Yesterday, I came across a Google Doc where Canadian journalists shared their favourite stories of the year.
I saw many amazing pieces while sifting through the list. But for me, I felt a bit self-conscious about sharing my favourite story because I felt that everyone else was so much more established than I was.
The list however, made me reflect back on the year. While 2016 has been difficult, I can say that I am proud of the many things I got to achieve.
From reporting on Pokemon Go, finding a passion for race and diversity issues to getting a story played on national radio, there were definitely some wins.
So because I deserve some self-love and appreciation, I’m going to share a few of the best stories I did this year.
Separatist Northern Ontario Party is officially registered
I spent most of 2016 working out of Sudbury as a reporter. The move from Toronto was difficult for me, but being in the city allowed me to view the place from a different perspective.
Living there, I realized the disdain people had for people down south. For some people, the only way to solve that was to create a separatist Northern Ontario party so that the region would have its own governing body as a province.
I am proud of this story because of the conversation it started on Reddit, Facebook and Twitter. The story was also the butt of a joke for This Hour has 22 Minutes , which I guess means I’ve made it big.
Sudbury woman hides handmade Pokemon characters around the city for people to find
When I found out a woman was crocheting and hiding Pokemon around the city for people to find, I just knew I had to do a story about it.
She wasn’t out to sell her creations or get any fame from it. She was only doing it to make people happy. It was honestly touching to hear that, and I knew it would make people feel good.
I am also proud of this piece because of the initiative I took. I saw this story as an opportunity for a video, so I took out my cell phone and edited the footage I got on my spare time. The result is the above video.
Seeing the comments from people was very rewarding.
New Canadians share what it’s finally like to be a Canadian
With Justin Trudeau’s decision to welcome Syrian refugees into the country, there’s no doubt that immigration is on everyone’s minds these days.
There isn’t much to say about this story other than the fact that it made me happy to hear from so many diverse voices. I was proud to be from a country that welcomes people from all over the world including China, Jordan, Indonesia and the UK.
I was also happy with the way I edited this piece. It’s pleasant on the ears, and I sometimes listen to this because it’s so nice to hear new Canadians being so proud of their country.
Pokemon Go meet-up stopped by red tape
This was the year Pokemon became my beat. Not many people in my newsroom understood the game quite like I did. So when I noticed that the city was making organizers of a Pokemon Go meet-up pay a permit, I thought that was weird. After all, most meet-ups are done for free and without much trouble!
The story went national, and it got a lot of people riled up. So much so, that the City of Sudbury called me up and told me they misunderstood the “nature of the game” after the intense media attention.
I know it’s a simple story about city issues, but it’s a piece that changed a policy. And so, I’m glad.
How Young Asian Makeup Artists Are Challenging Beauty Industry Norms
I’ll admit that I came back from Sudbury feeling dejected because I felt I had bad story ideas.
But after sifting through an old op-ed I wrote in a student magazine about double eyelid surgery, I wanted to see if there were any activists speaking out against it.
I came across a beauty blogger in Indonesia who teaches people how to do make up for monolids. When I found her, I thought, “BINGO! Here’s my next story!”
The reason why I loved this piece was because the story was about an issue that hits many Asian people around the world. I personally don’t have monolids, but I know people who do.
I wrote this story because I wanted Asian girls to embrace their features. Society cares too much about appearances, and it’s crushing to see how beauty standards affect people.
When the piece was published, I was touched by how people reacted to it. The blogger I interviewed received many comments of support, with many of those people telling her how much she means to them.
How Asian Actors Are Still Getting The Short End Of The Hollywood Stick
2016 was a bad year for a lot of people. But for Asian-Americans, it was a terrible year for diversity.
From whitewashed roles to the lack of recognition for Asian actors, I thought it was time I spoke my piece about years and years of bullshit.
The article made me proud because I got to write about something I was passionate about it.
2017, please do better for our community.
‘My Voice Was Not Being Heard’: ‘Miss World’ Hopeful Opens Up on Speech Restrictions
This story was just published this week, and I’m glad I got one more piece in before the new year. This was also exciting, because it’s my first piece for NBC News.
Last year, I interviewed Miss World Canada about how she was risking her chance to compete for speaking out about human rights issues in China. As a result of her activism, she was not able to compete.
This year, she was allowed. However, she had a lot of trouble expressing herself because of speech restrictions from pageant organizers.
I felt this was an important story to follow, because I believe in freedom of speech. I too ran into complications trying to interview Anastasia Lin during the pageant window. But once the competition was over, she spoke to me openly and didn’t hold back.
I spent a lot of this year feeling like crap because I was told I had bad story ideas. But yesterday, I got an email that reaffirmed my belief that I should be in journalism.
It was so kind that I’m going to share a bit of it here:
“Thanks for sharing this article and bringing us deeper perspective on why there was such difficulty for Anastasia’s voice to be heard while competing in America for Miss World. I’ve been a fan of Miss Lin since she took the stage for human rights abuses of her fellow country men and women, practicing Falun Gong, in her homeland that have been undergoing such brutal inhumane atrocities.
As you can imagine, bringing such news to the mainstream is not always an easy journey.
Thank you for playing out your role as an objective reporter and being part of giving back a voice to the voiceless.”
Knowing that my work has an effect on people makes me so happy.
I hope 2017 will allow me to do more good work.
And to those who have supported me along the way, thank you so much!
Spammymonkey 