We were in a restaurant in a hotel in Paris. It was the middle of the Republican primaries before that weird election that took Donald J. Trump to a one term presidency.

Wife and I were on a short trip to France. It was part of an organized tour which I hate. There were about 20 or 30 of us and it was all Americans except for wife Judy and me.

Over dinner with one of the American couples the subject of Donald Trump was raised at the table and the couple with us, older than ourselves, wanted to know if I could assure them that Donald Trump would never be President of the United States. I told them with great and very misplaced confidence that the American people would never let someone like Trump be president.

Orange faced oily grifter

Well, how wrong was that! Incredibly all obstacles vanished, and an orange faced oily grifter named Trump became POTUS as they say in news circles. 

It was enough to send you to despair although, luckily, as soon he walked in through the doors of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue Donald Trump began to self-destruct. Through an incredible series of bad decisions by Trump, the Republican Party lost control of the House of Representatives, the Senate and ultimately the White House itself when Democrat Joe Biden beat him at the polls like you would beat a rug in the spring.

Even after Trump’s defeat things turned really ugly after what was an attempted coup in Washington on the 6th of January that did not work. The air went out of Trump’s attempt to cling to power with a whoosh. He may run for President again, but even his hold on the Republican Party has waned and Donald is no longer the “go to guy.”

He was caught with classified secret documents from his presidency stashed away at his Florida golf club with federal agents armed with a search warrant pounding on the door looking to get the material back.

I think Donald Trump is going to jail eventually. He will be a victim of his own ego. He thought he was above the law. Now as he “lawyers up” it must cross his mind between snack boxes and hamburgers that this is one narrative he cannot control.

In a quiet moment he will wonder how it all went wrong so quickly and how he came to be wearing an orange jumpsuit from some federal penitentiary. A friend of mine has one of those “Make America Great Again” hats. He does not wear it anymore. Not a minute too soon.   

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

Jodi Cooke is one of NTV’s most seasoned journalists and perhaps the province’s most dynamic.

She embodies the spirit of NTV News, where versatility and professionalism are paramount. Cooke, who’s been with NTV for over 15 years, is willing to tackle any story, asking tough questions and delivering the product with accuracy and acumen.

Equally comfortable behind the desk as in the field, she perhaps shines brightest on live television. Her poise and comfort in front of a live television audience, as a reporter, is second to none in Newfoundland and Labrador broadcasting – no small task when considering the material she delivers is often technical and complicated.

Cooke also has the unique ability to make viewers feel like they’re listening to a trusted friend. That’s why you’ll see her fronting those “live hits” for national television, covering stories like the recent Royal Visit or major breaking news events that speak to a national audience.

Sunday Evening News

But like so many of her colleagues, Cooke doesn’t take herself too seriously. Yes, she takes her career seriously but is game for any challenge. 

A self-described adrenaline junkie – who has a penchant for adrenaline sports like skiing – it’s no surprise she tackles her journalism career with the same passion and vigor. 

She’s the first to raise her hand for participatory journalism assignments, from training with a search and rescue team to, wait for it, repelling from a helicopter. 

Those assignments, she admits, are among her most fun days at the office. Versatile is a word that best defines Cooke and, well, many of her colleagues.

She’ll file a major story one day and sit in the anchor chair the next. Cooke will anchor Newsday, First Edition and co-anchor The NTV Evening Newshour, and will be back reporting in the field just a day later. That’s the type of virtuosity that separates NTV News from the competition.

She’s not alone. Like Cooke, Amanda Mews has hosted everything from morning news and entertainment checkpoints, from Newsday to First Edition and the Evening Newshour. You can also find her, on occasion, delivering the weather forecast when Eddie Sheerr is out of the office. Did we mention she’s Cooke’s co-host on the The Sunday Evening Newshour?

Mews is also the station’s popular entertainment reporter, has a weekly feature (Backstage Pass) and hosts a weekly half-hour entertainment show. Oh, and is the main reporter for the daily Your Community feature.

Like Cooke and Mews, veteran journalist David Salter has hosted many of the same programs from time to time – news and entertainment checkpoints, Newsday and even First Edition, The Evening Newshour and Sunday on occasions. Salter also hosts his own weekend news program, Eyewitness News.

When he’s not anchoring, Salter is filing top news stories as a general assignment news reporter.

The station’s commitment to news – provincially, nationally and internationally – is what makes it a news leader. The NTV Evening Newshour has been the province’s top newscast for two decades, averaging over 100,000 viewers each night in this province alone. 

In fact, it’s not only the top newscast but is the most-watched program in Newfoundland and Labrador. There are nights, for example, when over 120,000 people in this province are tuning in, astonishing for a province of about 500,000.

“It says a lot about the incredible work this team does,” says Mark Dwyer, NTV’s Director of News and Current Affairs. 

“Hard work, consistency, a commitment to local news and a very talented team of people has earned us the trust of our viewers. We take that responsibility very seriously.”

‘Commitment to news’

NTV’s news team features many of the province’s top journalists. The anchor team is led by veteran broadcasters Toni-Marie Wiseman and Michael Connors, among two of the most trusted names in local news. Wiseman, of course, began her career with NTV over three decades ago. 

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with some great people over the years but, honestly, this team is incredible,” says Wiseman, who also anchors First Edition.

Her co-anchor, Michael Connors, is one of the province’s most trusted journalists. Connors was NTV’s legislative reporter since 2005, replacing Glen Carter at the desk when he retired earlier this year.

“I think our success stems from the Stirling family’s commitment to news,” says Dwyer. “In an era when other networks are looking for ways to cut, we look for growth. I’m very fortunate to be part of a team that works together to tell the stories that matter in this province, and around the world.”

And, of course, no topic is more important to people in this province than the weather and that’s why NTV Chief Meteorologist Eddie Sheerr plays such a pivotal role. No one delivers more detailed, in-depth and expert weather forecasting than Sheerr.

