What story would you die for?
The Storyology 2018 festival is celebrating media industry professionals sharing their stories and love for journalism, but how far are these journalists and photographers willing to go? Is there a story that they would die for?
Journalism in today’s society serves to keep powerful people and institutions accountable and informs the public on issues of public interest. It is the voice for the voiceless and for many journalists the price of a story can be their freedom, or even their lives.
Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor said “there are a lot of stories that I am passionate about but I don’t think I would die for.”
Lenore said she does what she does to “to observe and tell the stories of what is going on in society,” and in doing so not putting her life in danger.
Trent Dalton, journalist for The Weekend Australian Magazine and author of Boy Swallows Universe was not entirely sure whether or not there was a story he would die for.
“It would be something to do with some kind of social injustice, affecting the same things I’ve written about for 20 years,” Trent said.
“I look at it generally in the sense of, if it really is a case of ‘yeah if it meant saving other people’s lives’ that’s where I feel I could risk my life.”
Trent praised journalists who put their life on the line for a story, as he himself does not know if he would do so now since having children.
“I’m doubly amazed at journos that do have kids and that go out there and risk their lives, and we’re seeing them all across the world that would die for journalism — for the right just to speak,” he said.
It is not only journalists who risk their life for the good of informing the public and giving a voice to the people who otherwise don’t have one — photographer’s also play a key part in bringing the story to light and giving it a visual impact.
At times, doing so can be very dangerous.
Chief photographer for The Sydney Morning Herald Nick Moir said Australia’s wild weather provides some tempting but risky opportunities.
“There is a combination of when storms come together… essentially a fire thunderstorm, it has only happened in Canberra and Black Saturday where a storm went up, rotated and dropped to a tornado,” Nick said.
“Those sorts of dynamics are really something I’d put everything on the line for.”
Queensland Museum photographer Gary Cranitch put his opinion to the question quite simply.
“No, life is for living and taking pictures,” Gary said. “It’s about living in the moment.”
