JAMES HOPKIN: Reporter riffs on his first three years at SooToday

You know, I didn't even realize that I was coming up on my three-year anniversary of working for SooToday. 

This reporter does not look back or reflect. I find that one tends to get distracted that way. 

But this whole pandemic business has made for a little more introspection on my part.  

Anyway, it's actually my second time being a reporter in the Sault. I got my first full-time job in this industry by working as a video journalist for CTV Northern Ontario here in town from 2006 to 2008 before leaving for Halifax, where I worked as a video journalist for APTN National News for three years. 

I really thought I had quit this whole reporting thing for good when I moved to Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island back in 2011, after running myself ragged working 16-hour shifts traversing the Maritimes (save for the couple of weeks I worked on APTN projects in the Arctic). But I couldn't sit still in Wiikwemkoong, even though half of my family members reside there. I got the itch to do this job again. 

That itch was satisfied at CBC Saskatoon, where I cranked out two digital stories, two television items, and four sets of radio scripts each and every shift. 

Wanting to come back to northern Ontario, I jumped at the opportunity to return to the Sault when SooToday offered it up. I even passed up a television job offer from CityNews in Edmonton in order to come back! 

I thought that for some reason, this would be an easy gig coming to Sault Ste. Marie and reporting for a small-time news website. You know, just fade off into obscurity in northern Ontario, more or less. 

Well, that all changed very quickly. Not the obscurity part - people tell me about the stories I wrote, without knowing it was actually me who had authored the piece in the first damned place. But who cares? I mean, the story was etched into someone's psyche. It's not about me, nor should it ever be about me. I'm merely a vessel, a conduit for your stories. A blue-collar tradesman. I'm nothing important.   

I feel both a moral obligation and a sense of civic duty to do my job better. And as it turns out, Village Media ain't that small-time these days, either! I mean, have you heard of a media entity growing during the pandemic? Well it's happening, my friends. Right here in our town. Much respect to all who have helped make it happen.     

I was going to tell you more about myself, but I've decided that definitely wouldn't be in my best interests.

But here are a couple things I'm totally okay with disclosing: I picked up the electric guitar in 2017 after a 14-year hiatus from playing. I love playing heavy metal and hard rock! My favourite band ever is Ozzy-era Black Sabbath. I've been a fan of Detroit sports teams (Lions, Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons) for 30 years now. As a Lions fan, that means three decades of utter misery! My two cats, Megatron and Miggie, are actually named after Tigers and Lions players.  

In closing, I want you all to know that what I do in my capacity as a news reporter is not about bringing fame to my name, or parachuting into town with bravado and bluster, but no work ethic. I will work harder. I will chop the wood and carry the water. I want to earn your trust and respect.

Do your part to flatten the curve, and above all else, quit being a jerk to people! Life is far too short for that trash. 

Kick out the jams,

James Hopkin