One Journalist to another

“What would one journalist have to say to another?” was the question on my mind as I entered the auditorium, in anticipation of Steve Dawson’s talk.

Having had some professional experience in the industry, I couldn’t help but be excited by the chance to meet with and hear from a seasoned veteran with several years of experience in the field. However, there was at the same time a sense of apprehension, the question of whether my approach and journalistic style would be devalued as he explained his own., Whether or not my skills would hold when put to the test and if the months spent practising the craft gave no returns.

The organisation that I worked with

Being young as I am, I was already on the defensive, fully expectant of him to criticise some of the practices that I myself followed and ready to shield myself from his words, launching a counter-attack of my own. It was with this mentality that I approached the auditorium, in this terrible mix of excitement and apprehension, ready to attack at the slightest provocation towards my craft, which I saw as an attack on myself.

Just as I predicted, his second tip for taking interviews, ‘removing unnecessary parameters’, was something that I realised I didn’t do. At once, I wanted to argue that parameters were necessary and that his point was not valid. However, it was as he started explaining his point that I started to understand the reasoning behind that stance and my annoyance and anger at once started to ebb away.

As he continued to talk about the point, I found myself agreeing with him and eventually even nodding to his words, all the while visualising the impact his tips and advice would have had at the various stages of my personal journalistic journey, conjuring scenario after scenario that could have gone differently and the change that would have had upon my the pieces that I went ahead to write.

What really sold the deal for me was when Steve himself admitted to initially fighting against the stance he now held, stating that it took him “2 and a half days” to stop arguing with the person who had presented it to him. Hearing that he had a similar initial reaction to me made me feel more comfortable with my own response, and more comfortable with finally accepting his point of view.

As he continued, there were other points of contention, but just like before, I quickly came to understand and appreciate the reasoning behind the perspective and how it could positively influence me as a journalist.

Overall, I think that this session was a big moment of learning for me. The 5 tips I learned were definitely useful and I am already starting to apply that in whatever way I can. But, this session also taught me something far greater, the importance and power of getting critical feedback and that no one is perfect, with there always being room to improve. Personally, I feel as though this message was really brought home to me, particularly as my experiences with journalism allowed me to better appreciate the words of Steve Dawson.

So, what does one journalist have to say and teach to another? Quite a lot, is the answer.