by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Eric Audet

Age: 37

Occupation: Photojournalist

Bio: This hunky Quebec City native and current Ahuntsic resident began his photojournalism career covering sports for a local Acadian daily in Moncton, NB. Pining something fierce for Quebec after a lengthy nine-year stint out east, Eric finally returned to la belle province to land a gig covering the prestigious sex crime/murder beat for first-rate tabloid publication Photo Police. Spending much of his work day loitering around area courthouses, Eric says he is "always looking for the scoop, I don't want to see any other media anywhere when I'm on a story. I write for a weekly so I can't just report what the dailies have already been reporting all week long. I need scoops."

One big scoop he recently covered: That of a LaSalle man on trial for "porking" his Labrador dog with a dildo during the course of a decidedly bizarre sex education lesson for his children.

Where many of his scoops come from: Cops, the victims themselves and even the occasional criminal. "Have you ever heard the expression ‘Kid Kodak'? It's a way to describe somebody who likes to be in the spotlight, in front of the camera, even if it's just for 15 minutes. There are lots of people working for the Crown like this - not all of them though."

Does he ever get tips from publicity-seeking criminals calling up saying, "Hey Eric, be sure to keep your schedule open early Saturday morning, I've got some serious killing ahead of me and I want to make sure it gets all the coverage it deserves"? Never so far.

The variety of victim who calls him up most often: Rape victims. "Sometimes it can take three or four years before [a rapist] will finally get sentenced. The victims get frustrated with the whole affair, so that's why they come see me."

Is it considered poor protocol to make jokes while interviewing a rape victim? Yes. "But it's easy for me to gain people's confidence. You see, I really am a nice guy, and I think it's easy for victims to see that."

Does he ever feel like the scum of the earth prodding victims for all the juicy details of their ordeal so his readers can quietly get off on it from the "safety" of their own homes? "Well, it's true, we have to get the juice [in order to sell newspapers]. But the most important thing for these victims is to denounce their abusers and awaken all the silent victims into action."

Does non-stop reporting on crime and ugliness mess with him emotionally? "Holy shit, yeah. It's not very funny when you're reporting on a story like, let's say, this guy in Sorel who tortured kids and then buried them alive. But I am a professional and this is just what I have to do."

Musical preferences: Soulfly, Hatebreed, Nirvana.

Last book read: Le coeur au beurre noir, by Jeannie and Anne-Marie Hilton.

Words of wisdom: "Don't worry, be happy."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca