It’s the job of a journalist to bring light to stories and people, but it’s not often they are in the spotlight.

At PritchittBland Communications we run a special blog series where we put the spotlight on Australian financial journalists and dig a little deeper to find out where they’ve come from and what drives a good story.See it from their perspective and read the interview with our next guest, John Durie.

Why did you decide to go into journalism?

‍I have always been interested in politics and current affairs. An old family friend, Kath Commins was a former chief of staff at the Sydney Morning Herald and she enthralled me with her behind the scenes stories.I graduated in arts law and while law interested me I didn’t fancy the leg work to work my way up the chain so I thought I will do journalism for a couple of years until I grow up.That was 42 years ago and I’m still a journalist.

‍What about the finance industry interests you the most?

‍The people. When I applied as a Fairfax cadet they passed your name to the different papers which then included the Sydney Morning Herald, Sun, National Times and Australian Financial Review (AFR). Happily, Max Walsh picked me out but he was the only one. Having never read the AFR I was terrified and on reading the paper bored silly and couldn’t understand it.

That’s where the people helped and they are what keeps me in it. The driest topic is always full of characters. Who would have thought PWC would dominate the news all year.

‍What are you looking forward to seeing happen in the financial landscape in the next 5 years?

‍The next five years will all be about technology. We are at the early stages of the artificial intelligence (AI) debate and who knows what comes next but clearly bit coin, AI et al will dominate the landscape. Just how, I’m not sure but it will be fun to watch.‍

What makes a good story?

‍A good story is one you have first, one that will have an impact on the market and the company and/or industry you are covering, or one that involves people moves and change for the better.

‍What advice would you give to PR agencies or financial companies when talking to the media?

‍My advice to executives is to be honest. Journalists are your friend not foe and should be treated as such.