Anne-Rachelle Boulanger is a fourth year student majoring in Honours International Development Studies (IDS) with a minor in Psychology. She is also the President of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) McGill, a club dedicated to informing the public on the human rights issues going on around the world.
Fanta Kamara for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): How you explain what JHR is to people who don’t know?
Anne-Rachelle Boulanger (AB): JHR is a media mobilization group and we work to get the word out on human rights issues going on around the world. It’s about empowering journalists.
HC McGill: Why did you decide to join JHR?
AB: One of my friend’s friends was the President of JHR last year, and she told me to stop by the GM (General Meeting), just to see if I would like it. I found it really interesting, so I joined the newspaper team and then from that, I was elected to VP Newspaper and then President.
HC McGill: Are you interested in writing, since you started with the newspaper?
AB: Yes. The newspaper really helped me develop my writing. It’s a different type of writing than we do for school because it’s in a journalistic style. You really just have to stick to the concrete facts; no bias, but I’m really interested in that sort of writing.
HC McGill: Do you find it hard to keep your opinion out of your articles?
AB: Well, there are “two types” of articles. Essentially, you can do short stories, and that’s really just giving the facts. Those are great because even though you can’t really give your opinion, it allows you to do a lot of research and learn about what’s actually going on. It’s more about informing people, so it doesn’t matter [that you’re not giving your opinion]. It’s just doing that research and having other people know about it. The op-eds (Opinion Editorials) are great because that’s when you do get to give your opinion and talk about how you feel. I’ve done a couple of those and those have been great.
HC McGill: Is there a specific issue or case that you prefer to write about? Or do you keep it general?
AB: When I was writing, I tried to be general because I was using JHR to learn about different issues, but nowadays I’ve gotten more of a focus. I’m interested in Liberia. I’ve done a lot of work and research on the civil war, and the current issues such as Ebola.
HC McGill: What do you think makes JHR unique and different from other publications?
AB: There are a couple of things. JHR is great because you can get involved through radio or TV or newspaper, so if writing is really not your thing, then you can do other things. Last year, we made a documentary and we actually went to different profs and asked them their opinions on the Quebec Charter. I think that really sets us apart and we really give free reign to our members; they can chose whatever they want and are interested in, while at the same time we have peer-editing, so they’re able to develop their skills as well. It’s really an enriching process.
HC McGill: What is your favorite thing about being a part of JHR?
AB: There are a lot of things, but I think it’s being in that setting, and being able to talk about human rights issues with peers. I’m in IDS, so we talk about human rights all the time, but it’s always very academic and this way you get to talk about it in a very casual setting and get people’s everyday opinions.
HC McGill: How would you like to see JHR expand as a club?
AB: Right now, I think it’s expanding our base because we have great writers, we have a great Exec team that are all working to put out documentaries, events and podcasts. It’s really about getting more students involved, because the more students we have involved, the more we spread the word on human rights issues and the more we can do to help.
To learn more about JHR, check out their Facebook page and their website.
Photos provided by the interviewee.