2012 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
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| Media outlet where first aired or published: | Telegraph Journal |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: The Jim MacNeill New Journalist Award EI: A regional reality, published Saturday, June 2, 2012, page A1. Grand Manan fishery office blockaded, published Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, page A1. Honouring the invisible letter, published Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012, page C3 Carolyn Thompson is a reporter from Ottawa Ontario, who started at the Telegraph-Journal in April 2012, immediately after graduation from her master’s degree. Prior to becoming a journalist, Carolyn completed an undergraduate degree in languages and was working in a full time job as a financial administrator at a nuclear engineering consulting company based in Ottawa. However, she was determined to find a career more suited to her interest in social issues, language, culture and politics. In September 2009, Carolyn took a month off work and flew to Cape Town, South Africa, where she interned at a daily newspaper, reporting on domestic violence, adoption, and crime. When she returned she began taking writing and photography courses, and shooting freelance assignments. The following year, she began a master’s degree in journalism at Carleton University. During her studies, Carolyn interned at the Ottawa Citizen, where she freelanced for a year, and at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where she did some casual work. She is also bilingual and has knowledge of six additional languages, and has travelled extensively. Much of her reporting interests and aspirations include feature stories, investigative work, data reporting, and stories based on access to information requests. EI: A regional reality The story EI: A regional reality came about after the proposed changes to the employment insurance program were announced on a Thursday and were followed by concerns voiced by New Brunswick fishermen’s associations and the New Brunswick premier David Alward. On Saturday, Carolyn drove about five hours north to the small town of Caraquet to allow the paper to localize the story. Carolyn faced several challenges during the reporting of the story. All interviews but one had to be conducted in Acadian French, and translating the sense of certain slang and phrases took time and careful precision to ensure the meaning of the words spoken was clear. As well, the hours of seasonal fishermen are long and irregular, requiring her to be out on the docks around 5 or 6 a.m. speaking with workers until late evening when some boats were returning from sea. Grand Manan fishery office blockaded Carolyn had been scheduled to work a late shift on Wednesday, Nov. 14, to cover an education council meeting being held in St. George. She was called in around 9 or 10 a.m. and asked to drive to Grand Manan island first, in order to cover breaking news that lobster fishermen had barricaded the Fisheries and Oceans building. Carolyn was one of few reporters able to shoot photos in addition to reporting, which was part of the reason she was selected for the assignment. Carolyn rented a car and drove to Grand Manan, catching the ferry within about five minutes of it departing. Once on the island, she quickly found the barricade, and spent several hours speaking with lobster fishermen about the developments. She was the only reporter at the scene when the head of the fishermen’s association arrived to inform the group that they would be meeting with the minister via conference call, and to witness the protesters dismantle part of the blockade, allowing workers into the building as a goodwill gesture. She shot a photo that appeared on the front page and also was able to get confirmation of the meeting from government officials after hours. She filed the story from the rental car and the ferry terminal, submitting several photos and a web version of the story. Honouring the invisible letter Carolyn heard of a national event called the Transgender Day of Remembrance through a Google Alert she set up to find story ideas. Through sources with Saint John’s gay community, she learned that there would be a march to the city’s main square and a vigil held – for the first time in Saint John. The event was after her working hours, but she was convinced it was a story that needed to be told, and she wanted to be the one to tell it. She worked a longer shift to do so. The story was challenging – the topic is one that had rarely been covered in the newspaper, and the matter is very personal and sensitive. Carolyn met with the participants ahead of the event, and spent time cultivating the relationship and earning trust from two key sources who were transgendered and had little experience with the media. The story was constrained by time, since the event occurred in the evening and deadlines were tight. The writing required precision to ensure that the opinions and identities of the sources were portrayed accurately, including selection of pronouns. |
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