Two of our staff are experiencing journalism in unfamiliar settings for a couple of weeks. Karen Briere, our Regina correspondent, is working in Ottawa with Barry Wilson. Although she is familiar with covering provincial politics, this opportunity will help her gain new contacts and learn the ropes on covering national politics.
She will learn more about committee meetings, background sources, off the record interviews and how to anticipate and cover agricultural policy changes on a national level. Briere will also learn about the power of lobbyists, as Wilson’s column highlights this week.
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Meanwhile, our Farm Living editor Diane Rogers is practising her French as she spends two weeks in Quebec.
Rogers is at La Terre de Chez Nous, an agricultural paper in Montreal, as part of an exchange arranged between that paper and the Producer. In return, someone from that paper will work out of our office within the next few months.
The exchange presents an opportunity for journalists from Saskatchewan and Quebec to experience a different reporting environment. While agricultural practices, animals and crops might be similar, there are different attitudes, challenges and government programs affecting farmers in different areas of Canada.
Rogers will learn about the similarities and the differences as she covers various stories from Quebec. The first of her articles should be in next week’s paper.
Hopefully, the visitor from La Terre de Chez Nous will gain insights into Western Canadian agriculture to share with Quebec readers. We are especially grateful to our Quebec counterparts for all the help they have provided to Rogers. That includes a place to work in the office, helping establish contacts and setting up interviews and, most importantly, translation services. Merci beaucoup.
