It took four months.
And now, finally, I have come to terms with the fact that news here in Perth is not ever going to be like the news I covered in Joburg.
I doubt I am going to experience the pure exhilaration of running through alleyways while the cops chase the bad guys or take cover as projectiles take flight.
And now, finally, I have come to terms with the fact that news here in Perth is not ever going to be like the news I covered in Joburg.
I doubt I am going to experience the pure exhilaration of running through alleyways while the cops chase the bad guys or take cover as projectiles take flight.
I doubt I am ever going to taste gunpowder on my lips or hear the distinct crack of gunfire as a gathering turns violent.
And I seriously doubt I am ever going to see a corpse here.
Since I've been here, I have not covered a violent crime scene, have not interviewed an angry victim, have not been disgusted by greed and opulence and have not had to step into squalor.
I have not seen hope in the eyes of the less fortunate or the bounty full laugh of a street vendor and I have not yet been amazed by simple kindness.
News in Perth is not as obvious as news in Joburg. Here, one has to really dig, scratch and find unique angles. A story on the brightly coloured shoes that theatre nurses wear - to bring out their individuality because they all wear the same theatre uniforms - would hardly get the joburg news desk in flutter, but here it made news.
A list of Western Australia's "most wanted" was hidden somewhere on page 12 and not splashed on the front page.
A story on the less fortunate gets a shrug from decision makers and if TV news is to carry a story, you can guarantee that it wont make the paper.
I have come to accept that I am going to cover things like attempted carjackings and not bloody hijackings and I have come to terms with the reality that at a union protest, nobody is going to toyi-toyi.
I have not seen hope in the eyes of the less fortunate or the bounty full laugh of a street vendor and I have not yet been amazed by simple kindness.
News in Perth is not as obvious as news in Joburg. Here, one has to really dig, scratch and find unique angles. A story on the brightly coloured shoes that theatre nurses wear - to bring out their individuality because they all wear the same theatre uniforms - would hardly get the joburg news desk in flutter, but here it made news.
A list of Western Australia's "most wanted" was hidden somewhere on page 12 and not splashed on the front page.
A story on the less fortunate gets a shrug from decision makers and if TV news is to carry a story, you can guarantee that it wont make the paper.
I have come to accept that I am going to cover things like attempted carjackings and not bloody hijackings and I have come to terms with the reality that at a union protest, nobody is going to toyi-toyi.
The colour in my life is no more.
Oh how I miss you SA.
Hey Lee, You losing your touch? I would have loved a story on how nurses wear different coloured shoes to show their individuality. It would have made a great change from the usual stories of death and mayhem. You're not so badly off - working in Perth means you can find news in everything.
ReplyDeleteMiss you a lot in our newsroom,
Cecilia