The NTV News brand is demanding. There are morning news checkpoints, a half-hour Newsday newscast at noon (weekdays at noon), not to mention 90 minutes of news from 5:30 to 7 (First Edition and NTV Evening Newshour). There’s The Sunday Evening Newshour, an hour-long broadcast anchored by Jodi Cooke and Amanda Mews

There’s news-driven programs like Issues and Answers (hosted by Michael Connors), Eyewitness News (hosted by David Salter), Week-in-Review (a half-hour recap of the week’s top stories), not to mention a half-hour weekly entertainment show (hosted by Amanda Mews). 

There’s also breaking news programs, everything from the provincial budget to election coverage.

“It’s a challenge to deliver all these programs but it truly shows how much depth we have at NTV,” says Dwyer.

One of NTV News’ secret weapons over the past few decades has been photojournalist Bart Fraize, noted for his work in spot news – from tragedies to rescues. His work has elevated NTV as a breaking news leader. 

Acquiring talent

Speaking about outstanding camera work, NTV has two of the best in Tony Barrington and Glenn Andrews. Barrington recently celebrated his 44th anniversary with the company. Andrews is emerging as one of the province’s top feature editors.

And the team keeps getting better with the acquisition of talent. Beth Penney, the 2018 Geoff Stirling Memorial Scholarship winner, has emerged as one of NTV’s top young journalists. Ben Cleary, who pursued a journalism degree after graduating with a political science degree at MUN, was named Atlantic Canada’s Top New Journalist in 2020. 

Cleary is now NTV’s legislative reporter. Bailey Howard and Marykate O’Neill, both outstanding young journalists, have been key additions to the NTV lineup in recent years.

The latest to join the award-winning newsroom is an award-winning journalist herself, Rosie Mullaley. After over three decades at The Telegram, she made the switch from print just weeks before Carter’s retirement.

Of course, that’s the St. John’s newsroom. Two of the province’s most familiar journalists are outside the overpass – Don Bradshaw and Colleen Lewis, the talented west coast and central correspondents who are fixtures with the NTV news brand.

“I challenge you to find a more talented, dedicated, multi-dimensional team,” says Dwyer, answering his own challenge with: “You simply won’t. This is a team I am so proud to be a part of. And when you factor in people like Sharon Snow, who can deliver the weather forecast, file a Your Community and Places to Go feature, you know you have a star-studded team.”

It’s no secret that NTV News has been number one in the ratings for over two decades. Incredibly, as conventional news audiences decrease throughout much of the world, NTV’s brand continues to grow. 

For a province of about 500,000 people, over 100,000 of them tune into NTV each day at 6 o’clock and just under 90,000 for First Edition at 5:30. Numbers continue to climb each year. The Sunday Evening Newshour also grew its audience with over 50,000 viewers tuning in each weekend.

There’s no secret recipe to NTV’s success over the years but the ingredients are obvious. It takes talent, hard work and leadership. It’s about telling stories and keeping viewers informed, and never has there been an era more important for doing just that.

Just as I thought the damage was done and the much-repudiated Donald Trump had exited the stage we find his ghost still haunts the halls, at least for a little while longer.  

The democratic process in the United States said a resounding “NO” to Donald of the orange hair in the ballot box for control of the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, yet we are not out from under his dark shadow.

The United States and the world really were shocked last week by the Supreme Court striking down a court decision half a century old. It was the court decision that had recognized the right of a woman to access an abortion, that decision was the monumental decision that’s known commonly as Roe V. Wade, and it has prevailed as law in the U.S. since 1973. Now, an ultra conservative panel of mostly Trump appointed Supreme Court judges has changed the law. That’s despite the fact 70 per cent of Americans favoured retaining it.  

Roe V. Wade

The decision by the Supreme Court had not been printed before the protests started. Overturning Roe V. Wade was seen around the world as a backward step since it’s completely at odds with how most of the world is thinking and reflected, not the will of the people, but the will of the ultra right Trump wing of the Republican Party. What’s truly frightening is that Roe V. Wade and what it already has done to the social fabric of society may well be the thin edge of the wedge. 

Who knows what’s next? The target might be sexual orientations or the legality of some activities between consenting adults. 

In Canada we have some protection and I am forever grateful to Pierre Elliott Trudeau who changed our lives in Canada when he said, “the State has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” That was Canada, but who knows what might be on the horizon in the United States. 

The political coffin

You know the real irony in this is that it might be a final nail in the political coffin of Donald Trump. He still is a major influence on who wins Republican nominations, but that influence is within the party. The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade will not help them at the polls. I expect that realization will roll across the Republicans. Trump himself has referenced it. I find comfort in the fact that “the people” will speak and the will of those people will prevail. 

A look at the polls in the United States show a ten-point swing toward the Democrats in the past four months. 

A woman will still be able to have options in the U.S., but only if she has access to resources. Not everybody does. That is an aspect of the Roe V. Wade decision that’s so sad.      

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

Aristotle believed that to become a virtuous man, in addition to abstract wisdom, you needed practical wisdom.

It lies with those who have been around life’s block a few times. They “know things.” In the world of broadcast news, the late Liberal politician Steve Neary knew how news worked. He wasn’t the greatest orator, but he knew how to get himself into a newscast. It was beyond issues. Steve understood how news worked and the appetite of the “Goat.” 

Insatiable appetite

Now for those who don’t know, the “Goat” is the name given to the enormous insatiable appetite there is for news. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year. “The Goat” must be fed multiple times a day. You can’t have the on air light come on and announce there’s nothing new to report. It doesn’t work that way. Steve Neary understood that and used it to his advantage. 

“The Goat” is a frightening animal to a reporter. On weekends that thirst for news is particularly felt. For those working at gathering news it’s a grind. Government offices are generally closed. The House of Assembly is closed. A lot of businesses are closed. Steve Neary, the man of practical wisdom, saw that appetite in news and helped fill it.  

My first broadcast news job a hundred years ago was at VOCM, and every Friday night or Saturday morning Steve Neary would show up at the window of the newsroom on Kenmount road with a series of press releases. 

