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This article was published 07/04/2017 (3252 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Smoking out the stories that matter

A year from now, after the memories of Canada 150 festivities have faded, July 1, 2018 should provide the kind of celebrations never before legally possible in the country.

As part of the Trudeau government’s promise to make good on its campaign promise to legalize marijuana, legislation now before Parliament is expected to be proclaimed in time to make the next Canada Day the first Cannabis Day, as well.

Whether you applaud Ottawa’s move or worry the country is going to pot, Canada is about to undergo a seismic shift that will not only impact our laws, but also our culture and economy. There will be questions. There will be concerns. There will be opportunities. And there will be a need for a credible source of information to chart this transformation.

And that’s where the Free Press has a role to play, as we document the road to legalization and beyond, touching on everything from Reefer Madness to legal lifestyle option in a solid journalistic way consistent with our brand.

Last month, we created a bit of a buzz on Twitter when we posted for a new reporter to cover what we believe will be the first full-time cannabis beat in the country. My favourite response to that tweet came with the hashtag “stonerresumehaiku” as part of this social media pitch: Me write words good dude/Smoke blunts lots eat edibles every day/ Give me job i’m bored

Aside from that haiku, we attracted resumés from journalists across the country and even the United States, although none of them included a cover letter that began with “Duuuuuude!!” What drew them to the posting was an opportunity to not only work at the Free Press, but also the chance to break ground on a beat as Canada makes history, for better or worse.

Once the smoke cleared from our interview process, Solomon Israel emerged as our choice for the cannabis beat. Sol has been working at CBC’s business news desk in Toronto, where he tried to carve out a niche reporting on marijuana by way of a number of stories and segments, in addition to hosting a radio special on the drug, Hashing it Out.

The masters of journalism graduate from Carleton University will join our newsroom later this summer and will also help us launch The Rolling Paper, a new online vertical for winnipegfreepress.com that we hope will draw readers to our journalistic take on toking from far and wide.

While Sol’s byline is yet to come, a new name you may have noticed in recent weeks is that of our new parliamentary bureau chief. Dylan Robertson joined the Free Press earlier this month and brings a wide range of experience covering politics with a resumé that includes the Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Metro News and Postmedia, where he was a Michelle Lang fellow.

Dylan’s hiring not only continues the proud Free Press tradition of being the only Manitoba media outlet covering federal politics in Ottawa, but also ensures we are one of the few newspapers in this country that still maintains a bureau on Parliament Hill.

Also on the byline front, there are also four young reporters and a photographer who have joined us as part of our annual paid summer internships program:

• Ben Waldman, originally from Winnipeg, comes to us from Ryerson University in Toronto.
• Stefanie Lasuik just graduated from Red River’s creative communications program with a major in journalism.
• Ryan Thorpe, originally from Brandon, joins us via Niagara College.
• Justin Samanski-Langillle is our Jon Thordarson Memorial Photo Intern and joins us as a recent grad from Carleton University’s school of journalism.
• Taylor Allen, also from Red River, is our Vince Leah Memorial Sports Intern.

 

As a former intern who got my start at the Free Press in June 1988, I am delighted the support from Insiders like you helps us continue the tradition of letting the next generation of journalists learn the ropes in our newsroom.

Have a great Canada Day long weekend.

-Paul Samyn
paul.samyn@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @paulsamyn

 

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A Free Press Q&A: Why Canadians should pay

Freedom of the press is fundamental in Canada. But that doesn’t mean the journalism at the heart of that freedom is free. In fact, the cost of employing career journalists with the experience and expertise to search for truth under attack from fake news is anything but free.

If you’ve been reading the headlines in your Free Press in recent months, you know there is a national discussion now underway about the value of the journalism newspapers provide to communities from coast to coast and the role Ottawa might play in ensuring newsrooms have the funding necessary to keep feet on the street doing the reporting Canadians deserve.

With the country’s newspapers making a pitch for $350 million in federal support, you have the right to ask what this means to your Free Press and get answers from our publisher.

Editor Paul Samyn will put your questions to Free Press publisher and News Media Canada board chair Box Cox in an interview we’ll be livestreaming to our website from the Free Press News Café (237 McDermot Ave.) on Wednesday, July 5 at 11:30 a.m.

If you’d like to join us at this free special event, Bob will pick up the tab for your coffee.

Please send your questions to paul.samyn@freepress.mb.ca.

 

 

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Free Press photographer has sixth sense on the sidelines

Phil Hossack can see the future.

As he paces the sidelines at Investors Group Field, the veteran Free Press photographer sees the Bombers quarterback tighten up (he’s about to get sacked); he sees a linebacker stick out his tongue (he’s about to do some sacking); he learns the motions, understands the sequences and predicts what’s going to happen next.

