A day in my life at the office

Go ahead. Read this next sentence out loud.

"A person only has to read a few of the stories about the Standing Rock protest or see some of the pictures and videos to get a sense of the hostile stalemate over the construction of the new Dakota Access Pipeline."

Does it seem a little long to you?

To be fair, that sentence wasn't written to be read aloud. It was written for a report on a CBC website. Writing for a website or a newspaper is different than writing for the ear. For the ear, shorter sentences are better. They're easier to understand.

I'm a "for the ear" writer. I try very hard to tell a story, not just recite facts. My goal is to write as if you were sitting across the table from me and had just asked "So, what happened today?".

I anchor CBC Winnipeg News at 6. I also host Radio Noon on CBC Radio One 89.3 FM/990 AM. That means I hit the ground running every day. At noon, lots of stories are just developing, so a producer often hands me the information about someone I'm about to interview just as I'm introducing them live on the radio. I need to be able to speed read, listen well and roll with the punches. 

Luckily, it seldom comes to fisticuffs on Radio Noon, although we have been known to dance during the songs we play. Don't believe me? Peek into the studio windows the next time you walk by 541 Portage Avenue. 

By the time I turn my focus to our television newscast, one or two producers (depending on staffing that day) have already spent hours crafting the show's line-up. Our assignment producer has told them what stories our reporters have been assigned to, what our web writers are covering, and what video our camera operators are shooting. They then decide which stories are the most important or the most compelling, and place them in the order of what will air first, and what will air next. They also consider things like pacing and rhythm. We seldom run longer stories back to back. We tend to separate them with shorter pieces that I read.

A news line-up is an ever-evolving thing. Stories change from what we expected early in the day to what we found out was actually true. News breaks. Our reporters meet fascinating people. Our camera operators capture cool video. All these factors and more move stories up or down in the line-up.

At the end of every Vinyl Cafe, Stuart McLean thanks his "long-suffering story editor". That's how I feel about our CBC Winnipeg News producers. They are long-suffering. They work on the show for hours before I even arrive on their side of the newsroom, and then I usually suggest changes.

I also rewrite as much as I possibly can, to make the language conversational and clear. I read background information on the stories and ask reporters to clarify anything I don't understand.

My thinking is that if I don't understand the story, how can I tell it to anyone else?

I think of myself as the advocate for you, the audience. I ask myself and our reporters the same questions I think you might ask about a story, and I try to get you the answer.

That's the writing of CBC Winnipeg News at 6. Next comes the delivery. (Ok, next comes the mad scramble to do my hair and put on some make-up, and then comes the delivery.)

Anchoring the news is a weird gig. I have to be at my sharpest and looking my most polished at the end of a very full work day. I sit in a news studio, usually all by myself, speaking to tens of thousands of people I can't see. And it's live. Whatever goes right, whatever goes wrong, we're in it together.

By Janet Stewart, host of CBC Winnipeg News at 6 and CBC Radio One's Radio Noon

Since moving to Winnipeg from her native Nova Scotia in 2001, Janet has made connecting with the community one of her top priorities, lending her time and energy to many organizations.  Nominated for a Gemini Award as Best News Anchor in Canada in 2009, alongside Peter Mansbridge, Diana Swain, Heather Hiscox and Kevin Newman. She was also nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in 2014 and 2014 as Best News Anchor, Local.