Actually, it was at every newsroom window in the city and Steve showed up in person. There would be a Saturday press release and a Sunday press release and one for the Monday morning news “run.” Steve would also make himself available for an interview. He knew that everything in his releases might not be earth shattering in the middle of the business week, but on a Saturday morning, to a junior news reporter, the thoughts of Steve Neary were welcome.

Neary’s airtime

He got airtime. When I moved over to NTV and CJON Radio, Steve came to the front door and rang the bell with press releases at our studios at Buckmasters Circle. I can tell you again he was most welcome because he had product and was available for an interview. He really cranked it up heading into the Christmas holiday or any long weekend.  

He knew he could get airtime, but he had to work at it. He had to give up his Saturday morning driving around. Steve Neary, beyond any explanation of Aristotle, was the “man of practical wisdom.”

Jean Charest is no stranger to politics and he’s no stranger to Newfoundland and Labrador. In fact, Charest was one of the influential politicians who made the trip to attend former colleague John Crosbie’s funeral in Jan. 2020.                                       

 Charest begins our chat sharing how simply being in this province brings him joy. When asked how he is on this April day he responds cheerily with, “I’m very well, thank you. How could I not be? I’m in St. John’s.”

 Charest has quite the political resume. First elected to the House of Commons in 1984 under former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative (PC) government, he would serve in several federal cabinet positions between 1986 and 1993. Charest became the leader of the PC Party in 1993, a role he remained in until entering provincial politics in Quebec in 1998 and was premier of that province for three consecutive terms, from 2003 to 2012. The 63-year-old, who is re-entering federal politics after a 30 year absence, officially confirmed his candidacy for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in Calgary, telling those in attendance he was confident in his ability to win the next federal election. Charest, campaigning under the slogan “built to win,” describes himself (via his campaign website) as a “conservative voice that can bring our movement together around common cause issues that champion our values.”

Others vying to lead the party include current party favourite Pierre Poilievre and social conservative Leslyn Lewis.

While voters throughout NL have not been welcoming to the Conservative party through the last three federal elections, Charest admitted that while he knows he has work to do, he’s also determined.  “I intend to be a prime minister for Newfoundland Labrador. And as someone who knows the issues well, I’m very enthusiastic about getting support here and representing the province and working with people here in the province,” he said.

Charest says that part of the reason he has such an affiliation for this place is because of the late John Crosbie, who was both a colleague and a friend.

“I had a great admiration for that man. I worked with John Crosbie in cabinet. I supported a lot of what he put forward for Newfoundland and Labrador and we became friends,” he said.

Crosbie’s impact

In fact, Charest added, he thought highly of him personally, as well. “I just admired the way he led his life. He was a free thinker – an original. He was a staunch defender of Newfoundland  and Labrador. He breathed it. He ate it. It was his life. And I thought that was an example of what all of us should do for the people that we represent.”

But Crosbie’s impact was felt far beyond this province, he continued. “He left a mark on the country. He made an impact.” Charest has many “Crosbie” stories and many examples of the influence the man had. “If you were a member of parliament or a minister and you wanted to do an event in your riding, in Saskatchewan or anywhere, you invited John Crosbie and the room would be packed. No matter where he went, people were fascinated with him and thought he was one of a kind. I thought the world of him, and that’s why I wanted to attend his funeral, to show my respect and to help celebrate an extraordinary life.” 

Crosbie supported his leadership bid in ‘93, something that was “an honour,” Charest added, but most treasured memories revolve around the friendship.

There were fishing trips with Crosbie and the late George H.W. Bush, former president of the United States, as well as the late Craig Dobbin of Universal Helicopters.  The men visited Labrador, fishing at Adlatok River throughout the 1990s. Charest has so many personal tales of times spent with Crosbie. 

“I remember when I was in opposition … he and Jane (Crosbie’s wife) came over for dinner at the house and with our children, and we just had such a great time, but I remember John would say all sorts of provocative things. One time my young daughter got in an argument with him and Jane had to intervene, saying, ‘John! Stop it!’ And then Jane saying to my daughter, ‘don’t listen to him!’ There’ll never be another John Crosbie. He was such an original. I was fortunate to have his support of me in the leadership race and to have him as a friend.”

 Does Charest think NL is ready to welcome the Conservative party back? The ABC campaign (Anything But Conservative) launched by then NL premier Danny Williams against Stephen Harper in the 2008 Canadian federal election, encouraged voters in the province to support any party but the federal Conservatives. However, Charest says with renewed passion, “now’s the time to transition to a new era.”

It’s something Newfoundlanders and Labradorians experienced before, he added, back when John Crosbie was in office. “I was part of that. Big things got done, that’s when the Atlantic Accord was done. That’s when we set the framework that launched this economy. Hibernia came after that. That was a golden period of extraordinary cooperation between the federal government and Newfoundland and Labrador and that’s what we need now, what we’re looking to have in the future.”

He has big plans for the country, and  he feels NL will play a large role in that. 

“Newfoundland and Labrador needs an ally in Ottawa to be able to expand its energy projects and bring them to North America. And I want to do that, I want to be that Prime Minister. I want to write that chapter for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

‘You need a CT scan’

It has to be asked: with such a break from politics, why step back in now? Charest laughed, and in John Crosbie style answered first with: “Well, my wife Michèle told me, ‘I think you need a CT scan.’” 

However, the leadership hopeful insists he loves this country and he cares what happens. 

“It is about the country. I care very deeply about this country, my whole life. That’s why I went to Quebec to push back on the separatists wanting to hold a referendum and then turning that around. But I look at the country now and it’s deeply divided,” he said.

It’s these uncertain times when the country turns to the Conservatives, he added. “We should be the alternative to this [Liberal] government. People say, ‘get your act together and get yourself organized.’ That’s what’s got me in this race. The alternatives are not attractive.

