Thunder Bay, Canada – Sara Miller Llana

In my career reporting from nearly 50 countries, I can count on one hand the number of times someone has explicitly declined an interview because of this newspaper’s name. I’ve interviewed people of all faiths, backgrounds, and political persuasions, and I’ve always taken this as a sign of how much people ultimately trust one another. But recently in Thunder Bay, a source I particularly wanted to interview declined because of the word “Christian” in our name. I explained who we are and sent examples of our reporting from around the world, to no avail. It was frustrating, and a reminder that sometimes a reporter has to overcome assumptions before she can even ask the first question.

Washington – Caitlin Babcock

When covering the White House, you quickly learn that schedules are suggestions and preparation is key.…