If you voted as part of the #CanadianTVBracket or ever read a breakdown of the best Canadian Heritage Minutes, you probably know of Justin McElroy. A part-time Twitter celebrity and full-time Vancouver-based municipal affairs reporter with CBC, Justin took the time to share with us why he believes journalism still matters, why nature storytelling can succeed and why municipal politics can be the force that unites us all.
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Journalism has changed a lot in your short lifetime. Does it still matter? Can good storytelling still resonate?
Absolutely, journalism still matters. It does every day, in every city and every country. The organizations doing the journalism have changed, the stability for professionals has changed a lot, and the form in which good stories are told has changed significantly. That’s caused plenty of disruption in the industry, but people still rely on journalists to tell them what’s going on in their communities.
Media outlets like Buzzfeed are increasingly an important source of news for younger audiences. Is that a problem? Or is it only seen to be a problem because it shifts the traditional approach to news coverage?
What we think of as a “traditional approach” is different than it was 20 years ago, which was different than it was 60 years ago, which is different from … you get the picture. The best traditional news organizations are taking the smartest things that places like Buzzfeed are doing, and adapting it. That’s good for everyone!
You bring whimsy, satire and snark to your reporting. You’ve built quite the following as a result. And you’ve done it within mainstream media. Do you think you have a different approach to journalism and what can a student learn from your approach?
It’s important to respect a reader’s intelligence. It’s important to try and bring something new to someone’s understanding of a story. And it’s important to show people that you’ve done the hard work in understanding a story and treating the people involved in it fairly. Other than that, working hard and writing about things one is passionate about is a pretty universal way to build a following, wherever you work.
Nature stories rarely seem to connect – or, at least, don’t frequently connect with audiences who aren’t already ‘believers’. Why do you think that is?
People often need to feel a direct connection to a story to really care, and that can be hard with “nature stories” if it’s about a place they’re not from, or doesn’t involve other people, or involves a lot of complex science they don’t understand at first blush. But it’s our job as journalists to bring those places to life, to find people who’s lives have been changed, and to use clear language to ensure people understand the issue.
To the high school student who wants to tell more relevant, more fun, more interesting environmental stories, what do they need to do?
Make sure you know enough about an environmental issue so you can talk about it to anyone in a way they’ll understand. Reach out to journalists you admire and ask them for advice and feedback. And find ways to start telling stories while in high school — whether it’s on social media, a blog, or anywhere else you can.
As an example, you’ve made municipal politics more interesting for many people. Firstly, why does municipal politics matter and why does it interest you?
Municipal politics matters because it has the most impact on people’s day to day lives. It’s about what happens with the land and buildings around them, how people get around, what sort of opportunities are available for people in their communities. It’s also where the people making the decisions (mayors and councillors) are usually doing the job on a part-time basis, aren’t professional politicians, and have to listen to members of the public every month at council meetings, not just at election time.
Having travelled to different corners of BC to cover local governance, what surprised you the most? Are we more connected than we think? More divided?
The biggest thing that struck me was how similar the concerns were. Every community has a unique backstory and culture that often makes people believe the challenges they are facing are incredibly unique. But it always boils down to the same issues: how to keep the town affordable, how to ensure there are enough jobs, how to protect the most vulnerable people, and how to balance growth with keeping the same culture that enticed people to the community in the first place.
As people – and students especially – grow increasingly distrustful and disheartened by the political process, can municipal politics offer hope for a better understanding of how our democracy works and, potentially, a way to re-imagine how we engage in political issues?
The temperature is often lowered in local politics, for a lot of reasons: there are rarely political parties. More people personally know the elected officials. Ordinary people can have a more direct say in what goes on. And because you’re dealing with things in your backyard, it can be easier to see change directly happen, which makes people less cynical.
We know that the environment can divide nationally and provincially. From what you’ve seen, can nature unite at a local level and is that, maybe, where meaningful solutions need to start? Or do local solutions, often imbedded in regionalism, lack the type of context needed to lead toward big change?
You can’t run until you learn how to walk. And you can’t effectively advocate for big changes around the world until you’ve learned to do it at a smaller level. In Metro Vancouver these days, there are plenty of municipalities debating climate change policies. They all know that it won’t make big changes to people’s environment. But many are moving forward because ultimately, that’s how they can enact change.
What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you knew at 15?
You’re going to have disappointments, but you also have lots and lots of time to figure things out!
What do you think?
Beyond the snark, whimsy and ranking of stuff, Justin McElroy is proving that traditional or mainstream journalism still has relevance in our society. He’s also proving that it’s possible to tell stories and build an audience for stories about subjects, like municipal politics, that aren’t always viewed with excitement.
- Do you like Justin’s brand of journalism? Is it a window into how mainstream journalism can remain relevant?
- How can research help make nature more interesting and more relevant to more people? Can it help provide the needed context to spark healthier debate?
- How can journalistic techniques lead to better research and better ideas to advance change?
- To create change for nature, is the municipal level of government the best place to start given, as Justin says, it’s easier to make change and see change?
- If Justin is right – that we all have more in common than we think; that we all have the same problems, just different contexts – how can we help nature in ways that unite, rather than divide?
Journalism is a powerful, fundamental tool of democracy and when healthy, it represents the very best attributes of good research. We can change society’s narrative by simply building on Justin’s work – telling interesting, thoughtful stories that enhance how we debate issues in our country. Or we can design well-researched ideas that better balance the needs of people and nature and, in the doing, create the fodder for Justin’s next great story.
It’s up to you: The next step is yours.
More on Justin
Justin is the Municipal Affairs Reporter for CBC Vancouver, where he covers city politics across the Metro Vancouver region.
Read one of his articles: Pigeon feud: North Vancouver approves ban targeting councillor’s neighbour
Favourite Book: The West Beyond the West: A History of British Columbia
Favourite Podcast: The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Favourite Website: New York Times