Capital Daily is growing again! Yesterday, we welcomed our brand new senior newsletter editor, Nina Grossman. 

Nina will be working to put together this newsletter for you every day, and reporting on a little bit of everything in the region. 

On her first day, we chatted about journalism, how newsletters are an effective way of reaching readers, and Nina's favourite spots in Victoria. 

Tell me about how you got into journalism.

Most people who get into media or journalism are readers or people who love reading. And I'm definitely one of those people. I've always loved stories and storytelling. And I just am so passionate about the role that journalism plays in our society and in our communities. So, when I went to university, I first thought I was going to go into public relations because I didn't think I could get a real job being a journalist. And I switched my degree, from public relations to journalism, and it was one of the best choices I ever made for myself. Because it's what I'm truly passionate about. And I think when you're really passionate about something, you find your path. And now I'm here at a place that I'm really, really excited to be.

What excites you most about joining Capital Daily?

The level of investigative work going on at Capital Daily is just really impressive and really important for our community. I'm just really excited to work alongside Capital Daily reporters that are producing that work and focusing on really important news. We have a lot of great media outlets in our community that are really covering the daily news that we also need—and that's something that we also provide, of course, in our newsletter. But that level of investigative work and longform journalism—it's so exciting to be able to participate in that.

I also really appreciate and admire the focus of journalism on voices that maybe don't get to be heard in media. I think that that's one of the reasons journalism needs to exist. 

What kind of stories do you like to cover?

I honestly like covering everything. I am always passionate about covering stories related to climate, environment, the natural world. To me, those are the most fun and fascinating stories to cover, especially the ways that they intersect with society and community, the social implications of climate change, and of course, the implications on our biodiversity and our planet. 

I truly enjoy honestly covering almost anything. Human interest stories are always really fun to write and you get access to people and their histories in ways you wouldn't otherwise. 

I think after almost four years living in Victoria I am starting to really understand the Island better. I don't know at what point you become an Islander—it's probably a decade, I'm not sure—but I'm starting to really understand this region and all the things that are important to the people that live here. 

Why do you think newsletters are a good way of reaching readers?

We always hear people talk about how either news is dying or news is evolving, or news is changing. And I think there's a degree of truth to that. However, I think there's so many different ways that people like to experience and take in news, and there isn't one new way that's gonna change it all. Some people still love sitting down with the newspapers, some people love sitting down for the broadcast news.

I think the newsletter is this really exciting way to reach people. I've been a subscriber for a very long time to the Capital Daily newsletter, because it really just gives you that high level, look at what's going on in your community so you can go through the rest of your day feeling more engaged with what's happening here. 

It's such a good way to get your news. It's nice that it's succinct, and you have the option of diving deeper if you have the time or you want to know more. But people are busy, they're on their phones, they're on their computers, they're online. This is a way to make sure you get a lot of the information you need or want to know about your community.

Where is your favourite place to go in Victoria to unwind?

About a year ago, I sold my car so my geographic area is a bit smaller. But that being said, one of my favourite places is maybe McCaulay Point Park or Saxe Point Park. A sunset there is one of the most beautiful things you can see on the Island, in my opinion. It's just absolutely gorgeous and it's so accessible to everyone.

Oystercatchers and the sun setting, you often see otters there—it's just a really beautiful spot. And it's great if you want to bring a little can of wine and some cheese. That's my recommendation.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself.

I was born in Halifax and I lived near Peggy's Cove until I was about seven years old. And then we moved to Alberta so my dad, a commercial pilot, could fly for a new airline at the time called WestJet. And then from there, I made my way to the West Coast. 

So I've inadvertently travelled from coast to coast, and there's a lot of weird, kind of similarities between Halifax and Victoria as places on either side of the country. They're both beautiful in their own ways. I still like to consider myself a bluenoser. Even though I moved like 22 years ago.