It took Hossack, who’s been shooting the Blue Bombers for more than 30 years, a few seasons to be able to capably anticipate players’ movements.

He never played the game growing up, so he wasn’t familiar with the action on the field. In the early 1980s, Hossack shadowed Ken Gigliotti, a Free Press photographer with a wealth of experience and tips on how to shoot football games and come away with standout photographs.

Once Gigliotti was on the sidelines, he was locked in, staring through the viewfinder and tracking the play. He had a preternatural ability to know where to look, a vital skill before cameras went digital. Limited by the finite nature of film, Gigliotti managed to capture great images of diving catches and acrobatic tackles. It was as though he saw things a split-second before they occurred.

He let Hossack in on his secret: “Watch the receivers’ eyes.”

Now 62, Hossack hasn’t forgotten that advice as the Bombers begin the 2017 CFL season. Anticipation is the key when Hossack is shooting.

“I like to say ‘I don’t run as fast as I used to, but I run smarter,’” he says

Hossack’s preparation begins long before the opening kickoff. He reads up on lineup changes, familiarizes himself with potential storylines and chats with Free Press writers covering the game.

It’s how he gets “in the zone.”

“I like to get there early and put my game face on,” Hossack says. “Just like the players, I have to psych myself up.”

Dealing with orchestrated randomness

Hossack regularly lugs more than 20 kilograms of equipment to each game. He packs two cameras, two or three lenses, a laptop, cables and cords, memory cards, batteries and extra clothes in case the weather changes.

When he started shooting football in the days of film photography, Hossack would have to be done before the first half was over and rush back to the office photo lab to develop the images in time for deadline.

Now, he takes between 200 and 300 photos in each half, marking and editing the best as he goes. He transmits about a dozen by halftime, and does the same thing in the second half.

“I really don’t see the game at all the way an average person or fan at home does, I’m imagining photographs.”–Phil Hossack

To capture the images, Hossack needs to be agile. He races down the sideline as the drive progresses, watching the players carefully to guess what will happen next. Sometimes, he stands in the end zone. But changing locations too often means he risks missing a prime photo opportunity.

“The game can switch quite a bit,” he says. “You can find yourself caught on the wrong end of the field easily.”

Working as a photographer in the CFL is not without its perils: enormous, powerful men make it their mission to push opponents out of bounds, often right into cameras (and the people holding them) on the sidelines.

Though colleagues have been run over, Hossack has always managed to stay on his feet, owing to a combination of luck and peripheral awareness. Like his sports photography mentors, he’s always on the move and imagining every possible outcome.

“I really don’t see the game at all the way an average person or fan at home does,” he says. “I’m imagining photographs.”

Football consists of a type of orchestrated randomness. If a quarterback calls one play in the huddle, he may call an audible at the line and change the entire sequence of events. Trick plays, fumbles and interceptions are always a possibility.

No matter what Hossack expects, it can — and frequently does — change in the blink of an eye, creating a new opportunity to snap a stunning image.

Despite all of the uncertainty on the field, one thing Hossack can take to the bank is that at least one of his photos will grace the front page of the Free Press or its Sports section — or both — the day after a Bombers home game. He also knows that before the presses roll to print the newspaper, one or more of his shots will be posted online at winnipegfreepress.com.

It’s a lot of pressure, but Hossack loves every minute.

“I’m here because I want to be here,” he says. “I’m working a deadline, and that’s thrilling.”

-Ben Waldman

 

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Finding answers to your questions

Our first Insiders Edition asked our readers for direction on what stories our newsroom should pursue.

We want to thank everyone for their input and to announce that the feedback has led to a new feature we are calling The UnGoogleable Winnipeg.

In short, so many of you wanted us to find answers to your questions about our city. And since those answers can’t be found on Google, we will be your search engine.

You can send you specific questions to mysearchengine@freepress.mb.ca, and you can read the answers to the unGoogleable questions we have already answered on our website.

 

 

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O Canada, eh?

Canada gets to celebrate its sesquicentennial birthday just once, and the Free Press has put together a patriotic package big enough for 150 candles.

From award-winning writer Randy Turner’s long read on Manitoba’s earliest celebrations, to the 150 quintessential Canadian songs, to an exclusive poll on the national pride of Manitobans, there is a lot for glowing hearts to see thee rise and enjoy.

As well, there will be ongoing coverage of this historic long weekend here on winnipegfreepress.com

 

 

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Farewell to our Class of 2017

The students we first introduced to you in kindergarten 13 years ago now have their diplomas from Glenlawn Collegiate.

Doug Speirs and Ruth Bonneville wrap up our ambitious Class of 2017 project in our 49.8 cover story on July 8.

Thanks to the students and their families who allowed us to follow them along the way. And congratulations to all of this year’s graduates!