#CannabisJournalism — A day at The Denver Post
I’ve driven or walked past The Denver Post building a handful of times since moving to Denver in 2013, but for some reason, I have never been able to picture myself opening the doors and stepping into that newsroom.
It’s too prestigious, too big, too well-known, etc. These small instances of both wonder and self-doubt are what I’ve felt when staring into the Post’s vast, brightly lit, widow-covered lobby.
The words “journalism”, “commentary” and “inform” are beautifully displayed and are intriguing to the passerby. But, from the outside looking in, both at the physical building and internally within myself, thinking about what it would be like, what it would mean, to be a reporter inside those walls and behind those glass windows has always felt untouchable.
Until today, I could never image walking into that building, and I still cannot fathom writing for them, but alas, baby-steps are always pivotal to progress, and I found myself on the other side of those enigmatic windows on the afternoon of Nov. 29.
No, I was not visiting the Post today for an interview. I wasn’t even stopping by to grab a coffee with a reporter or fellow journalist. Surprise — I was visiting with my peers and professor from the University of Denver to dive into the world of cannabis. Well, cannabis journalism. Yes, cannabis, and yes, I was visiting the Post to talk about, of all things, weed.
Here we are at The Denver Post, standing in the green-room with the man Ricardo Baca and his small team of writers and producers for the Post’s website, The Cannabist. As someone who’s completely new to this beat, I was incredibly fascinated by what was unfolding in front of me; real people, real journalists, are writing and creating stories about pot. And they are kicking ass and changing the world. It’s powerful stuff.
Instantly, I was of course awe-struck; the studio and the newsroom was more incredible than I could have ever imagined. So, needless to say, getting to hang out where the magic unfolds this afternoon was pretty incredible. From the production process, to the cameras, to the clicks of hundreds of keyboards, the entire expierence was so foreign, yet so familiar (if that makes any sense.)
Baca, the star of the popular documentary “Rolling Papers” and the first marijuana editor in the world, was incredibly friendly and obviously knowledgeable, making the two-hour stint of hardcore cannabis talk manageable for a cannabis-culture newbie like myself.
Being live on the set for The Cannabist’s weekly talkshow that’s hosted by Baca was incredibly interesting, both from the content and production aspect. Two knowledgeable men who work in the cannabis industry were the guests for the day and both had lots of fascinating cannabis related news and information to discuss with Baca, leading to stimulating conversations about laws and lobbying to indica vs. sativa.
For me, all of this information is completely new. Yes, I know what cannabis is, where it’s sold, how it’s used and why people are so fond of it, but even as someone who lives in the “Mile High City”, I don’t really know all that much about the ins and outs of this rapidly expanding, ultra-important industry. So, an afternoon spent with the pioneers and leaders in this industry (both cannabis and journalism) was both eye-opening and thought provoking.
Walking away from this expierence, I’m already so thankful for all that I’ve learned and for all that’s to come during the remainder of this course, Cannabis Journalism. I’m looking forwarding to diving deeper into some more focused research, along with meeting other movers and shakers in the ever-evolving field.
As a journalist myself, I really admire the work that Baca has done and his passion for this industry, both cannabis and journalism. His passion truly is second to none and seeing what he has done in terms of being in the limelight of media, along with promoting the new cannabis culture, is incredibly powerful and amazing for me, as a young person, to see what a single person can accomplish with a dream, a goal and a pen.
Many thanks to Baca, Andrew Matranga, the University of Denver and The Denver Post for making this all possible. As an aspiring journalist, I cannot begin to express how much these interactions and experiences mean to me and inspire me.
Moving forward, as someone who’s both a journalist and an environmentalist, I plan to center my final project on the environment implications of the cannabis industry, which is something Baca briefly touched on during our Q&A session after the show.
I’m also interested in doing more research on women in the cannabis industry, which is inspired by Kendal Norris with Mason Jar Events and by the tweet below:
More to come!
