Class of 2000 |
Jill MacPherson |
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The Graduates
Bonnie Allen
Larry Todd Jim McKenzie Roy Bonisteel Patricia Bell Wendy Tebb Lindsay Crysler Renee Pellerin |
Current LocationYukongoebbels_minion@hotmail.com (867) 667-7967
Posted on November 21, 2001 by Jill MacPhersonKristen, girl, I hear you... I have not found a comfortable/fulfilling work place since graduation, either. I just got canned from my job at the Yukon News for "not fitting in." Hmm...imagine that. Hee hee. The things I enjoyed so much in J-school - the encouraged creativity, the teamwork, the discussion and free flow of ideas - just don't seem to be found in "real life" journalism settings. My first job at CBC was a glorified secretarial position at a time when regional CBC was being hacked to bits and NO ONE was happy working there (except for maybe the managers). My job was to heap unreasonable duties on the soon-to-be obsolete and already overworked editors and camera dudes. So that was fun. My job at the supposedly open-minded Yukon News was to crank out advertising copy disguised as stories for the millions of tourism-based businesses in Whitehorse (and the owners usually just happened to be friends of the editor and reporters). If you aren't a yippie (yuppie hippie) with the same middle-of-the-road views, you aren't really taken seriously. The thing that I've found so startling post-graduation is that the scope of allowable ideas is so narrow. Even mildly experimental stories are frowned upon. And the job gets to be more about feeding the journalist's egos and beating the competition than serving the public. I find that as a group, journalists tend to be extremely navel-gazing and get out-of-touch with real people really easily. But I love all you kids, of course! Kiss kiss, hug hug. Anyhoo, I think the jounalism gig is definitely not for this chick...unless I can own my own paper in some tiny little town that needs some serious shaking up...
Posted on August 10, 2001 by Jill MacPhersonHey, journa-kiddies... Well, I finally have something notable to write in with. I'm pregnant! Just kidding. Anyway, I have just spent an entire summer being a complete bum in Regina, and it has been unbelievably fabulous for the most part. Unemployment is underrated, in my opinion. I HAVE been going a bit insane lately, however, because I've been staying with my two boy space friends and I am totally living the feminine mystique. I know the ailment which has no name that Ms. Friedan so eloquently spoke about.
My life: 7:00 a.m. Wake up and chat with Brendan before he heads off to
work. Act cheerful and fulfilled to give him strength for the long day of
work ahead of him in the blazing sun.
I actually really needed some mental health months after the Summit in Quebec City which was a very chaotic time. The things that I saw there and along the way and the people I met made me question pretty much everything I had ever been taught or had believed in the past and reevaluate. And that takes a while, let me tell you. But now I'm out of money and am forced to get a job. Hee hee. So I got a job at the Yukon News in Whitehorse. I'll be starting there after Labour Day which I'm really happy about. I'll also be living with my boyfriend which should be a steep learning curve as well since I'm used to living alone. Oh well. Adventures abound. Anyhoo, I'm happy everyone seems to have found a place post-uni. It's a wild ride, I tell you. Good luck to you all, and if you are ever in the Yukon, you have a place to stay any time.
