Less fiction in journalism
Courtesy: Nick Huard
Story told by Nick Huard
People in the community know me. Just look for the stick with the feathers and you’re sure it’s me.
They know me for my honesty. I can’t lie. If you lie, you’ve gotta fight with that lie all your life. It’s pointless. You’re better off telling the truth and then you will always remember what you said, because you spoke the truth. Works for me.
I was told that I had a lot of balls to walk around with a staff with eagle feathers on it.
I got a problem when people say, “We have the rights.” No, you have the responsibilities. And it’s my responsibility to tell you the truth about what’s going on. That’s the mission of journalism, to tell the truth to the people.
Mind you, when you’re working with big corporations, where they’re owned by someone else who dictates the news, that’s tough. It’s very difficult and frustrating, because you go out to get the story:
“It’s not gonna work.”
The story gets dumped, and they send me on something else.
It’s so difficult. You always have to please someone when you’re doing a story. Or be restricted because you only have 26 minutes to tell everything.
So when they told me that I was the wrong colour to work for the CBC during the Oka Crisis, so be it. I went and did some documentaries instead. That was much more fun: less fiction.
Ká:ron tsi ok Thikakaríson
Nick Huard roká:raton
Iontienté:ri ne tsi nihá:ti ne onkwanakerahserá:kon. Nek sé:sak ne kà:nhien tánon o’sto’seri’shòn:’a iá:’onte tánon orihwí:io ahstia’tatshén:ri’.
Iontienté:ri tsi wakerihwakwaríhsion.
Iah thakenó:wenhte’
Tóka’ enhsenó:wenhte’, entà:’onk ensahskehnháhsheke’.
Sewatieren’kó:wa.
Ioiánere aiesarihwakwarohsiónhsheke’
áse’ken akwah tokèn:’a nen’ nè:’e nahò:ten sathrorià:ton. Ioiánere aiesarihwakwarohsiónhsheke’ tánon tiótkon aonsesehiahrà:sheke’ nahò:ten í:sen, áse’ken akwah tokèn:’a nen’ nè:’e nahò:ten sathrorià:ton. Ioió’te nakerihwà:ke.
Wa’onkhró:ri’ tsi na’tekenén:ia’ tsi nikhá:wi ne kà:nhien à:kweks io’nahsen’tónnion.
Wakaterì:waien nó:nen ón:kwe ahonnì:ron’ “ionkwaianerenhserá:ien.” Iah ten, saterihwaién:ni. Tánon ì:’i wakaterihwaién:ni akonhró:ri kwah tokèn:’en nahò:ten niiawénhseron’. Tho ní:tsi aiakorihwarò:ron’, ahonwahroriánion’ nonkwe’shòn:’a kwah tokèn:’en tsi ní:ioht.
Nó:nen skátne enseniió’ten’ ne ratikowá:nen’s, akó:ren ki’ wáhi tieniarotáhrhoks tionnónhtons nahò:ten tewaterihwarenià:tha’, waterihwentó:re. Kwah í:ken tsi wentó:re tánon teioterien’takária, áse’ken ahskararahstà:na’.
“Iah thaioió’ten’.”
Ísi’ iahonátion’ ne oká:ra, tánon ó:ia’ nahò:ten aontaionkwatenniéhten’. Kwah í:ken tsi wentó:re. Ó:nenk tsi tiótkon ónhka ahsherien’tí:iohste’ nó:nen ahská:raton’. Tóka’ ni’ nek ié:ken aiesarihwawíhsheke’ 26 nikahseriiè:take’ ne akwé:kon ahská:raton’.
Sha’onkhró:ri tsi iah thia’tekaié:ri tsi na’kihnò:ten ne CBC aontio’ténhsera’ Oka Crisis shikahá:wi, ok thikawenní:io. Khé:ken tohkára ní:kon “documentary” wa’kón:ni’. Sénha ion’wé:sen ne thí:ken: ká:ron tsi ok thikakaríson.
Translation by Katsenhaién:ton Lazare