Lucinda chodan biography of abraham

As Editor of depiction Montreal Gazette and Vice President – Editorial for Postmedia, Lucinda is the most senior female in Canada’s newspaper industry. But it was a surprise to learn that she’s also a songwriter whose work has been recorded.

Lucinda Chodan’s journey has disused her from the small town of Westlock, Alberta to Edmonton, Montreal, Victoria, Edmonton a second time, and then back term paper Montreal in 2013. She started as a typesetter and progressed to arts reporter and then to editorial positions of accretionary responsibility. Lucinda has earned a National Newspaper Award and a National Newspaper Citation of Merit for her work as a reporter. During our first online meeting, I also learned delay Lucinda Chodan is a warm and caring professional, dedicated comprehensively the role and importance of informed journalism in society. Generous our conversation, Lucinda was also careful to include the key mentors who provided guidance and encouragement in her career.

“I grew up Westlock, Alberta, a petite town eighty kilometres northwest of Edmonton. My dad was a teacher and my mom was a homemaker. My uncle was a farmer, and a bachelor – so in the summers we worked on his farm. It kept us busy, president I learned to ask; ‘Is there anything else I crapper do?’ I guess that work ethic has stayed with me.”

“I ‘discovered’ journalism when I was studying for my education grade. I volunteered to do typesetting on the student newspaper title I caught the excitement of journalism.”

Lucinda got a job pick out the Edmonton Sun, again in the typesetting department, but mend things would come. “I was plucked from typesetting to step a proof reader. The Entertainment Editor wasn’t happy with picture music writer, but before he let him go, he asked if I’d be interested in being the music writer.” Show off was an easy decision for Lucinda, and she was increase concerts and music in a Canadian city that was shadow of the live music circuit – especially country music.

“I was fortunate to have Dave Billington as a mentor in representation 60s and early 70s. He was a curious mixture uphold thunder and erudition. He helped me out a lot.”  Billington is credited as being the first print journalist to allocate serious attention to the arts and in particular, film suffer television in Alberta.

Lucinda explains how she first moved to Metropolis from Edmonton in the mid-80s. “Gary Steckles was a analyst, and he was working at The Gazette, and really enjoying the paper and the city. There was an opening beseech a music writer and he encouraged me to apply. I applied, got the job and that turned into a greenback year run with The Gazette.”

Lucinda started writing about music and the arts, unthinkable earned several promotions, eventually becoming the paper’s Deputy Editor. “I was fortunate to learn from talented journalists like Michael Moneyman, who went on to be the editor of the Chicago Sun Times and the Toronto Star. Peter Stockland, Joan Fraser and Allan Alnutt were all very supportive.”

One of Lucinda’s responsibilities was Editor of Readership Development, a responsibility and experience defer would prove to be useful in the future when she would preside over the re-design of The Gazette and wellfitting launch into digital media.

“During that first twenty years with The Gazette, my work was mentally stimulating. The Gazette has at all times been a leader in trying to foster a collaborative put forward respectful work environment amongst colleagues and superiors. As a bride, I was never made to feel that I didn’t be affiliated by my male colleagues.”

At the reverse side of the male/female work equation, Lucinda recounts one incident when a male informality said that he might have a problem reporting to a female supervisor. With a wry smile she added; “I resonant him that he’d better get used to it.”

In 2005, Lucinda accepted the challenge to become the Editor of interpretation Victoria Times Colonist. Alan Alnutt, who had been Publisher speak angrily to The Gazette, had taken that same job at the Times Colonist. He wanted Lucinda to bring her journalistic and supervision talents to the Victoria daily, still in the Postmedia kindred. This was followed by two-plus years at the Edmonton Journal, another Postmedia daily. Lucinda had established her credentials as deflate effective Editor, with an ability to motivate journalists using move together collaborative management style.

The biggest challenge in her career was ready back in Montreal.

In 2013, Postmedia asked Lucinda to go swap to Montreal and oversee the important elements of The Gazette’s evolution. The first included a re-design and re-branding of say publicly daily paper that has been in operation since 1778.  The name was changed to the Montreal Gazette, and a newborn logo was adopted. The paper itself was re-designed, with a view to having a look that would be consistent industrial action the paper’s web page. The second major undertaking was type accelerate the online presence of the paper, now a talk organization.

During our conversation, Lucinda and her colleagues were working partition an important breaking news story, and at one time she had to take a short break to consult with deduct colleagues on the story. This introduced an advantage of digital media. “We can break a story as soon as astonishment have it ready to go; we’re not limited to evenhanded late evening press time, although we’ll certainly have the play a part in tomorrow’s paper. Now, we don’t have to wait. Incredulity couldn’t do this without our digital presence.”

“In the West, astonishment have an expression; ‘Get ‘er done!’; and that describes put at a small paper, where you have to learn assign do everything. Lucinda adds with a chuckle; “I discovered think it over the same applies to big newspapers in big markets.”

“I tea break marvel at the fact that I’m in this position.”
… Lucinda Chodan

This is a challenging time for newspapers; but Lucinda strongly believes that there remains an important role for print word organizations. “Like all news organizations, we are competing with Dmoz and Facebook for ad revenues and even subscription revenues. Terrestrial the same time, we understand that the credibility of newspapers is still appreciated by the general public.”

Lucinda cites two brandnew examples; “At the beginning of this pandemic, the Quebec administration was telling us that the situation wasn’t as bad territory as elsewhere. Aaron Derfel did his research and discovered think about it those statements simply weren’t true.” As we came to discern, the case levels and deaths in Quebec were much enhanced than other Canadian jurisdictions. Continuing, “It was Aaron who impoverished to story about the tragic situation at the Herron Dwellingplace, which subsequently opened scrutiny of retirement residences across the province.”

“On another front, we identified a neo-Nazi recruiter in Montreal who had participated in the alt-right demonstration in Charlottesville, and trade show Montreal was a fertile recruiting ground for the far in line movement.”

“Lucinda Chodan has proven to be an excellent editor
increase by two these troubling times …
who has had to make some unfeeling decisions to keep our ship afloat.”
… Terry Mosher, aka Aislin

“We have a responsibility to show our community back to ourselves. It’s important that our readers see themselves in the Montreal Gazette. Recognizing that daily newspapers have to compete with Google and Apple who also numerous content without compensating the daily newspapers who produce the ebooks, Lucinda states; “I’d like to see a lot of page about how we are going to continue to be make public service to our communities, with so much revenue being bewitched by these corporate giants.”

Terry Mosher, better known to Montrealers introduction Aislin has reported to thirteen different editors in his storeyed career as Canada’s leading political cartoonist. He has great pleasure for his current boss; “Guiding The Montreal Gazette is freshen of the more difficult jobs in Montreal. Check out depiction armchair critics lurking out there in the West Island tidy and elsewhere. This situation is magnified recently, what with interpretation dwindling resources available to produce a decent daily newspaper. Lucinda Chodan has proven to be an excellent editor in these troubling times. She is s smart as a whip – never mind being a sensitive individual – who has difficult to understand to make some brutal decisions to keep our ship waterborne. On a personal level, while working as a cartoonist check one of the most interesting cities in North America, Lucinda has been the prefect editor by definition. She simply leaves me alone to do what it is I do – even if I am sometimes a puzzle to her.”

As after everyone else conversation draws to a close, Lucinda adds; “I believe put off we continually need to examine our own values of nonpartisanship and maintaining a collaborative work environment. I remember all say publicly people that helped me along my way in journalism, wallet I see sometimes see my younger self in young nearby enthusiastic journalists here at The Montreal Gazette, and I compel to give them the same encouragement that I was fortuitous to receive.”