Monday, June 23, 2008

The reporter is the nerve ending of the newspaper. He’s out there for the newspaper. He’s not out there as a news agency person, he’s not out there as a spokesperson for the government, or for guerrilla armies. He’s out there to say: Look – would you believe what I’ve seen today?

The best way of being a reporter, the best way of writing whether it be an opinion piece or a news story with your own passionate feelings in it, is that you’re writing a letter to a friend. You want the readers to be your friend, you want to convince them, so you write a letter to your friend, and that’s what a newspaper reporter should be doing. Not writing a letter looking over his shoulder at the government and press officers.


Robert Fisk, in an interview with Anita McNaught.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I realised that I did'nt find the time to read your blog the last few days ... and so happy to discover your stories and photographs now!
Struggeling between being a desperate houswife, a working woman and a wanderer ... that's life girl! You can't have one without the other.
But you'll manage, I know you will!
Keep going on all the way!
See you!
Lut

Di Mackey said...

I was thinking about you today, Lut :) Lovely to find you here.

Anonymous said...

I got exactly this advice from the first editor I worked for when I was a journalist.

Di Mackey said...

He sounds like a good editor :) I love the idea that somewhere, there is this world famous journalist who believes in writing without being disapassionate about massacres and murders.

Hey, Mr Fisk often lectures in the States. We heard him here and he is a stunningly good speaker. In a world full of 'lies' and half-truths, you get this odd feeling of listening to a man who isn't afraid of speaking the truth.

It's an experience.