The leaders of seven of the most powerful countries on the planet gathered in Kananakis at the G7 Leaders Summit hosted by Prime Minster Mark Carney.
Trump left early, and the Mail arrived late.
I spent last Tuesday, June 17, in the International Press Centre in Banff, Alberta, as the leaders hashed out agreements at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Lodge, about an hour away.
Having attended the 2002 G8 Conference as a student intern for Associated Press, it became clear that the media landscape had changed. This was before the days of smartphones and social media. It was also the days before there was such a separation between the media and those who were making the decisions they were reporting on.
In 2002, the media centre in Calgary was loud and hectic. Wandering among the media were unnamed officials, who could offer insight, and sources able to make comments. You might run into a delegate or a professor who could add a new angle or a tidbit to chase.
And well that might still be true if you are a member of the media with a well-established international beat, and also part of the pool media that were able to attend the Pomeroy, but this time the media center felt more utilitarian.
In the International Media Center, there were desks, rows and rows of workspace. Each spot was equipped with an audio feed and a row of screens that would flash consequential moments of the summit 80 kilometres away, when it was time for a photo op or a scrum. Outside, the workspace, the television media from around the world had cameras and light rigging set up with beautiful vistas of the Bow Valley to broadcast from.
I went up and down the rows of desks looking for a space that was not taken. Most had makeshift signs taped to the desk indicating the seat was taken. I found a seat, set up my computer, and waited.
Around me, reporters were writing ledes, in and out, talking on phones, filing stories. Browsing news sites, you could see the stories appear virtually in real time. Much of the information that was fed live from the Lodge, while many others with tidbits of leaked information, some offering context provided by a high-ranking official. Many are covering the Conference with a perspective from their audience. The Indian media spoke about the significance of Modi attending, the Italian media emphasized the statement on containing migrant smuggling, for instance.
Most all, wrote about Trump… or the absence of Trump.
Because I arrived the morning after he departed, I can’t comment on how the atmosphere had changed among the media and, like him or loath him, I was very interested to see the American President through these live feeds, uncut and unfiltered, rather than curated clips.
Did his absence cast a pall on the Summit? I think so. However, despite his absence, the G7 arrived at a conclusion with seven statements, which, while may seem inconsequential to many of us sloggin through our work days, but on the global scale could make a difference. Did they miss the mark on some things? A representative from Bonos One Campaign lamented the heavy economic focus of the agenda of the summit. And while the focus may have been economic going in, the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran took center stage.
Did Trump's leaving sully my experience? No. I had the second opportunity of my lifetime to observe pure journalism in action, up-to-the-second updates, developing narrative and story, working sources of information and context and putting them in front of an audience.
