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Only shows in town


Ruth Addicott looks at the anarchy and ecstasy of covering the Edinburgh festivals


S


itting in a dark crypt watching a comedian eat a ‘medically inadvisable’ amount of cheese at 1.50am is not your average job but, for journalists covering Te Fringe in Edinburgh, it’s another day of performance art.


Te Edinburgh International Festival,which runs alongside


Te Fringe, TV, Book and Film festivals, is the biggest cultural gathering in the world. It generates more than £400 million and draws an audience


of 4.5 million. Tere are around 4,000 shows and 300 venues, ranging from a world-class concert hall to a public toilet. Only the Olympics and World Cup sell more tickets. Chris Curtis is editor of Broadcast magazine and has been


covering the Edinburgh TV Festival for 20 years. He says it is vital to have reporters on the ground and the editorial team, including seven journalists and an online content manager, decamp for the three-day event each year. Tey produce live coverage and three newsletters a day. “It costs quite a bit of money but it’s worth it because of the


face-to-face conversations and chance meetings that you didn’t know you were going to have,” he says. “In an era of Zoom meetings, that feels more valuable than ever.”


Set the stage to get a story


Get up and close The TV Festival offers great opportunities for face-to-face conversations, says Chris Curtis, editor of Broadcast. “The great and the good of


14 | theJournalist


the TV industry are there, so put yourself in front of those people, have something to ask them and make the most of it. “When you’re a trade


journalist, your expertise in


the sector and your relationships and contacts in that sector are everything. Any opportunity you get to build or re-affirm relationships is super valuable.”


Te main event is the MacTaggart Lecture, the festival’s


keynote address, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and is known for being controversial and holding the industry to account. Speakers have included Rupert Murdoch, Emily Maitlis, Sir David Attenborough, Janet Street-Porter, Dennis Potter and David Olusoga. Despite some ‘soul-searching’ and ‘hand-wringing’ at the


time, Curtis is sceptical about whether it leads to actual change, even when the criticisms are valid. However, he says, it does make people stop and think. Te TV Festival could move to Manchester or Newcastle


from 2027 in a bid to cut costs. Award-winning photographer Murdo Macleod has been


covering the festivals for Te Guardian and Te Observer for more than 25 years. He feels the biggest challenge is navigating all the separate


press and PR departments as the performers, venues, brands and different festivals often have their own representatives. “Te whole thing is a nightmare from start to finish,” he


says. “It’s a labyrinth. And often, when you do defy the labyrinth and get there, you’re not in some opera house, you’re in a lorry container with one performer, a microphone, a black background and some dodgy lighting.” Macleod has worked with some big names over the years


from Muriel Spark to Salman Rushdie, Oliver Stone and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.


Outlets The festivals can be a good opportunity for young journalists. Websites and publications (some pay, some don’t), include festmag.com, The List, The Scotsman, The Skinny, Broadway Baby and Edinburgh Festivals Magazine.


Join a queue Interesting conversations with people from around the world happen in queues for shows, says freelance journalist Fergus Morgan. ”Get chatting – that’s how you find good stories and good shows and have a good time as well.”


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