Jeremy Thompson - Sky News
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Video Interview Transcript
Jeremy Thompson currently anchors Live at Five and has been a correspondent for the BBC, ITN and Sky News, covering many of the major news events of our time.
1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do?
My name is Jeremy Thompson and I am a Sky News presenter, which basically means that I sit in the studio for about three or four hours every afternoon and I present the news of the day and I do live interviews. I introduce the tape reports from our correspondents from around the world and also the big breaking news stories that happen on the day, then I commentate as the pictures come in and talk to the people on the scene as that story unfolds.
2. Is professional training something people should do or should they keep on working?
When I started out as a youngster and decided that I wanted to be a journalist, there wasn't really any training - all you could do was to go and work in your local newspaper and then eventually in your local radio and TV station and try to build your way up. Now there are a lot more courses, some of them are very good, some probably less good. I have always believed in being hands on. I learn better if I am in a newsroom like this and I am finding out things.
I think the first thing to remember is that if you were that kid who was always asking ‘why?' at home then it is a very good start to being a journalist. You need to be a bit nosy, a bit curious, you want to be asking those questions that your mum and dad go 'Oh, stop asking questions' to. If you like to ask questions, if you need to know the answer to things, well then that is a pretty good start to think, 'Maybe I should try journalism'. Then look at the courses available, look at what you could do at university, after you do a regular university course. There are a lot of courses but there are also a lot of newsrooms that you can go into and get a start in as well.
3. What is the secret to your success?
The secret to success, I think, is to have the determination and the stamina to stick with it and to work very hard. There is a good old saying that somebody told me many years ago that 'the harder you work the luckier you get' and that is actually not a bad saying, because if you don't turn up much if you don't work very hard, you certainly won't get lucky. Work hard, try not to miss a trick, try and keep a step in front of everybody else. Make sure you know all the stories and have read about all the stories, and think about all the ways and the options that you could cover stories. And be willing to work hard, if it means working through the night, if it means losing a night's sleep, if it means going without a meal or two, then you'll make a journalist. If you want the creature comforts of life ... it is not an easy profession all the time.