News reporter Chu Anh Pham upholds high journalism standards
By Peter Nguyen
At age 25, cover girl Chu Anh Pham is already well known in Quebec, as hundreds of thousands of TV viewers tune in to RDI every day to watch her deliver the latest information on market indices and major securities.
Her business newsbreaks, broadcast six times per day, are not pre-scripted, so she has to think on her feet and exercise enormous discretion and judgment.
"I control my stress relatively well," she says modestly, in a recent interview at her residence in Plateau Mont-Royal.
Yet there have been times when she's had to scramble under ultra-tight deadlines. For example, she could suddenly find out -- 3 minutes before going live -- that the Dow Jones just went from minus 40 to plus 20. That's when a hectic search begins, using newswire services, the Net and other sources, to dig up the reason for the sudden change. Hundreds of thousands of people are waiting, on the other side of the TV screen, to hear from her.
Luckily, that's the exception more than the rule, and Chu Anh has been able to weather such irregular events. Occupying the position since last October, she's had time to adapt and, in fact, appears to be very much in control behind the news desk. Her colleagues even say she's very "zen."
Chu Anh puts things in proper perspective by comparing her job with that of an emergency room doctor, where a mistake can cost a life.
As far as her life is concerned, the Canadian-born Vietnamese reporter has apparently not made many mistakes. In fact, her track record shows a consistent level of achievement.
She graduated from College Jean-Eudes, the top-ranking private high school in Quebec, according to the Institut économique de Montréal. However, far from being an elitist, Chu Anh is a strong supporter of the public education system.
She went on to study Media Arts and Technologies at Cégep de Jonquière, where she received a scholarship. She also received a scholarship from Concordia University, where she's a few courses shy of completing her Bachelor's degree in political science and economics.
She has a big brother three years older, and a little sister three years younger.
Her parents came to Canada in 1977, and she's the first Canadian-born in her family.
When asked about returning to Vietnam, she says she looks forward to it yet admits to being a little apprehensive, since it would be the first time for her to discover Vietnam.
"I grew up in Quebec and I have the Quebec culture in me, but somehow, I still feel I am more Vietnamese than Quebecer," says the cover girl who can speak French, English and Vietnamese.
Regarding her future in news reporting, she cites Céline Galipeau as an inspiring role model, as well as Michaelle Jean, an award-winning Canadian reporter and filmmaker, and Daniel Lessard, a political journalist.
"Their news reporting is interesting and intellligent, and they don't try to sell a particular point of view," she says.
In a society dealing with constant change, there will always be a place for Chu Anh, a credible, capable and dedicated journalist for whom objectivity is job one.
At age 25, cover girl Chu Anh Pham is already well known in Quebec, as hundreds of thousands of TV viewers tune in to RDI every day to watch her deliver the latest information on market indices and major securities.
Her business newsbreaks, broadcast six times per day, are not pre-scripted, so she has to think on her feet and exercise enormous discretion and judgment.
"I control my stress relatively well," she says modestly, in a recent interview at her residence in Plateau Mont-Royal.
Yet there have been times when she's had to scramble under ultra-tight deadlines. For example, she could suddenly find out -- 3 minutes before going live -- that the Dow Jones just went from minus 40 to plus 20. That's when a hectic search begins, using newswire services, the Net and other sources, to dig up the reason for the sudden change. Hundreds of thousands of people are waiting, on the other side of the TV screen, to hear from her.
Luckily, that's the exception more than the rule, and Chu Anh has been able to weather such irregular events. Occupying the position since last October, she's had time to adapt and, in fact, appears to be very much in control behind the news desk. Her colleagues even say she's very "zen."
Chu Anh puts things in proper perspective by comparing her job with that of an emergency room doctor, where a mistake can cost a life.
As far as her life is concerned, the Canadian-born Vietnamese reporter has apparently not made many mistakes. In fact, her track record shows a consistent level of achievement.
She graduated from College Jean-Eudes, the top-ranking private high school in Quebec, according to the Institut économique de Montréal. However, far from being an elitist, Chu Anh is a strong supporter of the public education system.
She went on to study Media Arts and Technologies at Cégep de Jonquière, where she received a scholarship. She also received a scholarship from Concordia University, where she's a few courses shy of completing her Bachelor's degree in political science and economics.
She has a big brother three years older, and a little sister three years younger.
Her parents came to Canada in 1977, and she's the first Canadian-born in her family.
When asked about returning to Vietnam, she says she looks forward to it yet admits to being a little apprehensive, since it would be the first time for her to discover Vietnam.
"I grew up in Quebec and I have the Quebec culture in me, but somehow, I still feel I am more Vietnamese than Quebecer," says the cover girl who can speak French, English and Vietnamese.
Regarding her future in news reporting, she cites Céline Galipeau as an inspiring role model, as well as Michaelle Jean, an award-winning Canadian reporter and filmmaker, and Daniel Lessard, a political journalist.
"Their news reporting is interesting and intellligent, and they don't try to sell a particular point of view," she says.
In a society dealing with constant change, there will always be a place for Chu Anh, a credible, capable and dedicated journalist for whom objectivity is job one.
posted by Super Peter at 11:19 AM
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