Journalism Idol Presentation for first year Carleton Students: Peter Mansbridge.

1. The Mansbridge
Effect
By Megan Harrison and Megan Sibley

2. “
”
That meant heading over to a microphone at the ticket counter, pushing
down the Talk button, and rolling out these words: “Transair Flight 106 for
Thompson, The Pas and Winnipeg is now ready for boarding at Gate One.
Passengers travelling with small children and those requiring boarding
assistance, please check with the agent at the gate.” Then I was supposed
to dash to the gate to be that agent, but before I could get there, someone
who had been standing in the crown cut in front of me. “You’ve got a great
voice,” he said. “Have you ever thought of being in radio?”
And that is how I started working for the CBC. The man in the crowd was
Gaston Charpentier, the station manager of CHFC, the tiny CBC Northern
Service station in Churchill.
-Peter Mansbridge describing the early years,
working at an airport in Churchill, Manitoba

3. Biography

4. Biography
• Current chief CBC News correspondent
• Anchors The National, and Mansbridge: One on One, as well as all
specials for CBC News
• Born in London, England in 1948 (in the aftermath of WWII)
• Spent his childhood in Canada, and was a member of the Royal
Canadian Navy (dropped out of high school)
• Began journalistic career in 1968, patching news to Northern Canada
• Signed on with the CBC in 1971 with CBC Radio, then CBC Television
in 1975
• Mansbridge became chief correspondent/anchor for CBC’s The National
in 1988
• Mansbridge has received 12 Gemini Awards, and has recognized by
countless universities worldwide

5. “
”
These young people have spent thousands of
their (or their parents’) hard-earned dollars on
years of classes hoping, just hoping, to get a
shot at the short list for such a job.
-Mansbridge describing his feelings towards some young journalists

6. Our Thoughts

7. Our Thoughts
• Mansbridge is a skilled and experienced
interviewer
• He is a household name on Canadian
radios and televisions
• Peter Mansbridge rises to allegations of
controversy
• He is a natural journalist, with reporting
as primal nature
• Young journalists worldwide are inspired
by the career of Peter Mansbridge

8. “
”
It’s probably safe to assume I've done an
average of one interview a day. That
begins to approach fifteen thousand
interviews. So let’s be ultra-conservative
and say I've done around ten thousand.
-Mansbridge quips in his book, “Peter Mansbridge One on One”

9. Overview of
Stories

10. Overview of Stories
• On The National, Mansbridge covers locally and globally
impactful stories that are important to Canadians
• He interviews social and political figures that are prevalent in
today’s society (ex; he is the only Canadian journalist to
interview two of the world’s leaders, Barack Obama and
David Cameron)
• He is the anchor that the world looks to in the event of
breaking news (ex; commended for comprehensive
coverage throughout the recent Ottawa shootings)
• His weekly show, Mansbridge: One on One, Mansbridge
interviews newsmakers in a more intimate setting (Ex;
recent guests include Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray)

11. “
”
When journalism students ask me, “What’s the secret
to a good interview?” I respond by telling them to
find their own comfort zone and develop their own
technique. While I've always felt you can earn from
others, copying them is not the way to go.
-Mansbridge on the power of being yourself

12. Reporting
Style

13. Reporting Style
• Spends the majority of his career interviewing; “non-confrontational”
style
• Learns from the techniques of other reporters
• Stresses the importance of doing your homework
• Understands that good interviewers must truly listen

14. “
”
Then his baritone rumbles to life like a gas
generator. Heads swivel and brows lift and even
when Mansbridge says something mundane — “I’ll
just get a couple of eggs, over-easy, with brown
toast and sliced tomatoes, please” — it sounds
momentous, like breakfast will be followed by a
referendum or Gulf war.”
-Viney Menon (Columnist for The Star)

15. Audience

16. Audience
• Mansbridge hosts a national
Canadian
• He strives to “offer a range of
diverse viewpoints”
• Mansbridge possesses an element
of connectivity with his audience;
Canada is captivated by his work
• His work has been recognized by
institutions across the globe

17. “
”
People always assume [interviews with big names]
are my most memorable. And while many are right
up there on my list, its often talking to ordinary
people caught in extraordinary circumstances that I
find has affected me most.
-Mansbridge stressing the importance of interviewing everyday people

18. Overall
Contribution

19. Overall Contribution
• Mansbridge is both an inspired journalist and human being
• He answers the questions that need to be answered
• He stresses the importance of interviewing everyday people
• Mansbridge crosses boundaries and borders, speaking to the silenced
• He has helped reinforce Canada’s place in the world of contemporary journalism

20. “
”
“Of course I put in long hours and worked hard to move up the
ladder. But lots of people put in long hours and work hard, and
don't end up where I did. And I'm a high school dropout. I'm not
proud of that. But I don't hide it either. I especially don't hide it
from young people who may be thinking about leaving school.
What a terrible idea that is.
If someone with my background applied for a job with CBC News
today, we'd take that as evidence he was delusional.”
-Peter Mansbridge stressing lessons for young journalists

21. Key Lessons

22. Key Lessons
1.Take chances, and find your
passion!
2.Objectivity in journalism is
vital

23. Thank you

24. Works Cited
• Jonsson, Adam, and Jake English. "Around the World: Canadian Coverage of Ottawa Shooting Praised by International Media." Jsourceca. The
Canadian Journalism Project, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. http://jpress.journalism.ryerson.ca/jsource/around-the-world-canadian-coverage-praised-
by-international-media/
•
• Mansbridge, Peter. "Inside the News with Peter Mansbridge." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 09 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/petermansbridge/about-peter.html
• Mansbridge, Peter. Peter Mansbridge: One on One; Favourite Conversations and the Stories behind Them. Toronto, ON: Random House, 2009.
Print.
• McQueen, Cynthia. "CBC's Peter Principle." NOW Magazine. 06 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. https://nowtoronto.com/news/features/cbcs-peter-principle/
• Menon, Viney. "Peter Mansbridge: CBC’s Anchor in a Storm." Thestar.com. Toronto Star, 23 May 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2014/05/23/peter_mansbridge_cbcs_anchor_in_a_storm.html
• The National. "Peter Mansbridge: 25 Years as Anchor of The National." YouTube. YouTube, 2 May 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS-M2xsbLHM