Journalism Is Discovering The People Behind The Story
The Saturday Huddle is a weekly column that features opinion, analysis, and reflections on Huddle stories, podcasts, and business news in the region. Jessica Saulnier is Huddle’s intern, based in Fredericton. Friday was the last day of her summer internship but she will return to work for Huddle this fall.
Working for Huddle is about more than just covering the newest coffee shop opening.
Over the last four months, I got to uncover the stories of the people behind those opening signs and how their lives led them to that point.
As a journalism student finishing my fourth year, it’s hard to know where I want to take my writing and how I want to use it. Since I’ve grown up and attended university in my home province, I’m pretty familiar with the happenings of the city like Fredericton. So, it’s safe to say, nothing was sparking excitement anymore.
Until I started writing stories for Huddle.
There is a whole world out there of business owners who we don’t know because we don’t think about them much beyond their business. I thought interviews were just for getting the details about their new endeavour, but this summer I’ve learned to search for more than just that. Once a source tells me a fascinating part of their personal life and what idea sparked their decision to pursue their dream, I know I’ve struck gold.
I’ve always wondered how people got these incredible angles to their stories. How was I supposed to find these people if they weren’t posting about themselves? This summer, I learned that these stories often come from simple questions like “tell me a bit about yourself to start off.”
Two of my stories this week gave me wonderful opportunities to uncover the personal stories within business stories.
One was an interview about a new restaurant in Fredericton. I knew Cafe Riverside created a different menu weekly and thought it was a good angle. But interviewing the restaurant’s co-owner revealed so much more. I realized that Cafe Riverside is not just a restaurant, it’s a place where the owner, Rohit Pinto, can now work as a chef after spending his career in engineering and management.
I didn’t know that going into the interview. I also didn’t know Pinto was on MasterChef in his home country, an experience that made him realize he could cook as a career.
RELATED: From Engineering To MasterChef India: The Chef Behind Fredericton’s Newest Restaurant
Another story this week looked from the outside like a simple story about two local people who started a coffee company during the pandemic with all their spare time.
But from the inside, I learned Laura Richard and Brad Rideout started Saltwinds Coffee based on the history of how coffee first arrived in Canada on wooden ships and tasted better because of the infusion of the fresh, sea air. Their line of flavoured coffees, like banana, pineapple, and orange, are inspired by how coffee beans were placed near other tropical fruit on these wooden ships and took in the flavour.
More than that, the last few weeks have given me the chance to write stories about women in leadership. As the only woman reporter working for Huddle right now, it was an honour to be invited onboard The Maiden Factor when it docked in Saint John last week.
Over two weeks of covering The Maiden, I wrote about a beer collaboration honouring all women who sail in Saint John and surrounding areas. I also got to meet The Maiden’s skipper — who is from Papua New Guinea — before even stepping aboard the racing yacht.
Huddle focuses on local stories, so I highlighted how Saint John native Johanne McInnis spent most of her life being a mentor to others — and how helping bring The Maiden to the city was part of that. Mentoring is McInnis’ commitment to the next generation and it’s like a baton – she wants people to take the knowledge she’s learned and pass it on.
When I got the chance to board the racing yacht and sail into the thick layer of Saint John fog last Thursday afternoon, I was searching for a story about one of the all-women crew members that operate the boat. When I went down to look at the inside of the yacht, one of those crew members came down and gave a tour.
I was shocked to learn that Marie Ostrand had only been sailing full-time for two years before joining this three-year voyage. She grew up wanting to sail but never had an easy way into the sport. Her sailing experience started when she moved to Rhode Island and just started handing out resumes along docks and asking people to take her sailing so she could learn.
RELATED: Inside The Life Of A Crew Member Onboard The Maiden
Everyone can have an incredible story to tell as long as you’re willing to listen and know the right questions to ask.
More on women empowerment: in the last couple of weeks I wrote a story about the women-operated smoothie, salad, and juice bar that had a highly anticipated opening, as well as a Ph.D. student’s short film that aimed to inspire women to let go of stereotypes and chase their dreams.
These are only a couple of examples. But this summer has introduced me to all kinds of incredible people around New Brunswick. Most, or probably all, of them I would not have met if I didn’t get the opportunity to work with Huddle.
Not only is it exciting getting to meet these people, it’s also rewarding seeing the reactions they receive once their story is published. People in New Brunswick are looking to hear the stories of the local people they buy coffee from, which is what Huddle does.
Writing business stories from my home province opened my eyes to a whole other world of reporting. It reminded me that I went into journalism to talk to people and discover their stories, even if they might not think they are story-worthy. That’s my job as a storyteller.