“Either we go down the route of American-style politics or we are going to remain Canadian … I’m running for that reason: to unite the party and deliver a national government to the country and move us out of the divisions.  As someone who’s been a premier and understands how this federal system works inside and out, I want to make the system work to get things done.” 

How has his NL visit gone, we ask. It’s been positive, he said. In fact, he calls his reception “heart warming.”

Leo Power, Eugene Manning and Carol Anstey have been helping his campaign here in this province, he shared. “It’s been fantastic. The people have been great.  It’s a unique part of the world and being here is fantastic before I have to go to Ottawa and react to the budget.”   

For more visit: www.jeancharest.ca

Instead, she added, “there’s only admiration” for anyone who has heard the calling of journalism and praise for the people who tell all our stories. 

No one knows that better than viewers of NTV News. That crew has faced lock downs and epic snow storms with grace under fire. The flagship show – the NTV Evening News Hour – must go on and everyone put their best foot forward. In spite of the chaos and the unknowns, the NTV team saw the light and the love in Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and reported on inspirational people doing exceptional things while also sharing the dismal COVID facts of the day. 

There is always hope between the headlines and we were grateful. And while the Oscars gave us the slap heard around the globe – an entertainment world bummer – the 65th annual Grammys were the opposite. 

An unexpected feel-good highlight happened when Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the world in a pre-recorded video which included a passionate plea for support for his people. 

“Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos, they sing to the wounded in hospitals … but the music will break through anyway,” Zelensky said. He concluded: “Fill the silence with your music! Fill it today, to tell our story…To all our cities the war is destroying: Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others, they are legends already, but I have a dream of them living. And free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”

While mixing war and musical awards might seem an odd combination, artists taking a stand for the greater good isn’t new. From the recording of Do They Know its Christmas by BandAid, to the recent charity song Lean On Me by artist CAN, a 2020 charity single featuring a who’s who of Canadian music legends, musicians have long offered support and now many have teamed up yet again to form a Stand Up for Ukraine initiative in a show of solidarity.

In real ‘Give Peace a Chance’ style, Doctors Without Borders received a $10,000 donation on behalf of Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon, reminiscent of the days when John Lennon’s Bed-ins for Peace as the Vietnam War raged made the news. 

Herald founder Geoff Stirling and his son and publishing successor Scott Stirling had a profound encounter with John and Yoko in 1969. Inspired by one of their songs, the senior Stirling wrote a note to the couple that read, “I heard your Come Together, so here I am: Geoff Stirling,” further evidence that entertainment, news-makers and anti-war efforts often go hand in hand. As for those in the news business, they do their part. 

The Award Winning NTV News team has covered disasters at sea, DARKNL and Snowmageddon plus provided up-to-the-minute pandemic coverage, going above and beyond to educate and inform. However beyond the facts and figures, there’s good news yarns –  like one recent story about a local artist who uses her jewelry to help those living in Ukraine. 

Such stories provide hope – a light at the end of the tunnel tale so that at the end of a tough news day, there’s proof we’ll all make it. For that balance, those who tell our stories – good and bad– for a living are worthy of an extra dose of admiration.

Pam Pardy, The Herald’s Managing Editor, can be reached by emailing pghent@nfldherald.com

We are living in an extraordinary time, an era defined by anxious uncertainty. The coronavirus pandemic has transformed, and disrupted, journalism. It is an unprecedented news story, the biggest of this generation. The relentless news cycle fused by an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation.

The world has changed in just two years. The pandemic has delivered a devastating loss of life, almost six million deaths around the world by early February. The economic and social disruption is unconscionable. It has changed how we learn, work and interact as social distancing guidelines have led to a virtual existence. You’ve all seen the impact. A masked society, empty classrooms and shuttered offices.

Since pandemic shutdowns almost two years ago, reporters, like Ben Cleary, have adjusted to filing stories each night, shifting from his NTV desk on Logy Bay Road to a home office. The traditional in-person interviews have been replaced by Zoom or FaceTime and, incredibly, he voice-tracks his stories under a blanket – turning his closet into a recording studio.

Cleary’s home was transformed into a news bureau – the third time he and others have been displaced to social distance. “We’ve all had to make adjustments and, to be honest, it’s a small sacrifice to do my part,” says the talented 26-year-old.  

Baptism by Fire

It’s been a whirlwind since Cleary arrived at NTV in May of 2019, less than a year before the novel coronavirus reached our shores. It was a baptism by fire. Armed with a political science degree from MUN and a journalism degree from King’s College – and a pedigree from his award-winning journalist dad, Ryan Cleary – he was ready.

Filing stories on everything from politics to social issues, from breaking news to historical features, the St. John’s native has established himself as one of the industry’s top young journalists.  He has reported on provincial budgets and elections, the winter storm of the century in 2020 and, in recent years, the many aspects of the COVID pandemic.

“Ben brings so much versatility to the newsroom,” says Mark Dwyer, NTV’s Director of News and Current Affairs. 

“He’s also a natural storyteller, very dedicated to his career and a true team player. We are so lucky to have him on our team.”

His feature work is outstanding. Hard news, the primary focus for many reporters, is hard-hitting and pragmatic. Feature stories require storytelling ability. “He’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time,” says veteran anchor Glen Carter. “He understands the fundamentals of good story-telling for television. Especially the stories that require a lot of heart,” Carter adds. “Compassion and honesty, too.”

Admired & Respected

Cleary’s recent feature marking the 80th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus hostel fire was outstanding work and a case in point. 

The 1942 fire killed 80 military personnel and 19 civilians. Cleary’s grandmother’s uncle, Derm Duggan, was a 16-year-old drummer playing in the band that night and lived to tell the story. “That’s the compassion and honesty I was talking about,” says Carter.

Compassion comes naturally for Cleary, a thoughtful journalist who takes pride in bringing fairness and honesty to his reports. His passion for journalism comes through in his enthusiastic reporting style – his best work often in stories that feature his adept storytelling ability. If he wasn’t a journalist Cleary could easily be at home working in a museum or teaching history. 

