Since graduating from Carleton’s journalism program, Emily Ridlington’s career has allowed her to witness the beluga whale hunts in the Arctic, crowded coliseums in Singapore, and most recently the first Youth Winter Olympics in Austria Jan. 13-22.
Ridlington, 24, is one of 15 international journalists selected for the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Young Reporters Programme to report on the games.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have been presented with this opportunity,” Ridlington said. “There are so many cultures and people are coming from so many different backgrounds. The fact that sport links it all is very telling.”
Ridlington was selected from a group of 29 journalists worldwide who covered the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Ridlington said she’s continuously learning in the IOC’s Young Reporters Programme, which allows journalists to report in a competitive environment with the support and guidance of mentors.
“Hearing their stories, especially in transitions between working locally, nationally, and then abroad, feeding off of their knowledge is really empowering,” Ridlington said.
So far, Ridlington said she has especially enjoyed her time on the ski hill, filming skiers and snowboarders on the half-pipe.
“It’s nice to be in the mountains, it’s nice to be outside working and mingling with international reporters,” she said.
From an early age, Ridlington said she knew she wanted to wanted to go into journalism.
“I enjoy telling people stories, and I enjoy languages and writing, so I thought it was a way to combine all those activities,” Ridlington said.
At 17, Ridlington left her home town of Sackville, N.B. to travel to Ottawa for university. After graduating in 2009, Ridlington worked on and off for a year in the Ottawa area to save money to freelance abroad.
Two years ago, she took on a more long-term adventure, going to work as a broadcast journalist in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
“I think working in northern Canada does have certain challenges,” Ridlington said. “But it is also very rewarding because I have gotten to do things that most other journalists would never get to do.”
Outside of work, Ridlington is very involved in the community, coaching a soccer league for kids, and organizing volunteers for the city’s two main festivals. She even took up a parka-making class this fall.
“When you live in a place as remote as Iqaluit you not only have to get involved in the community for work, but also for personal reasons because you gain so much.”
Although Ridlington enjoys her time in Canada’s north, all good things will eventually come to an end and one day she’ll move south, she said.
She said young reporters should try to take a less conventional route and look to the northern territories for a job — not just Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.
“That’s what makes it fun and interesting,” she said. “I have been able to have an amazing experience both with the Olympics and by living in the Arctic.”
