‘A Life in Journalism’ with Clive Myrie – event review by Jasmine Crowhurst

Professor Ivor Gabor spoke to distinguished BBC journalist Clive Myrie as part of the Sussex Festival of Ideas launch last week.

Clive Myrie graduated from Sussex with a degree in Law in 1985, and since has had a stellar career in journalism and broadcasting as a regular presenter across BBC news. Clive’s career in journalism started at Sussex as part of a show playing records for Radio Falmer, and writing articles for a local publication called the Informer. He was also part of a BBC Radio Brighton show called ‘Turn it up’, where students would discuss student life. After graduating from Sussex, Clive obtained a job at the BBC through one of their training schemes in 1987. His first job with the BBC was as a general reporter at Radio Bristol, returning to the BBC in 1988 after spending a year with IRN (Independent Radio News), an opportunity that allowed him to experience national and international reporting in the early stages of his career. He sent off tapes of his work in local TV to newsrooms in London, where he managed to get some weekend shifts in London on the Network News. After moving to London, he got his first assignment as a foreign correspondent. As part of this role he was asked to pitch ideas for the news, which provided him with the opportunity to cover a story on Liberia which was just emerging from a civil war.

Clive mentioned that is it important to learn the craft from the bottom up, to have a thick skin, and to not necessarily take no for an answer. He also recommends having stamina, being determined, and to try and come up with ideas at the beginning of your career to show a desire to work in your chosen field. His career has seen him report in multiple countries, and Clive’s particular interest in US politics saw him report on the US election and inauguration of the first African American President, Barack Obama.

Clive discussed the role of arts and humanities, and their prevalence in broadcasting, having taken modules in American studies whilst studying at Sussex. He spoke about how journalism is about telling human stories and communicating the unexplained human experience. The arts and humanities are vital to media and journalism, humanities being the study of human society and of culture and all that is related to those areas. Clive suggested that to have a background in understanding what makes people tick, why certain people do certain things, and what it is about human nature that causes particular outcomes, is fundamental to what is it to be a journalist and to tell stories, making the humanities an important grounding in understanding the human condition.

View the interview with Clive Myrie on the Sussex Festival of Ideas website.

This article was written by Jasmine Crowhurst (BA Journalism).