Remembering Michael Jackson - From an Unlikely Place...

We will all remember where we were when we heard the news that the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday June 25th 2009.

I was in Puerto Rico, attending the annual convention for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). I had taken time off to attend this convention, and was in the middle of a workshop series when I was called the next day (Friday). Mega TV wanted me to comment on the people’s reaction to the news.

Normally, that’s exactly the kind of story I love to do, go out into the streets, get people’s reactions, put together the story. It’s great. Except there was one problem. I cover New York City. In New York, I’ve got a camera man, I know all the best places to get comments from street corners, I can even find an impersonator or two, and of course, easy access to Harlem where there was already a crowd gathered. Instead I was thousands of miles away, in Puerto Rico, where I am for all intents and purposes, a foreigner. Not to mention I was there for a convention as a participant, and wasn't anticipating going into "reporter" mode till I got back. I might as well have been on Mars, it seemed so random...

But these are times when you have to get creative. So I put my iPhone into overdrive researching any connection between MJ and Puerto Rico, and started to literally ask for reactions from anyone at arms distance, the taxi driver on the way to Mega’s studio in San Juan, the people in the lobby, even the people who worked in the Mega TV office (who I was also meeting for the first time).

In the end, I felt that I was able to add some interesting color to the story, from this island away from home. Should I consider this my first foreign assignment? (Just FYI, there were also some technical issues with the live link, so please bear with the clip...;-) )

RIP Michael. You will be missed. I know I have a red zipper jacket I wore as a little girl somewhere hidden in my mother's closet. I think I'll try to dig it out....