Thanks

I have thought about it, and I think it appropriate to write a few thank yous for my 11 and a half years with Report magazines.

The reason that I argue so passionately that something like The Report is necessary is partly due to my own story. I first entered journalism during my days at The Ubyssey, the student newspaper at the University of British Columbia. I won't go into it in any detail, but The Ubyssey was a very liberal place back then, so when I started to ease towards working for British Columbia Report I enjoyed being able to work and learn in a newsroom full of like minds.

I'd like to say thanks to Ted and Virginia Byfield for patiently working with me. I hope that someone picks up the vision of what they created. I am glad that I was able to help them to do what they have done in a small way.

I respect Link Byfield as well. Although I disagree with him in the post below, that doesn't lessen my gratitude for our good working relationship.

When British Columbia Report was folded into The Report in the fall of 1999, I wish that more attention had been paid to the good work that the sister magazine to AR had done. Our readership was overwhelmingly located outside of the Lower Mainland, so the Vancouver media never really understood how helpful B.C. Report, and it's editor, Terry O'Neill, was to the conservative cause in B.C..

I owe Terry extra thanks for his unfailing work to develop me as a reporter. My future bosses will be grateful for his patience with me.

I also thank Kevin Michael Grace for his patience-of-Job labours with me when I worked in the same newsroom as he did.

I never did work in the Edmonton newsroom. I have tales of my own about the Vancouver office, but Alberta Report must also have been a fun place to work.

That I am thankful for my continuing relationship with my Report Blogosphere colleagues goes without saying. Except I just did. Rats.