Posted on April 12, 2001 by Jill MacPhersonHi journa-kidlets! I hope everyone is doing well. I just had to write in because I'm so proud of myself. I think I just won the prize for "Shortest Time Spent in a Post-Graduation Job by a Member of the Class of 2000." That's right. I quit my ever-so-prestigious job as a production assistant at CBC TV. Why you ask? Well, just because that's the kind of crazy-ass mofo that I am. Oh yeah...and regional CBC TV is dead and buried. It has become far too depressing. CBC TV no longer really exists. The show is crappy infotainment and is totally irrelvant to the people of Saskatchewan, I'm sorry to say. It's now just a stepping stone for people to work their way up the Mothercorp ladder. Everyone who actually cared about it has jumped ship because it's just too heartbreaking to see. The only people left are those who a) are staying because they have families and can't afford to quit or b) just want to put in their year in the sticks and then move on. My horrible, horrible producer (who refers to anyone from a rural area as hicks - with more than a little disgust in his voice) was brought in to run the show into the ground - mission accomplished - and already has his eye on a management job...Life is SUCH a meritocracy. Anyway, on an up note...I'm soon to get a mug full of pepper spray as I'm going to the FTAA protests in Quebec City. I strongly urge all of you guys to learn about this agreement...it's utterly terrifying. And I'm not exaggerating. I've been crazy busy organizing to go. There are about 20 of us in my group who are heading out on the 17th, and I've become a total media whore. Hee hee. I'm drunk with power!!! I was on the Susan Einerson show talking about it and saw Karen there. Things seem to be going well in CJME land. I was also on this crappy Cable Regina show hosted by none other than Gersh, and it's totally true what Jill Spelliscy said about her interviewing techniques. She doesn't ask questions. She just makes statements and expects you to respond. Sample "questions":
1. So, there's been a lot of controversy about the FTAA. Then after I've spent the better part of a half hour talking about what is in the agreement that Canadians should know about, she asks me, "So why are you going?" Uhhh....duh! And then her follow-up is, "So, is this the most Canadian thing you'll ever do?" What the **** does that even MEAN? My God... So I don't really have any major plans for the future or anything. I'm going to keep freelancing in the summer and help with the media concentration conference that will be happening at the J-school in the Fall...and other than that I don't have anything else going on. The excitement builds...
Posted on November 11, 2000 by Jill MacPhersonSo, yeah, you guys found me out. I am, indeed, employed at the Corp. I haven't written a status report because it has been a pretty disillusioning time... For those of you who might not know (because you've taken up residence in a bubble, or something) CBC TV here has been totally gutted. They have layed off an insane number of employees, and the ones left are pretty bitter about the whole thing. Everyone has to do about three different jobs now...and you can imagine that that isn't going over well. I'm working as a researcher...which basically means a gopher/glorified secretary. I only do about 2 hours of actual research a day, so I basically don't get a chance to use my brain much. At least four years of university aren't going to waste...oh wait...yes they are. Hee hee. But it's only a six-month contract, and at least it will be something for the old resume...I can finally take Cocktail Distributor off! I never thought I would see the day... Part of the problem is that I am so not proud of the show we're putting out. It's second rate, press release journalism...not of CBC calibre, in my humble opinion. They've hired all these new people, and strangely enough they're all from Ontario and have a not-so-hidden disdain for all things Saskatchewan. They're constantly pointing out that Ontario is a way better place to live and making snide comments about Saskatchewan and the people here...especially rural people. They believe all the stereotypes...and are totally ignorant about the issues here. They seem to think that Saskatchewanians are all ignorant, banjo-plucking inbreds. Is this really the type of people that we want controlling CBC Saskatchewan? (And aren't they just proving OUR stereotypical idea of an Ontarian?) Personally, I think we need people in the CBC who actually love this province and it's people and want to help. The people controlling it now seem to think that if you don't live in Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver, you don't count, and you can't expect a decent standard of living. I've really noticed the Lakeview perspective in this newsroom - everyone is middle to upper-middle class, has pretty houses in the east end, drives an SUV and thinks that poor air service is the biggest story to hit Saskatchewan in years. They seem to have no idea that most people don't have those lives. Most people don't jet off to Montreal or Vancouver every third weekend like they do. My producer is buying a new condo, and he's outraged by the property taxes here (which, by the way, are only middle of the