My Hand was on the National

(I was going to called this entry "I scrummed the Prime Minister" but that sounds really disgusting.)

I really did see my hand on the National, though. And also on ATV.

Continuing on from my previous entry, Simone gathered up the three little boys, Timothy gathered up his camera and I gathered up my recording gear and we set off to join the media conference with the Prime Minister at the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. Simone, Ben, Max and Sammy weren't going to be at the press conference but Simone was determined to have her little boys' picture taken with the PM. She stayed at the gate (and did manage to get her picture), and Tim and I went inside to where the media were gathered.

I haven't done much newswork in the past. I have only been in a couple of scrums, and this particular event reinforced my idea that scrums are one of the biggest wastes of time that modern media has invented. First of all, everything is all staged. Picture 15 cameras and 30 people with tape recorders and notebooks all milling around jockeying for the best position in the pack. Frequently bitching at each other "you're blocking my shot". Simone, who was watching from afar, even saw a major network reporter shove a young reporter out of the way because she was where he thought he had the right to be. Because he was with CTV, ya know.

So, enter the PM through the rose arbour, being escorted by the director of the Gardens. This location had been prearranged by the PM's media handler as Station #1. Couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying but it looked like they were talking about the roses.

Photo-op at Station #1 over, we were then herded to Station #2 to set up before the arrival of the PM who was looking at more flowers. Imagine the pack of us, many with heavy cameras on their shoulders, running to the next station, leaping over rose bushes on the way. Why we had to run, I don't know. It's not like there was anything urgent happening. The PM wasn't going anywhere quickly and neither were the flowers. And really, how often does anything urgent ever happen in Canada anyway?

Then on from Station #2 to Station #3. Station #3 was where we were allowed to ask questions. I was doing audio. Which meant I was holding the microphone, getting as close to the PM as I could, kneeling down on the ground so my head wasn't in the camera shot. There is something very strange about being on one's knees two feet in front of the Prime Minister staring up at him from below thrusting out a raised microphone. It felt like I was begging. For good clip.

On to the questions. Of course, nobody thought to ask about the reason why the PM was there, except for Timothy because his piece was about the 400th anniversary celebrations. The other reporters asked about a) why Ottawa wasn't going to give New Brunswick money to refit its nuclear reactor b) the latest US decision on mad cow c) some illworded remarks by the Chief of Defence and d) (couldn't believe this one) .. when are you going to call a by-election to replace the MP whose funeral the PM was going to be the next day. The PM, to his credit, said something to the effect of hey look, can we bury the guy first? Of course, he phrased it more elegantly than that but it was obvious he thought the question was in very bad taste.

Sigh ... why is it acceptable for media people to have such bad manners??

Reinforces my idea that I just don't want to do big media anymore. Except once in a while for a bit of ironic fun. Instead, I will continue to soldier on in the trenches, asking questions that are not always well received. And keep on working to build upon my belief that the media can be a place for respectful dialogue and which doesn't treat people like the "product" to be used to create the commodity -- "the story".