Q&A
What made you become a journalist? A sense of outrage. Council and government “speak”, the exponential rise of the press office and “news management”.
What other job might you have done/have you done? Manual jobs as a lad from the markets to a railway freight porter. I became an actor after studying at RADA. [Nigel played Terry Duckworth in Coronation Street] After falling out of love with acting, I did a master’s degree in international relations.
When did you join the NUJ and why? In 2006 to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the law as a newsgatherer.
Are many of your friends in the union?
I hope the time comes when I will have a lot of friends in the union … Too many young journalists are not members, which is of concern.
What’s been your best moment in your career? Being nominated for a Royal Television Society award for The Regeneration Game – a BBC documentary I wrote and presented on housing market renewal.
What is the worst place you’ve ever worked in? I’ve not worked anywhere that completely sucked. But, as a freelance, maintaining good relations with media organisations is always challenging. The trickiest locations have been in Donbass in Ukraine, and the Turkish/Syrian border.
And the best? The BBC 5 Live Investigates and File on 4 teams are well organised and have a great attitude towards work flow and news gathering.
NUJ & Me
Nigel Pivaro is a freelance journalist and a former actor
Which six people would you invite to a dinner party? Woody Allen, John Cooper Clarke, Lee Harvey Oswald, Helen of Troy, Henry Kissinger and Eva Peron.
What was your earliest political thought? Why did they have to shoot President Kennedy? (I was three and three quarters)
What advice would you give someone starting in journalism? The same as I used to give those starting in acting – have another occupation to fall back on. That said, create a wide network of contacts and hold on to them. Get away from the internet (which like wine is a good servant but a poor master) and get into the real world. If there is more to a story, never take no for an answer – keep digging.
Who is your biggest hero? No heroes really but I hugely respect Salmaan Taseer, a Pakistani state governor who tried to defend a Christian facing blasphemy charges and was murdered for his efforts.
And villain?
Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler – the usual suspects who have caused great suffering on a grand scale with intent.
What are your hopes for journalism? That people are convinced of the necessity of in-depth news, with analysis and at least a binary approach. That the internet and social media will be put back in their places as subservient to personal contact.
And fears? That journalists will be subsumed by convenience news, worthless beyond the headline and intro and that true journalism may be limited to specialist titles at which only the connected or rich will find a gig.
How would you like to be remembered? Accurately!
theJournalist | 19
JOSEPH GAUL / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, GL ARCHIVE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
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