road in comparison to other cities) so we've done like eight stories on people demanding lower taxes. But we've done zero stories on the fact that students/the poor can't even find decent low-income housing in the city. I realize property taxes are important, but we need some sort of balance, do we not? CBC TV is definitely no longer the voice of the voiceless. We're just like every other station now. Sad. And what the hell is up with TV egos??? I had no idea the state of TV journalism was this bad. Every day I have to hear name-dropping reporters bragging about the stories they've covered/the countries they've been to/the famous people they know, etc. No one listens to each other...it's just a bragging contest. If I have to hear one more story about someone's 30 second brush with his/her close personal friend Petey Mansbridge, I think I'm going to throw myself off Wascana Bridge...so I guess you can look for my floating corpse Monday night because it's inevitable. Anyhoo, in order to maintain my brain, I've been freelancing for the Prairie Dog, and I wrote a little story for Briarpatch mag that will be out next month. So I don't feel totally useless, which is a good thing. I'm glad to hear that everybody is doing well. What I want to know is what Lisa Unrau is doing. I heard her on Newsworld (I think) interviewing some politico, and I saw the back of her head in a S'toon scrum just recently. Does anyody know? Gotta go. Reginans - we should hang out some time. I know we never actually will considering we're all lazy bastards, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to. Take care, everyone. Read the responses to this posting
Posted on August 30, 2000 by Jill MacPhersonHi, J-school kidlets! I'm back from the Yukon and looking for one of those sweet entry-levelers we all know and love. I had an absolutely incredible time in the Yukon. I can't even express how beautiful it is up there, so I won't try. I was in Whitehorse for a week (which is such a fun and cool town), and then I went to work at the Bayshore which is a teeny lodge on the side of the Alaska Highway. I think the whole area around there is owned by the First Nations, and the closest settlement(Destruction Bay) had 27 people. The area around it is just complete wilderness...mountains and trees and lakes and wildlife and not a Gap or Hard Rock Cafe to be found. I met some amazing people there - friends for life. It's so amazing to see what happens to people without the all-pervasive media around constantly...TV, Internet, movies, etc. Everyone up there is so interesting...people can have real two-way conversations about real issues...they're so curious about the world and nature and how everything works...it's just a totally different lifestyle...it's centred around human interaction and nature and all that hippie crap rather than around the media and entertainment. Sorry to go all "Cumbaya" on your asses, but it was really incredible. Just being around the lake in the mountains with no one else around was enough to entertain me for hours on end...so peaceful yet mind-blowing. I spent the summer hiking, fishing, 4 X 4ing into the mountains, taking an endless number of pictures, and just meeting people. It was great. So now I'm back to semi-civilization (on the farm with Pen and Dave), and I'm looking for a job. So far, I've been completely snubbed by potential employers about eight times, I've had about seven interviews, I've been the "second choice" (is that what they always tell you?) five times, and I've turned one job down. (It was sweet-ass pay, but not really what I'm looking for). So that's my exciting life right now. I didn't write earlier because I didn't want to be shown up by every single member of the Class of 2000, but I guess it was inevitable. Hee hee. So now you guys know once and for all that I'm a big fat loser. :) Anyhoo, congrats to all you guys...I hope you are all happy and well on your way toward a life you've always dreamed of. (or ...of which you have always dreamed). Remember...if you can see it, you can be it. I'm so damned motivational.
Posted on May 4, 2000 by Jill MacPhersonI'm leaving for the Yukon on May 4. The bus ride is 44 hours long, so I should get some reading in. (Or I'll go insane. I'm not sure which yet). Then I'm going to camp outside Whitehorse for a week with my friend Rosie, and then I'm going to wait tables at the Bayshore Lodge two hours outside of Whitehorse along the Alaska Highway. (It's near the town Destruction Bay). It's right in the mountains along the edge of Kluane National Park, and it faces a beautiful but freezing cold lake. O-o-o-h-h pretty!! It's going to be fun, fun times. You can go hiking and mountain biking in the park, and you can take rafting trips along the river for a few days. You know, all that outdoorsy crap. You can also fly over the mountains and ice fields in a helicopter, but I think that might be a teensy bit out of my price range. I'm going to be living in the "hostel" (AKA a bunch of tents on the beach) with the rest of the people who can't afford a real room. I'll be there until mid-September, and then I'm either going to get another serving job in Lake Louise or I'm going to get a real job and become a Jetta-driving, cell phone-using, condo-dwelling yuppie. Hee hee. Just kidding. |