In a recent interview, the publisher of the New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger, a 40-something ex-journo, was asked what he missed about reporting.
He replied: ‘So much. Reporting has this magical balance of learning and teaching. It puts you out in the world talking to people, soaking in the complexity of the world and engaging with the forces shaping it. And then it puts you in this more solitary, creative process of figuring out the best way to share what you’ve learned.
‘It’s a fundamentally idealistic calling, much more so than most people realise, with a really strong orientation towards public service. I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation for my current role.’
This really spoke to me. Having started as a newspaper copyboy at the age of 17, I have long been aware of how privileged journalists are; being able to walk into so many worlds, meet all manner of people from all walks of life, and ask questions.
From British Royalty to sporting superstars, from Russian space scientists to Victorian farmers, and pretty much anybody in between, I’ve been given access to the world in ways I could never have imagined when I was a restless schoolkid in the eighties, looking to broader horizons.
What really resonates in Sulzberger’s comment, though, is his point about public service. It’s easy to dislike the media today, compared to when I started four decades ago. The rise of partisan channels like the Murdoch media, especially Fox News, and Sky, has been such a negative and damaging force, tapping shamelessly into the darker side of the audience.
And all making it harder for the many, many people doing good in the world to have their stories told.
I tried a few times to provide a counterpoint in the mainstream media, but it would be fair to say the commercial channels don’t necessarily always share Sulzberger’s ‘public service’ sentiment. As an example, the official response from one Australian TV network to my pitch for a dedicated ‘Good News’ weekly news broadcast (concentrating on topics like medical breakthroughs, environmental wins, communities working together) was ‘Who the %$#& would watch that?’
And so, I have pivoted my career to my own ‘Heroic Content Agency’, utilising modern non-mainstream publishing opportunities to tell the stories of heroes working for the greater good.
I love spending my days using my journalistic skills to dive into the world of charity and philanthropy and then, as Sulzberger said, retreating to my solitary space to figure out how best to share what I’ve discovered.
Working with the Newsboys Foundation, the Mirabel Foundation, the Besen Foundation, Pressroom Philanthropy, Philanthropy Australia, and Watertrust Australia, among others, has led me to meet so many astonishing people, working tirelessly; sometimes to help the world, sometimes to help one child.
I add my storytelling, to offer evidence of how donations have been impactful, to attract volunteers or awareness of a cause. I offer words, video-making, social media expertise, or wider mediacomms strategy. Whatever I can.
However, that schoolkid looking at the horizon hasn’t gone away. There remain so many worlds of charity and philanthropy, scientific research and medical breakthrough that I have yet to connect with, stories I’ve yet to tell. If you need somebody to tell your story, please reach out. I’d love to help broadcast your work.
NOISY BOY MEDIA 