He has a special place in his heart for this province’s unique history and culture – particularly the battles fought over the years by brave Newfoundland soldiers. Remembrance Day. Memorial Day. Cleary is often the first to raise his hand to pay tribute to heroes, past and present.

Award-winning News

Cleary is authentic. That compassion, some might say sensitivity, is part of his fabric. It’s one of the traits that makes him so admired and respected by his colleagues in the NTV newsroom. He’s always willing to help fellow reporters or accept any task or assignment.  And he has a dry wit and clever sense of humor.

NTV viewers have watched this young journalist blossom into one of its top reporters, leading the supper-hour broadcast almost daily with COVID-19 updates since the New Year. The evolution of Cleary’s journalism chops has not gone unnoticed. He’s getting attention throughout Atlantic Canada and has done a handful of national news hits. In 2020, he was named Atlantic Canada’s top new journalist by the AJA.

“So well deserved,” says Dwyer. “NTV has a long history of award-winning journalists and Ben’s future certainly looks bright.”

A career in the media seemed inevitable. His dad, Ryan, spent decades as one of the province’s top reporters, winning numerous awards with The Telegram and, later, The Independent.

‘The Right Path’

“I’ve always been interested in journalism; it seemed like the right path for me,” he says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Cleary is also ready for the next challenge. With Glen Carter retiring from the anchor desk in early March, veteran legislative reporter Michael Connors will be filling his seat. Cleary will be tasked to help fill Connors’ void at the House of Assembly. Politics is a passion. He earned a poli-sci degree at Memorial and, by his own admission, sees politics as theatre in this province.

“You’ll find few provinces in Canada who care about politics more than we do,” he says. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity. It’s an honor to work for a station I grew up admiring. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgys4wbWSqM&t=4s

I was watching television when the telephone rang. It was Sunday night, I was tired, the sitcom was boring, and the last thing I’d expected or wanted was a phone call about work. 

I was 25, a rookie television reporter with NTV and I was about to be thrust into one of the most tragic events in Canadian maritime history.

The caller on the phone that night had something very important to tell me — something scary that had happened on the tail end of his two weeks offshore. 

Sometimes news comes to you that way — tips and documents in brown paper envelopes. Sometimes it’s a voice at the other end of the telephone. Someone who doesn’t want their name used, but who wants to get a story out there.

An Anonymous Caller

It was no mystery to me how the caller knew where to find me. I won’t say why. He wanted anonymity then. It seems appropriate, even now.  

Anyway, I settled in and listened. What the caller had to say was astounding. Between held breaths I peppered him with the questions that needed to be asked — wrote furiously on a paper napkin until I had enough information. Then I hung up.

It was a huge story, and it did need to be investigated. I decided I’d begin my work first thing in the morning Monday. I’d need a couple of days to flush it out, and then run the piece on the six o’clock show — maybe Wednesday or Thursday of that week. 

My news director would make the final call on that. It was exactly eight days before the Ocean Ranger oil rig sank and 84 men were lost at sea.

The facts that surround the sinking of the Ocean Ranger are seared into the collective consciousness of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. A fierce North Atlantic storm battered the rig for hours before a rogue wave smashed through a port hole in one of the rig’s legs, soaking the ballast control system. From that point on the rig was doomed. A list developed and technicians who thought they were fixing the problem, actually made it worse.

The radio communications between the rig and Mobil Oil’s St. John’s base were ominous. Mobil’s rig superintendent listened as a voice far out to sea reported at 1 a.m. that the rig was listing badly. It was a grim message to receive from an oil rig, hung off and riding it out at the epicenter of a weather bomb. A brutal winter storm was producing winds of up to 90 knots and waves five stories high. 

Mobil’s emergency response team was called in and the coast guard was notified. It was shortly after, that a second radio message arrived — a message that would send chills through Mobil’s Atlantic Place radio operations centre. “There will be no further radio communications from the Ocean Ranger. We are going to lifeboat stations,” it said. 

Later that Monday morning, during a news conference at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s, a bleary-eyed Steve Romanski, Mobil’s manager of east coast operations said, “that was the last message we got from the Ranger.”

The truth is the Ocean Ranger story actually began days earlier while the rig was still safe — the men on board working their shifts, or in their berths or maybe watching the same bad television I was watching when that phone call came to my home. That phone call eight days earlier from a caller who wanted to tell me a story.

An Eerie Silence

It had happened the day before, while the man was still on board finishing out his two weeks ‘on.’ The man said he was wrapping up an all-nighter and was returning to his bunk at daybreak when he saw the first sign of trouble. It was as simple as the small privacy curtain hanging from his bunk. Curtains don’t normally hang sideways, but this one was — leaning way out there at a near right angle. It meant the rig had to be listing — and listing badly.  I continued to listen.

The rig was a dynamically positioned floating structure prone to rolling and pitching with the movement of the sea. When it dipped, it normally bounced back, when it rolled, it usually stabilized a few seconds later. Not this time.

My contact was worried. “This time it didn’t come back,” he said. A few moments later the alarm sounded and he was off to the lifeboat station.

An eerie silence engulfed the Ocean Ranger that fair-weather morning in February. Silence replaced the “racket” that was a constant reminder that work never stopped on an exploration oil rig. When my contact arrived at the lifeboat station he was met by other crewmembers, several of whom were lightly dressed as if they’d just jumped from their bunks. Some had no lifejackets, no survival suits. Confusion and fear on their faces as they waited for further instructions. What happened next was another indictment of evacuation procedures on board one of the largest drilling rigs in the world. The engine on the lifeboat wouldn’t start. As the rig continued to list, the crewmembers gathered at that lifeboat station, waited anxiously for a second alarm that would mean “abandon the rig.”  

It didn’t come. I continued to listen.

