“We are humans at the end of the day”

What Steven asked Jacob Granger, the new community editor of journalism.co.uk

Jacob Granger is the community editor and podcast host of journalism.co.uk. Steven caught up with the fellow MidKent College and Bournemouth University alumni, where they discussed his new job role, mental health in journalism, what he would advise new podcasters to do, and lots more.

Jacob Grainger (left) moderating a panel discussion at journalism conference Newsrewired with Christian Kneil. Photo: Marten Publishing

What is your official occupation?
That's a timely question, because for six years I was senior reporter of journalism.co.uk. I've recently been promoted to community editor. Nice, flashy new title.

What does that new title actually mean?
Another really good question. It's a role that I've pitched for, and it's one that I'm figuring out as I go along. Essentially, what I hope this means is that what we produce, what we do, is more informed by our community, whether that's the stories we tell, the panel discussions that we put on at our conference, the training courses. All of that, I think, needs to be informed by the people that use our products. What I hope to be coming up with in the next few months are very cyclical feedback mechanisms to be informed and guided by our community.

Are your community people in the journalism industry? Is it something our readers would get anything from?
Possibly. It isn't really a local community, it is a professional community. The people that use our products are journalists, they are editors, they are media professionals, maybe they're freelance journalists. They are usually working in the news industry, or I would say news adjacent fields, like PR, comms, or academia even. Would it be of interest to your readers? Yes, if they are working in journalism. Kent has many great news organisations historically, one nowadays being yourself, and/or anyone else aspiring to break into journalism as well. If you're a young person and wanting to crack this industry and break in, maybe we can help, and maybe we'd be of interest to you.

Part of that role is the podcast. Is that a team project? Do you work on that on your own?
Pretty much a lone wolf exercise, Steven. It has been largely me finding interviewees, preparing, doing background research, doing those interviews, editing them, promoting those. There have been times where, as a team, my editor has said, ‘We should interview this person,’ for example. There have been a few story leads coming in that sense, but it's pretty much a solo endeavour.

Did journalism.co.uk have a podcast before you, or was this something you launched?
It did exist before me, but it existed in a very different capacity. Before I became the podcast host, which is kind of a de facto job title of mine, not an official one, but I am the podcast host. Before me, it used to work on a rota system. We had, sort of, three people on editorial, and then it'd all take turns on a weekly basis to provide an interview of the week, edit it and get it turned around. The load was shared in that sense. But we decided, probably in 201,9 that it didn't really make sense to have this revolving chair of guests. It really made more sense to have a permanent host, and well, I don't know else to put this, but it was thrust upon me. But I was happy to take it because it's been a great project to be a part of in the sense that it’s a really prominent part of what we do. It's a really good spotlighting feature. It has a lot of pull, I would say. It's been good to do it. The opportunity was lapped up in that sense.

If you were to recommend one episode of the podcast from the last year to give our readers a flavour, which episode would you recommend?
The one where you came on the show.
Well done!
We had yourself and Ed Jennings on the show at the start of the year. We talked about what it really meant to serve a local community, because I've kept tabs on what you guys have been doing at Local Authority, and this was just before you launched your current countywide edition. That was a really great conversation, on what it means to serve the people of Medway, how it's not just a one size fits all community. There's lots of different needs and interests and so forth, and what it really means within that context to serve those people. That would be a great starting point, because if they're using your products, then that'll give them some behind the scenes thinking into all the love and attention that you put into your own products and why it exists in the way it does.