Tuesday, November 28, 2023
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Adrienne Arsenault has a jagged, fist-sized rock. It's her rock, a memento of sorts. The rock is a reminder of the possibility that sometimes things can go horribly wrong. The rock came crashing through her car window, thrown by a protestor in Jerusalem. It happened during a confrontation between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews. When things got violent, there was a chase, Adrienne was dragged, but finally made it to the car. The rock was a parting gift. It's a way to remind herself to stay connected to the story.
And connect she has - the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the Asian Tsunami, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Libya. She's brought those stories - and more - home to Canadians. Adrienne's dodged bullets and bombs and disasters - both man-made and natural. It's a career that began out of sheer luck. She was on her way to a job in radio and got lost... literally. In the process of finding her way, she was offered a job in TV. It's a fitting path for this only child of TV parents and now, after years away, Adrienne is back in Canada - mostly. She's back in the place she grew up, telling stories to Canadians about their own country from places like Attawapiskat.
And she's doing it in a time when news agencies are cutting back, with fewer dollars for stories. We'll ask her how that's affected her work. And we'll find out if a nomadic foreign correspondent can ever really come home again.
@TheStromboShow