Saturday 19th December: My Media Roundup by Liam Geraghty, Senior Reporter, The Big Issue

December 19, 2020

Every Saturday morning, we invite a publishing pro to put together their top media links. This week’s guest editor is Liam Geraghty.

Liam has been working for The Big Issue for over three years, and is currently their Senior Reporter. He works on investigations and news content, and is currently part of the street paper's new digital team as they develop their online presence. Occasinally, he gets to write about video games, or explain Brexit to Ozzy Osbourne.

You can find Liam on Twitter.

Liam says:

"Christmas is a vital time at The Big Issue. It’s when our vendors sell the most magazines and our editorial team works hard to make bigger magazines on shorter deadlines. This year Covid-19 has meant that sales have been a challenge for vendors on the street. So just as we have done all year, The Big Issue has continued innovating to support vendors through online subscriptions and a map allowing readers to divert money to their regular vendor. We’ve also made a podcast, an app and delved into interactive storytelling for the first time. It’s been a year."

First, let’s plug my thing. The Big Issue’s strength is telling the stories of people who are disenfranchised and often don’t see themselves represented widely across the media. I’ve spent weeks making those stories interactive in a choose your own adventure-style. I learned some basic coding to make it online, we made a version that works in the magazine and even asked people who have experienced homelessness to illustrate the stories. It feels like a great first step for us that we want to build on in the future. Give it a try!

This lengthy story and radio show on the humble instant noodle remains my inspiration for how to tell a story digitally. It’s two years old at this point but the way it mashes mediums together brings the story to life. The reporting is outstanding too, who knew noodles were used like defacto currency in prison?! Make a Pot Noodle and dive in.

This week shocking official homeless death statistics were released and a grassroots coalition was launched to tackle the issue. Bureau of Investigative Journalism reporter Maeve McClenaghan has led the charge on counting homeless deaths and released her book on the investigation this year titled No Fixed Abode. She also runs the award-winning Tip Off podcast which is invaluable for anyone looking for help with investigative journalism. Her most recent episode is worth a look as it dissects her own investigation.

My work means writing about poverty and it can be a difficult subject to cover sensitively. This recent guide from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is super helpful to stop coverage becoming sensational or exploitative.

And, finally, just for fun. If the ongoing Brexit talk is getting you down then I’m pretty sure that we’re the only publication to interview Europe’s Joey Tempest about Brexit. It’s from a while ago but it still makes me laugh.

If you would like to guest edit a future edition of My Media Roundup, simply reply to this email.