Interview Review: James Bennett

This is an email-interview conducted with a great friend of mine, James Bennett of Perth, Australia. First of all, let me give you some background on how I got to know this fine gent (photo details: left to right, James Bennett and Cair Pierce. We are visually demonstrating the vastly different ways Australian and American fish use their gills, though I'm sure I didn't need to point that out, as it's rather obvious just from looking what we are doing).

When I moved to Sweden, the first step off the bus in Uppsala I was met by the friendliest-of-friendly-Aussies. Apparently I looked a little out of sorts. I had not slept in a day and a half. This, combined with the two insanely large suitcases I was dragging while simultaneously attempting to navigate using a rapidly-deteriorating map, may have tipped off James to inquire if I was, by mere chance, lost. James and I discovered we lived in the same building and thus began a fantastic friendship.

James has travelled pretty much all over the place, yet if asked, he will ramble on about how he feels woefully insignificant because he's never been to Antartica. At least not yet, I'm sure. Having completed his combined law and arts degrees in Political Science and French, James now works as a journalist in Western Australia for the Australian Broadcasting Company, doing mainly radio work as well as some television-dabbling.

In honor of James' dual citizenship (oh, the joy of having a British father and Aussie mother!), I'll leave all his unnecessary U's intact. Darn that Queen's English.

What new technologies do you like/use frequently? Why?

I really like using MSN Messenger and Skype because I like staying in contact with people. I’ve been fortunate to meet some really cool people and would hate to lose contact with them. Those technologies will hopefully prevent that. Of course the ubiquitous iPod must also rate a mention.


What technologies do you dislike? Any horror stories?

Hmmm hard to say really…I lost an interview I’d just done with a minister on some voice recording software at work the other day. That was really not so fun, because I felt like a tool having to call him back and blame technology.

What would you change about technology?

I’d make it more usable outside, like make screens really super bright so you could be out in the sun and still use it if you wanted. Something on user friendliness would be good too: keypads for people who can't type – could you use a clickwheel [from the iPod] to type? That thing is awesome.

How has technology changed what you read? What you view? Wow you interact with others?

I still read books and newspapers, but everything else I guess – I call on the internet, I use text messages because I’m a tightarse [Ed. note: Australian for cheapskate] and I check websites for news updates constantly.

What piece of technology goes with you to your desert island?

A nice camera.

Do you feel the increase in technological advances has helped overall in your particular line of work?

Yes. Having used old school tape recording compared to digital voice and picture editing software…well I can use the digital stuff, but wouldn’t have a hope in hell in retro-land. Computer program lets my stories be sub-edited instantly and lets me see what other journalists are working on at the same time.


If you have a problem with a piece of technology, to whom do you turn?

Right now, anyone else in the newsroom, because they're all more experienced than me. At home I tell my sister to fix the net because she's lazy and I don’t know how to do it.

What does your crystal ball tell you about the next five years in technological advances?

There will be a trend towards further integration. I remember some marketing dude say that people will only ever carry three things – phone, keys and wallet: so the phone must also be a decent camera, mp3 player, organizer, email compatible, et cetera.

Technology obviously has changed the face of journalism quite drastically in recent years. Technology has also made traveling very different. How have each of these fields changed in the recent past on their own merit?

Skynews, Foxnews, all rolling 24 hour news: do things happen all the time? Cast your net wide enough and I suppose so – but are those things of interest? Perhaps the variety of mediums through which we can access news means that its relevance or perceived importance may be diminished. For example, why read the paper when you saw it on the net yesterday afternoon or some cute girl told you?

While these advances improve the time until you can access news, it does not give you more detail, so maybe the change isn’t as great as it may appear – newspapers still seem to turn a profit.

Travelling has changed because you can tell more people about what you are doing/did faster and in more detail. People still travel to places on word of mouth, but the costs overall are lower.

I think the greatest change is in the provision of vastly greater capacity at a low cost, meaning that more places benefit from travel dollars, although apparently this is the peak of the cycle. As fuel becomes more expensive, availability of travel capacity will diminish greatly over the next 50 years. I’m glad to be at the peak.

On a personal sidenote, it seems everyone has to travel with music – checking out a city is not done unless done to your own playlist. I don’t like this.

How, then, has the combination of these two fields fared? Do you find these technological differences are changing the face of travel journalism in a positive or negative way? What modifications, technologically speaking, would you make to improve the field of travel journalism?

Travel shows are so unrealistic: check-in camera, queue cam, argument with police cam, trying to buy food cam, rude foreign service cam: the moment any hotel or restaurant sees a camera crew show up, of course they will bend over backwards to accommodate. Hidden cameras which would gauge the real reception in a place are a must.

***
All in all, big thanks to James Bennett who has indulged my curiousities on many occasions, ranging from do-the-toilets-really-flush-the-other-way-in-Australia to this much-more-intelligent exchange.