Johnston starts work as Havre Daily News reporter

A new reporter traveled almost all the way across the country to start working at The Havre Daily News.

Patrick Johnston from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, joined The Havre Daily staff Monday.

"You take the job you can get, but also I did end up really liking the town and I wanted to get out of my comfort area," he said. "I have been living in Massachusetts in Cape Cod for basically my entire life. While I have traveled a little the farthest place I've truly lived is Boston and that's not very far away."

He attended Cape Cod Community College for two years then the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he received his bachelor's degree in journalism, Johnston said. He then earned his master's degree in media innovation from Northeastern University in Boston.

He added that he stumbled onto journalism school by accident as he previously wanted to be a novelist.

"I decided to look into something with a bit more stability, funny as that might sound now, so I decided on journalism, and after a semester I ended up enjoying it so much that I pretty much dropped the novel stuff altogether, though I may pick it back up again at some point, and transferred fully to journalism. And I've been doing that, at least education-wise, ever since," Johnston said.

Outside of journalism, he said, he is a gamer, adding that he follows a lot of gaming media.

"Journalism has kind of weaved its way into my hobby, as well," he said. 

He added that he would also like to explore sites that he saw driving into Montana which he thought were geographically interesting.

His grandfather has a passion for geography, Johnston said, adding that he has been messaging him to tell him about the sites.

He said he's excited to find his beat of coverage as a general reporter, someone who does a little bit of everything, and excited to see what happens and where he ends up.

"I am interested in learning about the local Native American reservations, but honestly I am interested in learning as much as I can, so I guess we'll wait and see," he said. 

At the end of the day, he said, he would like to write about something that surprises people, something that really matters to them and something that will help them better understand the world they live in.

Being away from home is exciting if a little bit anxiety-inducing, he said, adding that Havre is a beautiful area.

"The town is relentlessly fascinating," Johnston said. "I've only been here a few days, and even though most of that has been concerned with the logistics of moving in, there is already a thousand things that I want to ask about and find out, so it's going to be interesting."

The top thing on that list is to visit Havre Beneath the Streets, he said.