Reaction was Swift

That night, the Ocean Ranger story had a happier ending. The rig was eventually made right and life returned to normal at the J-34 Hibernia well. The man on the other end of the phone that Sunday evening was thankful to be back on dry land again. The roulette of scheduling meant he would live. The story generated by that phone call was over length, not the usual buck and a half (one minute and 30 seconds) that television news stories usually ran. There were artist’s sketches of a listing rig, and crew members running to the lifeboat station. 

There was an interview with the head of the newly minted Newfoundland Petroleum Directorate. The listing incident was news to Steve Milan, even though strict guidelines at that time demanded the NPD be informed of any offshore ‘incidents.’ Odeco Drilling, the rig’s New Orleans owners, claimed there was never anything to worry about. 

A company spokesman was interviewed over the phone and declared the list was a routine occurrence, necessary so workers could carry out maintenance on one of the rig’s giant pontoons. 

The story went to air on NTV’s 6:00 o’clock newscast on Thursday, Feb. 11th and reaction to it was swift. Mobil Oil wasn’t impressed. 

A spokesperson called to complain that the story was essentially a piece of fear mongering sensationalism which had needlessly alarmed family and friends of Ocean Ranger crewmembers.

Taking the High Ground

 It was the kind of bluff and bluster that PR flaks are paid to dish out. That’s part of the game. So for most of that Friday I clucked my tongue and claimed the professional high ground. How dare they criticize a solid piece of fair, balanced and worthwhile television journalism.  Then the doubt began to set in.

Had I gone too far? Had Odeco been above board in its account of the listing incident? Was it part of routine maintenance? Had Mobil Oil’s denunciation of the story been righteous and justified? Had I sewn fear in the minds of loved ones in the name of questionable journalism?

I thought about all of this. In fact I brooded over the possibilities for an entire weekend. Then on Sunday, a storm hit — a vicious winter storm that rattled windows and laid the landscape thick with snow. That night, about 175 miles out to sea, 84 brave souls felt their unsinkable rig list again. They raced to the lifeboat stations and some of them at least launched into the killing North Atlantic. This time, the rig didn’t come back and hours later the Ocean Ranger disappeared beneath the surface of the cold black water.

Waves and wind killed those men. They were nature’s culpability in the tragic sinking of the Ocean Ranger. Man was to blame too. A subsequent inquiry said mistakes were made at many levels. From the ballast control room on that stormy night, to governments and an industry that still had a lot to learn about safety and evacuation procedures aboard offshore oil rigs. 

The oil and gas industry and the politicians would have years to try and make sense of it all. Reporters had until the next deadline.

No Survivors

It was a sunny day on Monday, Feb. 15th. At the Holiday Inn in St. John’s where the world’s media and industry officials had gathered, the mood was as black as soot as Mobil Oil’s president stood stone faced in the glare of television lights and began to speak.

“It is my very, very sad duty to tell you officially that the Ocean Ranger is lost. There were 84 people aboard and at this point in time we certainly can not hold out much hope for survivors.” 

The worst had happened. The room went silent. Mason paused a second to allow the weight of his announcement to find its place. “On behalf of all the employees of Mobil I’d like to express my very deepest sympathy for the wives and families of the men on board.”

It was an unprecedented maritime tragedy. One of the largest oil rigs in the world was gone — swallowed up by a North Atlantic storm in the dark of night. There were no survivors. There were no bodies — yet. And unbelievably, there was nothing to suggest the cause of the rig’s disappearance, except for a pair of ominous radio messages from the doomed drilling platform.

Command Centre

The story flashed around the world, setting off a stampede of news people towards St. John’s from some of the finest journalist organizations on the planet. 

NTV’s newsroom at Buckmaster’s Circle became the command centre for at least a dozen reporters, producers and cameramen representing heavyweight networks like ABC, CTV, and others. Harried pros sprang into action. 

There were elements to gather — things that tell the story. The grief, the blame. The hopelessness of the recovery effort as ships, and aircraft converged on a patch of ocean revealing oil rig debris and sadly an overturned lifeboat. 

I still remember someone’s interview with Captain Michael Clarke, an air, search and rescue specialist who was aboard the first helicopter to reach the scene at daybreak. His account of the snow storm still raging as they made a desperate attempt to retrieve bodies from 40 and 50 foot seas. ‘Lights on the water’ was a phrase that I haven’t forgotten — a witness describing tiny flashing lights on the life vests of the dead as they rose and fell on rolling waves.

Then there was Robert St. Aubin — another Ocean Ranger crewman who was on board eight days earlier when the rig listed that first time and the alarm was sounded. St. Aubin confirming what my guy had told me on the phone — that people showed up with no life preservers when they arrived at the lifeboat station — and that the boat’s engine was dead. 

The media were fully involved now — racing to gather the story’s elements, looking for the hooks and angles — to satisfy their editorial masters in Toronto, and New York and all points in between. Canadian and American radio producers from places I had never heard of were calling — begging for voice reports on the sinking of the Ocean Ranger. The Americans wanted to know where Newfoundland was — what was a semi-submersible oil rig? 

How in the hell could you sink one? Could you give us 30 seconds over the phone for our next newscast?

A Dark Anniversary

How could anyone wrap up the Ocean Ranger disaster in 30 seconds? Forty years later, the story is still untold in its entirety. The truth is the tragedy still haunts and hurts. For family members of those lost souls the dark anniversary must still bring the burdens of pain, regret and anger. Maybe all three are an inseparable price to be paid for a family’s memories.

Forty years later, I can still remember the story I filed on Monday, Feb. 15, 1982 — the day the Ocean Ranger sank. With the ocean behind me, I stood with my cameraman rolling, and — word for word — closed the story this way. 

“For as long as Newfoundlanders have taken to their boats they have always taken with them the chances they would not return. But those odds have worsened now, as seagoing life embraces oil and gas activity — and as fishing boats are joined by oil rigs offshore.”

If you think Michael Connors and his family talk politics around the dinner table from time-to-time, then you’d be bang-on, he admitted unapologetically. 

“2021 was a busy year politically, so politics came up a time or two in the evening hours,” he shared. 

