Through the eyes of a journalist

On 11 February, we had the chance to get a glimpse into the life of a local journalist. Thijs Pattyn and Christophe Maertens (from Belgian newspapers De Standaard and HLN respectively) have been in the field of journalism for a while now, and were happy to answer our questions.

Because the Pattyn and Maertens belong to different media companies, we wondered if they see each other as competitors, colleagues or “competitive colleagues”. It turns out that the two journalists don’t consider each other competition at all. In their eyes, they work together to bring news to the public.

After that was cleared up, Pattyn and Maertens walked us through what an average week looks like for them. While the schedule of a journalist is never set in stone, each week begins with going to court to follow all the current cases. It is their job to pick out the most interesting ones and discuss them with their higher-ups. If they are approved, they can then be published in the newspaper.

Besides looking for interesting court cases, journalists can also be contacted by people with notable or exceptional stories. One Pattyn and Maertens’ recent examples was about a single mother who had passed away, leaving behind 5 daughters. This story was covered because the cause of death was initially unknown, but it was later confirmed to be from natural causes. The eldest daughter, whose life had barely just begun, took in her younger sisters, since their dad wasn’t in the picture. Because this story made it into the newspaper, and was thus heard by thousands of people, a crowdfunding was started to help support the eldest daughter.

One of our next questions was what skills a journalist needs, what you should be capable of, and the challenges that the job brings. One of the hardest things about being a journalist is the working hours. You have to be very flexible in this work field. This means being called out of bed, always keeping up with everything that’s happening, tight deadlines and being available anytime, anywhere.

When it comes to skills, you have to dare. Dare to contact people, dare to call the police and ask questions. This even means interviewing the families of victims. Having a large network of contacts is very beneficial and a quick way to get detailed information. This way you can be one of the first to deliver a news article. Something you also have to be is critical. You have to be able to distinguish the real from the fake and be objective at the same time. Pattyn mentioned how he interviewed an undercover comedian who claimed to be a witness. This shows how vigilant you have to be as a journalist.

Thijs Pattyn and Christophe Maertens showed us how journalism is more than just reporting the news. From unpredictable schedules to tight deadlines, this job is not to be underestimated. Despite working for different competing newspapers, all journalists have one shared goal: bringing news and truth to the public.

(Elly Onraedt)