Post #1952964

When I heard news of gunshots at the White House press dinner, I quickly turned on BBC World Service to see if they had anyone in the room. The 2nd report was from blind journalist Gary O'Donoghue, who had also provided award-winning coverage in the moments after the Trump assassination attempt in 2024. The presenter asked O'donoghue to "describe what he'd witnessed", a precise and respectful question. In his response, he outlined only those things he could verify personally, what he'd heard, what people had said to him, almost nothing someone else had described or explained. The information he gave was as complete and useful as that provided by the other, clearly sighted journalist. I quit my journalism degree half way through. It was very difficult at that time to gather stories the way my fellow students did, walking the streets and spending days at the courthouse. I sometimes used other approaches, relying more on the internet and my connections, but I resented the distance that arose between myself and my peers because of our different methods. I was annoyed that the way I worked felt much less thrilling and romantic than how everyone else worked. I heard how much was required of early-career reporters, and feared it would be hard to compete. And if I could get into the industry, would I be restricted to specific roles, or unable to do the menial jobs that earn you rewarding positions later on? O'Donoghue, who started in an even tougher era, must have been much more determined than I was. Ultimately I'm very happy where I've wound up. But I wonder if I would have done anything differently had I known of someone who was proving my fears wrong. He might not call it thrilling, but Gary certainly has been right in the middle of breaking news stories in the way I'd concluded wasn't possible for me. Most listeners would have had no idea Gary was blind, but for young people now, thinking about their choices,, he sets an important example. My doubts outweighed my ambitions, and even the encouragement of my lecturers. Hearing coverage like this could have tipped the scales another way.