Using her words to make a difference

In September 2011, Auckland City Harbour News and Central Leader chief reporter Rhiannon Horrell travelled to India, to report on initiatives set up to alleviate poverty. She also wanted to learn more about India and bring that knowledge home to share with others through her writing. Her trip was partly funded by a media travel grant from Asia:NZ.

Rhiannon Horrell's first stop was Kolkata, where she interviewed the Kiwi owner of Freeset, Kerry Hilton, for an article about the business having reached its 10-year anniversary.

Kerry and his wife Annie set up Freeset in 2001. The business makes jute bags and T-shirts but, more importantly, it also helps women trapped in the city’s sex trade move into a different type of work.

“The people of Freeset were amazing,” said Horrell, “and they are doing such good things. It brought it home to me that these women are actually being stolen and sold from their neighbourhoods and it is devastating. With experiences like the one in India under my belt, I think it's my duty to write good stories that inspire others and make a difference.”

Being able to make a difference through her writing was one of Horrell’s main reasons for wanting to travel to India.

“I think the media is an extremely powerful force. I'm lucky that in my current role I get to do a lot of community-focused journalism and it's nice to be able to connect with people and chat to them.

“It is also inspiring when a story has a flow-on effect and you get feedback or something good happens as a result of it.

“Kerry said he's had a good response after my story and he's had interest from New Zealand. People do often want to help others – it is simply a means of sharing stories with them and letting them know how they can help.”

Besides giving her the opportunity to share inspiring stories with others, Horrell’s trip had taught her about different interviewing techniques, and working in an unfamiliar environment, where interview situations were quite different to what she was used to in New Zealand.

“With some of my interviews, there was a vast number of interview subjects. For one interview, I was expecting to talk to Dr Kiran Martin, who heads up a slum development programme in New Delhi called Asha, as well as a small selection of slum residents. Instead, I was presented with a room full of slum dwellers, who were all waiting patiently for me to interview them.

“This was pretty overwhelming, as I had not prepared a set of questions for a whole community.”

Horrell said she chose to talk to people one-on-one, or in small groups, but then the next challenge was making sure she had the names correct for each person she spoke to.

“When you are in an environment so different to your own, it does take a while to find your feet. The interviews in India were different because there was often a language barrier and there were cultural norms that were different. For example, it's considered rude to not eat food when offered, but in Auckland I would always turn down offers of food and drink because I need to get on with the interview.  Also when taking notes from an interpreter, the quotes are always going to differ slightly from what has actually been said.”

Besides learning new ways of working, Horrell said the experience had helped her grow as a person.

“India is a place of such staggering diversity and beauty. It's quite hard settling back into ‘normal’ life after seeing things, meeting people and talking to people who change your perspective on everything. I know how lucky I am and how amazing it is that I've had opportunities like this one.

“I'm determined to maintain a fresh perspective in my reporting and not become complacent. I would also love to return to Asia and chase up stories that arise.

“I would also say I'm more confident now and because I have travelled through India alone – I've proven to myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to.”

• Learn more about our media travel and discretionary grants
• Scrawlings in Indian Ink – read more about Rhiannon’s experiences on her blog
• Stuff website – stitching a better future (Rhiannon's article about Freeset)

Images:
1. Rhiannon Horrell in Jaipur.
2. At the a slum in Mayapuri, West Delhi, where a large group of residents was waiting to be interviewed.