtimes warranted to know your audience. Another hint Cole talks about in his article is The market sector in which the newspaper is located is also relevant to how you write.
These were the major points that I thought were very helpful and I will put these to use when writing in the future. I hope you found these tips as useful and helpful as I did.
Hae a fantastic Wednesday everyone!
Kindly,
Anrea Zaslov
Thursday, September 1, 2011
What Is Jourmalism?
What is Journalism?
This is the topic for my blog post this week. First of all, I wanted to say hello to my followers as I was off for the summer. I hope all of you enjoyed your summer. Now, I am back in school and my major is journalism.
It is fitting then that my instructor assigned us a blog topic such as what is journalism in our first week.I have given this question much thought. I had an idea to ask people of different ages what they felt Journalism was. I was very curious to hear what their answers would be and see how closely my answer matched. I wanted to make sure I also collected responses from people from different age groups because I wanted to see if the answer to what journalism means changed through the different generations. That is why I included people’s ages more so than their full names.
So, let’s take a look now at some of the responses I was able to collect.
1) “Journalism is reporting of major events or events of importance.” C.J. age 40
2) “Journalism means objective story telling; relating current events to a diverse audience while being able to include pertinent historical facts and information. Journalism needs to be clear, objective and fair. And offer all sides of a story.” Shelly, BW, 40’s
3) “Journalism is obtaining information then expressing that information in your own words however you perceive it.” Ryan, 15.
4)“Investigating things that are happening in the world and informing the public of said information, objectively" Pauline, 50’s.
5) “Journalism to me is the art of telling a story to the public in an unbiased way, using a variety of mediums.” Brad, 40’s.
6) "I think Journalism involves studying, researching and reporting events and incidents that take place on a day to day basis through all types of media, to reach a large audience.” Sevana, 17.
7) “Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience.” Michaela, 20’s.
8) "I just think of journalism as writing articles or documents." E.D, 41
9) "Journalism to me means the pursuit of information or truth through the written or spoken word." Eric, 20's
10) "Journalism is seeing the grey. There is always two sides and not clear cut." Aby mid 40's.
My definition
I think journalism is about telling stories in an objective manner. I think it involves knowing your audience and understanding what information would be important to them and gathering this information in an ethical and unbiased fashion. I think journalism involves gathering the facts and emotions of the people that make up the stories being told.
I think Journalism is an evolving profession that adjusts to the technologies available that best help journalists tell these stories visually and with the written word. Journalism is an information sharing business that is vulnerable to pressures of maintaining high ratings and generating profits. This can present challenging situations regarding journalistic ethics if not managed properly.
I firmly believe that the core of the journalism profession is to be objective, to find truths, to paint the entire picture of a story rather than having to sell newspapers. Perhaps I am naïve though in this area. Is it sales or storytelling, I guess I will find this out in the real world when I graduate from the Creative Communications program.
Merriam Webster Dictionary definition:
First of all, it says journalism is a noun.
Journalism is defined a few different ways:
1) a) Journalsim is the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media
1) b) Journalsim is the public press
1) c) Journalism is an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium
2) a) Journalism is writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine
2 b) Journalism is writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation
2) c) Journalism is writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest
Wikipedia's definition of journalism is:
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and business, journalism also covers cultural aspects of society such as arts and entertainment. The field includes editing, photojournalism, and documentary.
What do you think? Please feel free to post your opinion of what journalism is. Let's have a healthy discussion!
Thank you for reading today!
Anrea
This is the topic for my blog post this week. First of all, I wanted to say hello to my followers as I was off for the summer. I hope all of you enjoyed your summer. Now, I am back in school and my major is journalism.
It is fitting then that my instructor assigned us a blog topic such as what is journalism in our first week.I have given this question much thought. I had an idea to ask people of different ages what they felt Journalism was. I was very curious to hear what their answers would be and see how closely my answer matched. I wanted to make sure I also collected responses from people from different age groups because I wanted to see if the answer to what journalism means changed through the different generations. That is why I included people’s ages more so than their full names.
So, let’s take a look now at some of the responses I was able to collect.
1) “Journalism is reporting of major events or events of importance.” C.J. age 40
2) “Journalism means objective story telling; relating current events to a diverse audience while being able to include pertinent historical facts and information. Journalism needs to be clear, objective and fair. And offer all sides of a story.” Shelly, BW, 40’s
3) “Journalism is obtaining information then expressing that information in your own words however you perceive it.” Ryan, 15.
4)“Investigating things that are happening in the world and informing the public of said information, objectively" Pauline, 50’s.
5) “Journalism to me is the art of telling a story to the public in an unbiased way, using a variety of mediums.” Brad, 40’s.
6) "I think Journalism involves studying, researching and reporting events and incidents that take place on a day to day basis through all types of media, to reach a large audience.” Sevana, 17.
7) “Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience.” Michaela, 20’s.
8) "I just think of journalism as writing articles or documents." E.D, 41
9) "Journalism to me means the pursuit of information or truth through the written or spoken word." Eric, 20's
10) "Journalism is seeing the grey. There is always two sides and not clear cut." Aby mid 40's.
My definition
I think journalism is about telling stories in an objective manner. I think it involves knowing your audience and understanding what information would be important to them and gathering this information in an ethical and unbiased fashion. I think journalism involves gathering the facts and emotions of the people that make up the stories being told.
I think Journalism is an evolving profession that adjusts to the technologies available that best help journalists tell these stories visually and with the written word. Journalism is an information sharing business that is vulnerable to pressures of maintaining high ratings and generating profits. This can present challenging situations regarding journalistic ethics if not managed properly.
I firmly believe that the core of the journalism profession is to be objective, to find truths, to paint the entire picture of a story rather than having to sell newspapers. Perhaps I am naïve though in this area. Is it sales or storytelling, I guess I will find this out in the real world when I graduate from the Creative Communications program.
Merriam Webster Dictionary definition:
First of all, it says journalism is a noun.
Journalism is defined a few different ways:
1) a) Journalsim is the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media
1) b) Journalsim is the public press
1) c) Journalism is an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium
2) a) Journalism is writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine
2 b) Journalism is writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation
2) c) Journalism is writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest
Wikipedia's definition of journalism is:
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and business, journalism also covers cultural aspects of society such as arts and entertainment. The field includes editing, photojournalism, and documentary.
What do you think? Please feel free to post your opinion of what journalism is. Let's have a healthy discussion!
Thank you for reading today!
Anrea
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