Wife Amanda Labonté, a well-known author, (Call of the Sea, Return to the Sea and Supernatural Causes) studied political science in university. Labonté added that politics just might be a family passion that comes naturally.

‘A natural calling’

“Our son and daughter (Andrew who’s 16 and Dianna, 11) have a natural calling, you might say, when it comes to politics, though it certainly isn’t the only topic around the table or in the home,” she offered.

 Labonté’s Call of the Sea series, a trilogy set in Newfoundland that’s aimed at young adults, is something she’s proud of. Husband Connors helps “flesh out” the stories from time-to-time and helps with early editing when called upon, she added. Connors, who has been with NTV over 19 years, met his love when both attended university. 

“We were both at the student newspaper, The Muse. We started dating in ‘98 and we got married in 2002, so we got married about a year before I went to NTV in 2003.” 

‘Motivated & organized’

Both have busy careers that see them working outside the home. Now, with the kids at home attending school, we ask how they balance their busy schedules.

“We’re lucky our kids are at an age where they’re pretty proactive about getting their online schooling done. Andrew, at 16, can get himself organized, and Dianna is motivated and organized. I think for parents with younger children, it’s definitely more juggling for them, so we are lucky in that way,” Labonté shared. 

Connors says he’s “rolled with the punches” at work, the same as anyone. 

“Three times now with the various lockdowns we’ve taken turns working from home. Jodi (Cooke), Beth (Penney) and Ben (Cleary) and the team, we go where we need to go to get the job done and be safe.”

Going virtual

Staying home isn’t an option when you’re the backup anchor or hosting Newsday or taping Issues and Answers, he added. “I’ve always had to remain in studio in some capacity. There were a couple of phases where they had us in a separate building, but because of the backup hosting role that I have, I’ve had to stay at the studio.” 

It hasn’t always been easy, he admitted. In fact, he says, it’s been “a huge adjustment.”

“Switching everything to virtual and dealing with the COVID briefings obviously affects everything that’s going on with what the government of the day does. We’ve had these phases where we’re in lockdown and then another phase where things loosen up and life sort of goes back to normal and we go back to dealing with other issues.”

‘Other issues’

“Other issues” included both a provincial and a federal election.  “The provincial election was definitely the biggest challenge through it all, though. One day we were preparing for our election night show and for voters going to the polls and all that and then all of a sudden this new variant hit and suddenly we were in lockdown and the election got delayed for six weeks. And that was that. That was something I don’t think we’ve ever seen the like of before and hopefully never will again.” 

Covering Politics

With close to 20 years in the rear view when it comes to covering politics, he’s met many politicians. From the late John Efford and John Crosbie to Danny Williams and Andrew Furey, we ask about the  relationships that he’s built, and the trust he’s maintained, over the decades. 

“I covered (Efford) somewhat. I kind of came in right at the tail end of his political career because he retired from politics in early 2006, and I actually didn’t start covering the Legislature until 2005, so I wasn’t in that primary political role when he was at the height of his political career. But I definitely encountered him many times.”

One of the first encounters was when Connors worked for The Telegram. 

“It was a Sunday afternoon. I was on the weekend shift. I wasn’t a political reporter, but there was some issue going on in the fishery and he was in his office at the fisheries building on a Sunday afternoon, and all the media were down there sort of staked out outside waiting for him to come out.”

The fact Efford was at his office on a Sunday afternoon was “testament to how devoted he was to his job,” Connors shared.

Political Scandals

“I didn’t quite get to know him as well as maybe some of the other politicians I’ve covered in more recent years, but there’s no question he was a unique personality on the political stage, someone who really almost comes from a whole other era of politicians that’s sort of disappearing. The John Crosbie-type that you don’t often encounter anymore.”

Connors has covered his share of political scandals over the years. Where does his approach to handling the more delicate side of politics come from, we ask. He paused. 

“I don’t know. I guess I was just raised to always treat everyone with respect and to be honest and to be upfront. And that’s just the way I try to approach everything. And I find you sort of get back what you give, maybe. And that’s just who I am. And that’s the way I always try to deal with everyone that I encounter, whether it’s a politician, or anyone. It doesn’t matter who it is.”

‘Never a dull moment’

We ask if any stories stand out for him. He paused again, thinking.  

“The Bill 29 Filibuster was certainly an interesting exercise in covering legislative proceedings. Muskrat Falls, obviously, was just such a massive project that’s been going on for more than a decade now. That’s obviously been a very big story.”

There’s been plenty of floor crossings too, he added, and “there’s never a dull moment when you’re covering that.”

“I guess for me, it’s always just kind of having that front row seat to history as it’s happening. That’s always sort of been the appeal of it for me,” Connors said. 

A Shared Interest 

Labonté said the family “is proud of the dedication” her husband brings to the job. “I studied political science in university as well, so Michael and I talk politics as that’s a shared interest. The kids grew up always hearing it. I think Andrew knew who the premier of the province was before he knew his colours.” 

We ask if there’s anything about her husband that no one else knows that she’d like to share with Herald readers. She laughed. “He can juggle.” 

Interesting.

Connors, she continues, also is a “bit of a geek” in that he’s a fan of Harry Potter and Star Wars. Another behind-the-scene fact? He drinks tea, never coffee!

Family Game Night

What about family nights? Any favourite activities? “Sometimes board game nights can get a little competitive. So our games aren’t always a fun, relaxing time,” Labonté shared with a laugh.

When daddy deals with premiers for a living, how does the family balance home and work?

“Michael is really good at giving me space to write, but also being somebody I can bounce ideas off of. He’ll even read things for me and I think that having this sort of relationship where we’re just really invested in what each other is doing and are there to help is really good, and I think it shows our kids that we are there for one another, and that no matter what we do, it’s important.”

Labonté credits their children for “staying grounded” but she also knows the work that she and her husband have put in. “I think Michael and I show the kids that we can be busy parents but you can still be invested in what we want to do. Kind of following your own goals, type thing, and follow your own passion while still being a cheerleader for the other person.”

