Q: How did you get where you are today?
A: I’ve just knocked off from a 36-year stint at National World (previously Johnston Press, now Iconic Media). I started as a trainee reporter on The Bucks Herald in Aylesbury (great days!) and finished as publisher of what we called the daily press division (the print side of the group’s daily titles across the UK). In between times, I’ve been editor of numerous regional newspapers, editorial director, group managing editor, and so on. I never meant to stay with one company for my entire career, but I just went where the opportunities arose; it took me around the country and through the greatest of times.
There’s nothing more interesting than working in regional media. Fact!
In the past few years, I’ve been spending a lot of my own holiday time doing training and consultancy work for newsrooms in other countries, work which has taken me to places including Taiwan, Malaysia, India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. That has meant working with journalists whose often challenging work environments are completely different to my own – so inspiring when back at work.
Q: What is your typical media day?
A: I’ve been listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 in the shower since the days of Brian Redhead, for so long it’s become like eating cabbage; you might be sick to death of it, but you suspect it’s good for you.
I watch Sky News but I flick over to Al Jazeera for a completely different view. I’ve done some training for AJ in Qatar. Their coverage of Gaza has been continually eye-opening. Whatever you think of it, their journalists risk everything to bring you the story and many have been killed doing it. The Listening Post is AJ’s great weekly show on global media and I always learn something from it.
I try to buy a physical copy of the i paper as often as I can. Our company owned the i for several years when it broke off from The Independent and I spent a lot of time working there behind the scenes on content supply contracts.
The i paper has a fantastic format which is pretty much unchanged since it started and it’s still the best national title out there.
I’ve had my Private Eye subscription for decades and a longstanding fortnightly habit of turning straight to ‘Street of Shame’.
And I must mention InPublishing of course. What a cracking read and it’s FREE!
Until recently, I would finish the day perusing our daily titles’ front pages and scrolling through the books before they were sent to press. I am currently in a cold turkey process of coming off that since I ‘retired’.
Similarly, social media, for so long a daily working necessity, now I’m trying to strictly detox because, let’s face it, there’s a lot better things to do with your life. Plus, the bombardment of daily newsletters, substacks etc from people who have ‘rapidly pivoted’ to becoming ‘AI experts’ in record time. Some selective weeding of my inbox is now required.
Q: What is the secret to a happy working life?
A: For me, it’s been not knowing what’s coming next and there’s always a ton of that in news, especially local news. And remembering, even when you think you’re having the roughest of times: “Whatever it is, it will pass.”
Q: How do you see the sector evolving?
A: Regional media has been living, with the axe hanging overhead, by a thread for decades but we’re still here.
If we want to stay around, we’ve got to focus on doing what always made us different. Advances in AI have given us wonderful tools to support this, but real journalism, written, researched and better verified by humans like never before, that’s the only thing that will stand out as different.
And valued. And sustainable.
Even if it means publishing less.
Certainly a lot fewer stories like, “Here’s 13 of the best chicken shops / cafes that serve soup / pubs with a fruit machine in [insert name of town], according to TripAdvisor.” Let’s get a grip people.
Q: Who has particularly influenced you?
A: This’ll sound corny, but I have genuinely been influenced by the people around me and in my teams.
I’ve always tried to operate on the basis that if you give people the trust and freedom to do a great job, they will always exceed your expectations.
And they always have.
Also, having the honesty to admit that the people in your team have far greater expertise in many areas than you ever will; your job is to create the environment so they can get on with it, to do things that will surprise you and everyone else.
There are so many people who inspired me in that way.
But in recent times, that list would include the likes of media professionals Neil Pickford, John Clerkin, Martin Hutton, Amanda Bourn, Mike Hill, Bob Hart, Michelle Lockwood… and many more (apologies if I’ve omitted you).
Q: What advice would you give someone starting out?
A: A few years ago, I thought if I had my time over again, it would be best to master data journalism, and things like R coding and analysis, but the AI revolution has made that look a bit old hat.
Things are changing so fast and this year’s necessity for, say, vibe coding skills will probably be something completely different, probably by the time this Q&A is published.
The best advice I can offer to a new journalist is: always look for the extraordinary in the most ordinary of places.
Q: How do you relax outside work?
A: I play jazz piano spectacularly badly but in my head, I’m Oscar Peterson.
And when it’s not raining, I e-bike around the canal towpaths of West Yorkshire with my wife. It has to be by e-bike, because the gradients here are brutal, for me at least.
Q: In an alternate life, what would you have done?
A: This question reminds me of the old Viv Stanshall joke: “If I had all the money I’d spent on drink, I would spend it on drink.”
Quite simply, I can’t think of anything else better than what I’ve already done, so far.
The life I knew as a reporter and an editor all those years ago has changed beyond all recognition but I still get the biggest thrill from regional media and publishing and given the chance, I’d do it all over again.
And let’s face it, my career in international competitive breakdancing was never going to take off, was it?
