The day this is published in print will be exactly one year after my first day as a journalist with The Quesnel Observer. May 21, 2024, I walked into the Black Press head office in Surrey for the first time.
I spent a few weeks there doing training and working remotely before making the move to Quesnel (I'm sure I'll reflect on my one-year anniversary of being in Quesnel soon).
I never wanted to be a journalist, had no interest in it at all, didn't even consider it when I started university. I was initially taking criminology but it turned out I hated that so I went shopping for a new major. I tried political science, where I felt like I knew more than most folks in my class, I tried English but flowery writing isn't for me, I tried philosophy but it was just...odd.
I took an intro to journalism class with Bev Wake, who was one of the top sports reporters in the country. I loved it. She was awesome, the class was great, I did really well. So I took more journalism classes, I had classes mainly with Bev, Chad Skelton a data journalist who always has a quip ready for anyone who complains about anything and Tracy Sherlock whose true passion is to see her students succeed. I liked journalism, but those three made me love it.
While in university I wrote for the student paper and eventually was hired to be the photo editor. I always cringe a bit when people say, or imply, student papers aren't real journalism, they absolutely are. Mine had a team of 10 staff and dozens of contributing writers with 20,000 potential readers over three cities and five campuses. The skills I learned from that paper were absolutely essential to me being able to be a reporter and any time I talk to journalism students I tell them to write for the paper, even if it's only once or twice.
For folks who don't know, The Observer is a one-person newsroom. We of course have other staff in the office but I'm the only reporter in town for the paper. That's part of why I wanted to come to Quesnel, it means that I get to cover the things that challenge me and I have definitely done that.
But I've also covered stories that are a bit less big and challenging but about things folks still care. I like to tell people I cover everything from council, to court, to literal dumpster fires.
I've had the chance to do things I'd never do and talk to folks I'd never talk to if I wasn't a reporter and I think that's just about the coolest. Just after I got to Quesnel, I had to contend with the Antler Creek Fire, where I worked on daily updates on what was going on, how far the fire was from Wells and Barkerville and the effects of it afterwards. I covered the Rush and the Roos, learning about hockey, I took photos throughout Billy Barker Days, which was tons of fun, and I've written all the stories people trusted me to share.
This job has given me the chance to take tons of photos. Literally thousands upon thousands. Most of them, not great, but I practice an "accuracy by volume" approach meaning if I take enough photos eventually one will work. My favourite stories are the ones where I have the chance to take a boat load of photos.
I also have a bit of an unorthodox technique of interviewing people for stories. I don't write down questions. At all. Ever. I found pretty early on that when I do have a list of questions ready to go I am always thinking about the next question and not actively listening to what people are telling me. So despite the awkward moments where I tell people "I'm just trying to think if there's anything I need to ask you," I always get a better story by actively listening to people and asking them what I'm curious about.
As always, if you have any story ideas or suggestions, don't hesitate to shoot an email to austin.kelly@quesnelobserver.com. One of the things I know best is I don't know what I don't know so if there's a problem you think needs to be looked into, a person or organization who does something exceptional and deserve a bit of a spotlight, an event that should be covered or anything else that should be in the paper, let me know and I'll do my best to cover it.
