Sagittarius
Saturday found me weepy at the bank, so I met a friend for coffee to try and talk it through. Turns out I cannot put my finger on what I am feeling - what is causing this prolonged state of weeping. It's a state that lasted through Saturday night as a girlfriend tried to cheer me up with a movie and junk food.
Needless to say, I was thankful for the fact it was a brilliantly sunny Sunday and I got to hide behind my sunglasses. Me and little man made our way through "Canada's poorest postal code” to the foot of Main Street, walked over the overpass and down to Crab Park where a memorial for Pickton's alleged victims and all the missing women was going to happen.
I just wanted to see my street mother Mama Rosa, fall into her once again and see if perhaps I could shake this deep melancholy.
We got there and my son was all over the playground while some of the victims' families started arriving, attaching some balloons to a bench near the memorial for the missing women. A cousin of one of the women who was near me under her breath said, ”Here is the circus.” I looked up and there was the media.
Now, my feelings for the media are mixed; what they do is a hard job, let me say that right off the top. Putting out a story daily is a hard job and I am not at all being facetious; I am awed by their ability to do it.
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Re: Finding Myself At The Missing Women's Memorial
By Heather Wallace, November 26, 2007 at 15:43Hi Trisha - I have to say, although I am officially a journalist with my feet firmly planted in "media," I can really relate to the internal conflict you talk about in your stories - (am I a citizen, or am I a reporter?). I actually identify as a writer and storyteller by passion, and a journalist by profession.
The reason Orato.com fits me so well is because it lets me be a writer and storyteller first...it lets me get to the personal side of the story. Even I am not a "real" reporter, since I am breaking the objectivity rule on a daily basis.
I have gone to the Pickton trial a few times since it began and have missed more than one opportunity to be a "good journalist" by approaching families of the victims. I haven't wanted them to think I'm just after their sound byte. I have wanted to talk to them and explain that I want to help them tell their story - completely in their words...But since that's not the norm in media, I'm not sure they would understand what I wanted.
Last Friday I was at the courthouse and I saw Britney Frey and Jeanie DeVries - daughters of victims Marnie Frey and Sarah DeVries. What a powerful story they have to tell, I thought. I would love to hear what they're thinking and feeling...what they've gone through in their young lives...how they honor the memories of their mothers.
Because they have such a powerful story to tell, I swallowed my fear of appearing exploitive and just asked Britney straight up: "Are you Britney Frey? Do you write? Would you like to write something about your mom for Orato?"
She was so sweet, and she said that she would like to...but then she had to ask the adults who accompanied her, and they agreed she'd need to get permission.
I do think there's a way to tell the story in a way that doesn't exploit. Never doubt that you are changing media from within. Sure, some things should never change, and there's absolutely a place for mainstream objectivity. But mainstream media will be more sensitized thanks to people like you...and sensitivity is never a bad thing.
Heather
senior editor
Orato.com