Oh, the horror.
That’s what Karen Sinclair’s students loved the most about their tour of the Oliver Chronicle office in October. They recently sent in letters expressing their thoughts on the creepy adventure.
Gee, we didn’t think our office was that scary, but sometimes journalism can be a cut-throat business.
Khushdeep Gill wrote that the “torture dungeon” was the best part of the tour.
“The stairs creaked as we slowly walked down to see . . . the torture! There were cobwebs everywhere. I found out that the dungeon was many, many years old.”
Thanks, Khushdeep, we’ll have to sharpen our guillotine for next year.
Emma Loughheed said she learned that writing a newspaper in the “olden” days was a lot of work.
Jade Stevens thought the “torcher” dungeon was quite dramatic, but the other areas were interesting too.
“The typing machines that you had in Mr. Somerville’s office . . . they were huge and cool. Somebody pointed out a ‘hole’ bunch of sticky notes. I wonder how many there were.”
Trystan said he liked the old western saloon doors and the small pirate ship in the editor’s office. “I learned that newspapers were made from hand in the old days.”
Sione Fine said the “torcher” dungeon was really terrifying while walking down the creepy stairs. “When we want back up I felt much better.”
Jakob Arnold said he loved the dark and dreary “dungeon of death.”
The reporter bug really rubbed off on Sharleen Brar who asked us the following questions:
Q: Are there more ladies or boys working there or no?
A: There are three ladies and two men working at the Chronicle.
Q: If you weren’t a news reporter, what would you be?
A: A horror movie reviewer (in our dungeon).
Q: What places have you gone to (to interview kids and adults?
A: Schools and public meetings.
Kael Koteles said he really enjoyed learning about how newspapers were made before computers.
Emma Stagg said she wishes she was a reporter or an editor. “Is it fun or not fun editing?” she asked.
It is really fun to find and correct mistakes, Emma.
Jessica Dhillon said she liked asking questions because it helped her make a news report.
“What inspired you to become a reporter? I am really curious,” she asked.
Well, Jessica, I loved writing poetry when I was a teenager, so I wanted to write creative stories for a living.
Zoe Crowley said the Chronicle’s basement looks like the attic of a haunted house.
Ansh Sharma said she learned that putting a newspaper together is a hard job, especially the weekly deadlines.
“I think you are great reporters. Your team works fast and perfectly . . . I will try to be a reporter like you.”
Thanks, Ansh. We wish we were perfect, but nobody is. We all make mistakes, but try to keep them at a minimum.
Navrit Dhaliwal said a favourite part of the tour was seeing the “dead employs” in the dungeon. That’s funny, Navrit, we didn’t see any dead workers . . . worked to death, maybe.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
