Right, Left and Centre: The Politics of Some Cnadians by Dave Jaffe. Chapter 38, Part Three of 'Startin the Star'.

   Startin the Star by Dave Jaffe. Part Three.


    Monica Startin was a conservative before she started work as a journalist. Her career in t.v. just confirmed her politics. At one point on the job, she danced with the very right wing Social Credit premier of B.C.  People in the New Democratic Party then accused her of  supporting the Social Credit Party in her reporting. "Not at all," Startin said. "The premier asked me to dance with him and I did. That's all there was to it."
     Like many professional women, Startin faced pressures and opportunities. She met a wealthy man and married him. They bought a house on Vancouver's north shore  and then had a son. together. This put Startin out of action for quite a few months. She hired a Filipino nanny to take care of her son. After about a year's absence she returned to work and was once again a regular face on the news hour.
     Sometimes the pressures of journalism got to her. There were the constant deadlines that had to be met on time. Then there were the experts and sources that were sometimes hard to get hold of  for a story. Then there was the rain that she often had to stand in for hours while doing a story out of doors.
 And then there were times when the work day stretched way beyond eight hours.
     Yet in the end she survived the perils of t.v. journalism and thrived. Sometimes untrue rumours swirled around her as often happens to people in the limelight. "She took cocaine at times," one hairdresser said about her. "I saw her at one party and I'm sure she was on coke. She looked really wasted." Yet when challenged to repeat this story in public, the man later retracted his statement.
     After years of being a reporter, Startin ended up being a well paid anchor on another t.v. station. Yet this phase of her life didn't last too long. She was let go along with the male co-anchor.  "They needed a younger pair," one observer pointed out. Still, she remained a big name after her retirement from t.v. She got invited to plenty of charity events and parties. She also ended up advising conservative politicians on how to use television to get elected and stay in power.
     "She was a conservative," one former co-worker said about her. "No doubt about that.Yet she was also a very good journalist."