‘Staying grounded’

We ask about life in the newsroom at NTV, and about the senior role Connors has taken on.

“As I’ve gotten older – and that’s a little bit scary to think about sometimes because I’m just like everyone else. I don’t think I have any particular insight into life or the world that anyone else doesn’t have – but others do come to me for guidance sometimes. It sort of surprises me when people come to me, but I’m sort of evolving into that more senior role as I get older and I’m always willing to help anyone that I can and do whatever I can to help.” 

The dynamics in the newsroom is one of extended family, he adds. It doesn’t matter if it’s Glen Carter, Eddie Sheerr, Toni-Marie Wiseman, Mark Dwyer or Ben Cleary – everyone always treats everyone else with respect.

“We’ve always had a bit of that family feel. When I first started there in 2003, I was the youngest reporter in the newsroom. Glen Carter is the quintessential news anchor. The experience that he brought to us from working at other TV stations across the country has been invaluable. Toni is a great friend. Our daughters are the same age, so we share that experience of going through adventures in parenting at the same time. Mark is a great boss to work for. I’ve been very lucky to have all great news directors, ones that give me a lot of freedom in terms of going about how I do my job and in terms of covering the political beat.” 

The couple share that they know they’ve been blessed both professionally and personally, and it’s a point they’d like to make sure gets shared.

“I feel like, even though it’s been a difficult time, we’ve been lucky to still be able to do the things that we really enjoy doing. I got lucky. I’m a writer. The arts community’s been struck hard by COVID and I think performing artists and musicians have had it much harder than others,” Labonté shared.

‘We’ve been lucky’

While there’s good days and bad days, she’s learned to take it all in stride and to be as grateful as possible.  

“In general, we’ve been lucky. Michael’s been able to do his job throughout this time and he’s been even more essential than ever before and we’ve remained committed to each other and to the family.”

Focusing on family is always number one, Connors added. 

“Family time is always big. We always do Sunday dinner at my parents with the kids. That’s always important. While travel is harder now, any trips we do take are to visit friends and family. We try to keep things very family oriented. I guess that’s sort of where a lot of our focus has always been and we make an effort to stay focused on that, because it’s important to us as a family.”

He is a local legend of broadcast journalism, a RTDNA East Region Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and a beloved staple of NTV’s award-winning news-team for decades. Yes, Glen Carter needs no introduction for faithful Herald readers. 

Over 40 years after beginning his tenure in broadcast journalism, and Carter is still the picture of poise, professionalism and authenticity. 

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Reflecting on Carter’s storied career as a newsman, The Herald looked back on our encounters with the award-winning journalist in this past decade, for a picture of a life and career. 

Glen Carter, in his own words.

Aug 26- Sep 1, 2012

“I think life’s too short to really get mired in the seriousness of it. I’m a really curious person. I’m always curious about things and people. I’m fascinated by both … I think a lot of that comes through in the way I present the show. I think that’s a natural element in my character that has always served me well.”

“We try to instill a familiarity and trust and all those words you’d attach to someone you really know and like. So if we can do that through a TV screen then we’ve done our job.”

“People like to connect with personalities, feeling comfortable with the people they invite into their homes. When it’s all said and done, people like to connect with people they trust.”

“I don’t envy politicians not one little bit. I grew up with one so I know what life is like for politicians and I think I’ll stay in my own environment, in my own comfort zone, thanks.”

“(The flashy stuff) might attract more people but journalistically I don’t see a value in it. It deviates from what the commitment is, what the goal should be for journalism, which is to inform, to enlighten, to spark debate — intelligent debate, and I don’t know if entertaining, if ‘infotaining’ people, fulfills any of those things.”

“I love when a story doesn’t always go according to plan … the best things can happen spontaneously and it’s how you react to that and allow it to unfold, yet still control it as best you can, that makes for great television and that particular encounter made for great television because it was spontaneous.”

“Read. Be curious. Wonder and ask questions about what’s going on in the world. Then ask, ‘what questions drive you towards finding out what matters.”

Dec 11-17, 2011

“I got my love of television news and the art of story-telling with pictures, sound and words and never looked back.”

Mar 29 – April 4, 2015

“Broadcast journalism is an art and a calling. It takes the work of a lot of talented people to pull it off every day, against deadlines and the demand that it’s both accurate, fair and compelling.”

“Reporting is very rewarding but it’s very defined in how you do it and you know the steps in which you have to work. Writing fiction is different because it’s like you’re floating in space and grasping at things. It’s more of a free for all.”

Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2017

“I left Newfoundland in my early twenties, but never really stopped being homesick. When the opportunity to return presented, I jumped at it.”

Nov 19 – 25, 2017

“You have to have some idea of what’s going on in the world and what the day will look and feel like. That gets bred into you over the years. I’d feel naked if I went into work with no information.”

“We talk often about heroes. Parents from that generation, like my own, were true heroes.”

“I credit my beautiful wife for most things wonderful about my life and I take the blame for those things that aren’t. Just saying.”

“Life. It’s always interesting, isn’t it? Particularly when the cat leads a more intriguing life than you do.”

Feb 17- 23, 2019

“Sometimes news comes to you that way — tips and documents in brown paper envelopes. Sometimes it’s a voice at the other end of the telephone – someone who doesn’t want their name used, but who wants to get a story out there. It’s a thing about this business. One minute you’re planning your morning coffee, and the next minute you’re packing to cover a story that will be seen that night by hundreds of thousands of people.”

Mar 8 – 14, 2020

“The stories that deal with someone’s pain are the one that stand out – whether it’s a family touched by tragedy because of an impaired driver or a victim of senseless violence. Or murder. The stories about people who are victims of some cruel circumstance beyond their control are the ones that stick with me.”

“I think my father’s involvement in politics (Walter Carter) helped drive me towards journalism. They go hand in hand, and well, I wouldn’t have been a good politician.”