"What makes a good reporter?" - Interview with the 'Guardian Diary Editor' Hugh Muir

The best way to find out what really makes a good reporter is by asking an experienced working journalist. Hugh Muir, 46, is just that, and has had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his relatively short career. Since his early days at the Newham Recorder as a trainee for five years, he has excelled in numerous print and broadcasting companies to cement his place as the current Guardian diary editor whilst still being a twice-weekly columnist for the newspaper.

Hugh did not attend university, stating “I couldn’t bare anymore studying”, so instead gained his NCTJ accreditation whilst at the Newham Recorder. In that time he became the chief reporter and news editor before having several stints as a freelancer where he has written for the likes of the Mail on Sunday, ITV News, Five News, BBC London News, Five News and the Daily Star.

Hugh hardly took a breath before reeling off a list of must-haves for being a good reporter. “Persistence is really number one. You may not be the most aware journalist, but a persistent journalist will always beat a clever, non-persistent one”. He also added that you need to be “confidently curious”, whilst giving an example of a young Guardian journalist who he knew that, at the G20 riots in London last year, he got eye-witness reports before writing an article before getting a genuine picture of what really happened. His report, differing from the first reports of the riots, stated with evidence that a policeman had attacked a demonstrator – not the other way around. The writer knew this was “bollocks”, and his article was published by his trusting editor, stirring a soon-to-be mass debate about what really happened that fateful day.

Hugh said “huge scepticism” was also helpful – “if you don’t completely believe a story, don’t run it”. He quickly backed this up by saying that “checking” was another top quality, “my most miserable day is when things go wrong that shouldn’t have – no journalist likes this”. Showing his experience, Hugh added “It is just as much your job to keep the incorrect stories out of the papers than it is to put the correct ones in there”.

The married man earns a “comfortable” income at the Guardian, and has admitted he “didn’t have the worst of rides” before getting where he is today, with most of his jobs coming to him rather than being chased by Hugh. One employer handed him a job after seeing Hugh perform well on a job, simply remarking “they’re all sending you bonkers, want to come and work for us?” Hugh admitted that he “wanted to be a writer, or work in radio”, and was told that for that to be possible he must take a journalism course. Although he got “pushed into it”, he regrets nothing, and is extremely happy at what he has achieved in such a short space of time.