Journo

“At one point the cabinet secretary pointed out through my window to a block of flats across the water and said, ‘You realise the Chinese will be in there and they’ll have a laser on that tumbler of water, and they’ll have turned it into a microphone. They can listen to what we’re saying now’. So, the curtains came down immediately. At home, I did the same. I unplugged everything. And if I wanted to talk to my wife, we went out into the woods. We did all the things that spies are supposed to do.” 

Alan Rusbridger was the editor of The Guardian newspaper when a whistle blower called Edward Snowden reached out with documents suggesting the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US was spying on its own civilians. The extraordinary claims landed them in hot water with governments in both the US and the UK, and ultimately forced Snowden into exile in Russia where he remains today. 

So, what’s it like when you’re the one responsible for hitting publish on the most explosive story of the decade? One that involves spies and spooks, encrypted messages, and an international hunt for both the source of the story and the journalists who broke it? 

Alan Rusbridger is now the editor of Prospect Magazine, the chair of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and a member of Facebook’s Oversight Board. He’s been at the forefront of journalism’s transition to the digital and social world – all while juggling this century’s most complex stories in news. 

 

Rusbridger also describes the time he played Chopin in a deserted hotel in Libya while waiting for officials to negotiate the release of a missing Guardian journalist, why he believes Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be released from prison, and the legacy of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.  

 

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Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. 

 

Host: Nick Bryant 

Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain 

Interviewer: Kellie Riordan 

Producer: Liam Riordan 

Sound design: Melissa May 

Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

War. Environmental peril. The never-ending pandemic. No wonder audiences are tired of bad news.

And in worse news for the media, that widespread news fatigue is rapidly becoming active news avoidance.

Constructive journalism offers a solutions-based approach to reporting, which is appealing to audiences. But how do you convince the rest of the newsroom of its value?

Australian ABC journalist Sabra Lane, The New York Times reporter Tina Rosenberg, Flint Beat founder Jiquanda Johnson and UK-based Positive News editor Seán Wood are all pioneering solutions journalism practitioners.

In a world where we just want to hear about something going right, they’re rethinking the age-old adage “if it bleeds, it leads” — and they say it results in more nuanced, engaging reporting.

In this episode of Journo, Nick Bryant finds out whether solutions journalism is really the answer to re-engaging our disillusioned news audiences.

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

 

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Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Melissa May
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigative reporting might make great fodder for Hollywood movies, but the reality is far from glamourous.

Blockbuster investigations can take years, even decades, and require grit and determination.

So, what drives this special breed of journalists?

Take Chicago-based journalist Jim DeRogatis, who pivoted from pop music critic to investigative journalist when he was faxed a tip off he almost consigned to the rubbish bin. That fax had information about the crimes of Robert Sylvester Kelly, aka the disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly. It took decades of persistence before Kelly was brought to justice.

Kate McClymont is the Chief Investigative Reporter at one of Australia’s biggest papers — The Sydney Morning Herald. She’s spent decades exposing corrupt politicians. She’s covered Australia’s criminal underworld, been sued for defamation and worked with sources who are themselves targets of violence.

So what precisely does this special breed of reporter have in their DNA that pushes them to pursue a story for 20 years, to put their lives on the line to prove that anonymous tip and get the most sensitive, impactful stories to print?

In this episode of Journo, Kate and Jim share with Nick Bryant the stories they simply couldn’t let go.  

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley & Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Melissa May
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“It's the power of the story. It's the same thing, whether it's drum and bass, or much more serious news. If you tell stories that people want to hear the end of, they are much, much more likely to consume your work, whatever it is."

Ros Atkins’ relentless experimentation with finding an audience means his stories aren’t just devoured by the news cycle. His team at the BBC produce a particular type of viral video, one that starts a conversation and has staying power.

On his show BBC Outside Source, Ros seems to have perfected the art of the explainer — reports that work just as well on digital platforms as they do on TV.

In this episode of Journo, Nick Bryant sits down with Ros, the man they call the BBC’s ‘Explainer-in-Chief', to understand the precision that goes into making his explainers must-watch content.

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I wasn't just doing what was right. I was doing what was journalistically correct.”

Veteran sports reporter Jim Trotter was doing a live cross for ESPN when the host began describing American footballer Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the national anthem as “disrespectful to the flag”. Jim had a choice — to let the host’s opinions go unchecked or to report the facts.

As sports arenas more frequently become platforms for cultural debate, reporters like Jim have expanded their old beats from player drafts and starting positions to include athlete activism and political commentary.

