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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • March 2003
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INSIDE |
Celebrating
30 years of college journalism
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| Lights!
Camera! Norma Lee MacLeod makes mark in TV journalism  Norma Lee MacLeod, a 1981 graduate of the Journalism program at Holland College, was the inaugural winner of the Hartwell Daley Award. She currently hosts Health Matters, a show that specializes in health news and issues, for CBC-TV in Halifax. Sara garnier photo Islanders still remember MacLeod's first weather job By Amy Cudmore Class of '03 Twenty years have passed since well-known CBC Health Matters host Norma Lee MacLeod graduated from Holland College's Journalism program. MacLeod says it's hard to believe so much time has gone by since she left the program, because her life has changed in so many ways. "You think you can plan your future, but you never really know what will happen," she said. "Life just happens. You wake up one day and 20 years have passed." MacLeod, a native Islander, entered the program in 1981, when it was still a one-year program. She remembers it as being a very practical, hands-on program. "It's a craft you learn by doing," she said. "The program had a good approach, a smart approach to journalism." MacLeod said she had about 15 classmates, most of whom are no longer in the business. "It was a real motley crew of people who came from all walks of life," she said. "We were all so different but got along great." MacLeod had the honour of winning the first Hartwell Daley award. She was awarded the prize after writing a story about the controversy of electro-shock therapy, a topic which is still being written about today. After spending six months in class, MacLeod got a full-time job at her on-the-job-training site at the Evening News in New Glascow. She stayed there for a year-and-a-half before landing a job announcing weather at CBC in Charlottetown. "I only stayed there for a little over a year, but people still remember that weather job," she said. MacLeod moved to Halifax in the late-80s to anchor the 6 o'clock news for CBC and then hosted CBC Newsworld for seven years. She now hosts Health Matters, a show which specializes in health news and issues. "We're the health unit for CBC News," she said. "Any news about health in Canada comes directly to us, we do it for the whole network." MacLeod said she's happy with her current job but would love to try print again someday. "I always thought I'd like to try print again but I have a lot to do and a lot to learn in broadcast still," she said. " I had no plans of going into television originally but I went into the program with an open mind." MacLeod is married to Iain MacDonald and the couple has a five-year-old son named David. They live on a lake in Halifax and have a cottage in P.E.I., which they often visit in the summer. "Life is good," she said. "We like the outdoors, sports and music. Right now we spend a lot of time with our son." With no major regrets over the past 20 years, MacLeod keeps an open mind about the future. She said she's had some amazing opportunities during her career and is excited to see what happens next. "I've met a lot of interesting people over the last 20 years," she said. "Show me any other job that can offer that on a daily basis. It's the excitement of it. You don't know where you'll be from one day to the next. I've had some really good opportunities." She was awarded the prize after writing a story about the controversy of electro-shock therapy, a topic which is still being written about today. |
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