From the taking the knee to boycotting the Olympics, it’s become increasingly common for off-field controversies and cultural shifts to make their way onto those hallowed grounds.

But as the clubs and codes grow richer, while many media outlets become poorer, is there now a power imbalance that’s impacting our coverage?

In the latest episode of Journo Nick Bryant asks the NBC’s Rebecca Lowe, NFL Network’s Jim Trotter and cricket writer Gideon Haigh: when back page stories are increasingly front-page affairs, can sports journalism still primarily be about sport?  

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I’ve always stopped to think — well, you're a little brat from the back blocks of Brisbane and you're about to interview Paul McCartney. That is really rare. It’s very, very special.”

Leigh Sales is a towering figure in Australian journalism, and after almost 12 years as the anchor of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, 7.30, she has decided it is time for something new.

She’s built her reputation on forensic cross-examination of prime ministers, as an award-winning author, a one-time wedding singer and the co-host of a hugely popular podcast.

Now transitioning to the next stage of her career, Leigh’s ready to generously share her own career regrets, for the benefit of the next generation of journalists.  

In this episode of Journo, Nick Bryant sits down with Leigh Sales for a wide-ranging exit interview, with rare insights into Leigh’s working process and how her grandmother’s words have kept her focused when the critics take aim.  

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2021, News Corp’s tabloids in Australia made a stunning announcement.

For the month leading up to the Glasgow climate summit, they would be running a nationwide campaign on how to tackle climate change.

Cries of hypocrisy rang out from pundits all over — including News Corps’ own — for this seeming about-face on the white-hot issue.

So, was it a flash in the pan, or was it a turning point in climate change reporting of the most influential papers in Australia, from one of the biggest publishers in the world?

And what does it matter anyway when you’re reporting from Polynesia, where you’ve been telling the story for decades, as international media fly in, tell you that your island is sinking, and then fly out?

Look closely and you’ll notice journalists are finding new ways to tell the defining story of our time — even as the water is lapping at their door.

In this episode of Journo, Nick Bryant talks sinking islands, columnists in denial and "patronising the messenger" with guests Ben English, editor of The Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Editor of Pacific Environment Weekly and Andrew McCormick, Deputy Director of Covering Climate Now.

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians have elected a new government and, in a campaign where journalists came under almost as much scrutiny as the politicians, is this a vote for change in how we report on elections too?

"We want the press pack to insist on an answer. But I do think there were points in the campaign where the questioning went too far and in an unhelpful way. It became performative, where cameras were trained back on the reporters.”

Guardian Australia Editor and veteran political reporter Lenore Taylor sums up a recurring theme in the coverage: “gotcha” questions from the travelling press.

It became a recurring critique throughout the campaign. But while some news outlets stuck to what they knew others were already making changes to cut through the noise.

In this episode of Journo, host Nick Bryant asks: is it time for a new model of political journalism?

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley and Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I always say in journalism that everything has changed and nothing has changed," says BBC foreign correspondent Lyse Doucet, who reported from Ukraine's capital Kyiv as Russian tanks rolled into the country.

The war in Ukraine shows us that history never ends, and journalists are taking extraordinary risks in composing the first draft.

A key battle in this conflict is playing out online, with misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda rife, as both sides take to their phones to share their experiences of the war.

So how are newsrooms countering the flood of misinformation, while also using new platforms like TikTok and Telegram in their own reporting? And where does old-fashioned eye-witness reportage fit into it all?

In the first episode of Season 2 of Journo, host Nick Bryant asks what lessons we are learning from the kind of conflict we hoped had been banished to the past.

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the journalists writing the first records of history, this past year has been one for the ages.

In season 2 of Journo, foreign correspondents are pulling on their flak jackets and scouring new platforms like TikTok and Telegram to report on the war in Ukraine — and local reporters are taking huge risks to stay in their homes and bear witness to the atrocities of war.

It’s time to unpack the tactics used to get politicians off script in the Australian federal election.

We'll dive deep into the craft of investigative journalism and look at the geopolitical events that have forced back page sports reporters to become front-page players in international reporting.

Follow Journo on your favourite podcast app so you don’t miss an episode.

Journo is a production of Deadset Studios. This episode was made with support from the Judith Neilson Institute.

Host: Nick Bryant 
Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain
Producers: Grace Pashley & Britta Jorgensen
Sound Design: Krissy Miltiadou
Managing Editor: Kellie Riordan
Commissioning Editor: Andrea Ho 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.