A Day In The Life… Martin Booth, Editor at Bristol24/7

From the age of ten, Martin Booth could be found putting together magazines in his free time for fun, cementing the truth that he has always wanted to be a journalist. Now, as a reporter for Bristol24/7, he maintains the same judgment as he did then: journalism is fun.

We spoke with Martin in his home patch during the Student Publication Association’s 2024 National Conference where he told us about what happens in a day in the life of a regional news editor and his love for what he does — woven with his love for his community — overarched the conversation.

Though sometimes taxing to write on happenings so close to himself, his persistence to tell the narratives of his community drives him to keep going. Despite a brief stint at The Times and some time writing PR to pay bills, Martin has always found his way back to local journalism, abiding by the adage “life is local”.

What does your typical day involve?

We’re called Bristol24/7 and sometimes I feel like the living, breathing embodiment of that. I don’t necessarily have a healthy work life balance. If I’m not diligent enough the day before, I then have to set my alarm too early. That’s not what I should be doing though.

The thing is it’s not a nine-to-five job. We’re not working 24/7, of course, but there are meetings and late nights. I once got woken up by my wife at midnight and she could see flames. There was a big fire in Bristol. So in the middle of the night, I cycled to the fire. There was about a month where my clothes constantly smelled of smoke because I was covering so many fires. So, I clearly don’t have a typical, set day.

You should not go into journalism expecting a nine to five, even if those are the allocated hours on our contract. You’ve got to be willing to go above and beyond. You’ve got to be willing to get out of bed at midnight if there’s a fire. You’re not going to have a job where you’re tied to your desk. You need to make sure that you’re out and about all of the time.

When my day does start at the traditional time, I’ll have some coffee. The chances are high that I’ll bump into someone on the way to work and have a chat with them. We start our days just by looking at what we know is going to happen. Really, the best part of the day is that no two days are the same and we’re always prepared for every actuality.

Is this always what you thought you’d be doing?

Yes. I’m super lucky because I always wanted to be a journalist. I remember one summer holiday when I was ten, I put together a magazine. I didn’t really know what a journalist was, I just always loved consuming print. I’m very fortunate. I have always had this laser focus on wanting to be a journalist and now I’m a journalist.

I often see former colleagues drifting off into PR and earning twice as much as me, but I’m still doing what I love to do regardless of the paycheck. I’m still fortunate.

Do you have any advice for someone trying to break into the industry, be it regionally or nationally?

I predominantly worked in regional or local journalism. I did a stint on a national paper; that was more research over anything else. I was a glorified tea boy, but I could still have a stint at The Times on my CV.

What I would say to anyone is get work experience, get as much work experience as possible. When I was a student journalist, I fired up so many letters to national newspapers, radio stations, and magazines. I had work experience at The Observer and NME. I had lots of work experience at my local newspaper The Watford Observer. That’s the paper that gave me my first rank as a reporter. Apply for every single piece of work experience that you can. You might think you want to be a writer or broadcaster, or a television reporter, or [work] online, but just get a taste for everything.

The thing is now you can make videos while working for a newspaper. It’s kind of flipped a little bit so you don’t need to be so set in your ways. You need to be adaptable. I always saw myself wanting to be a sports reporter, but when I did my NCTJ, you need to be able to do anything. You need to be able to turn your attention to breaking news, politics, sport, lifestyle, food and drink. I have my specialism in reporting on the city I live in now, but it took a lot of variants to get there.

In your career, what’s something you’re most proud of?

Well, I’ve just spoken at a panel event at the magnificent SPA Conference, which is certainly a highlight.

At The Watford Observer I published a story about a crash landing which really jump started my career. In recent years, I’m most proud of my coverage of Bristol’s ‘Kill the Bill’ protest. I was saying that journalism isn’t a nine-to-five and there was a period of about a week where I was having two or three hours of sleep a night because you’re out following these extraordinary events happening in the city. I just had to make sure my phone retained charge, that was the most problematic element — always carry a spare charger. I am incredibly proud of how myself and the team at Bristol 24/7 covered this story.

An international story about the Coleston statue tumbling broke on our patch and the team at Bristol 24/7 covered that and the repercussions. These are stories that happen with ripples that continue long after the actual event. You must be tenacious to follow a story from start to finish.

What’s something you wish you had done differently getting into the industry?

I don’t have any regrets at all. When I was at university, I was lucky to be on the Erasmus program when we were a member of the EU. I spent a year in Spain. I always had a dream of being a foreign correspondent. However, talking at this wonderful conference, I talked about how journalism is fun. I always count myself so lucky to be doing a job where I can just have fun.

I’m quite unusually placed as an editor where I am out and about all the time because at Bristol24/7 we don’t have a large amount of staff so we all have to do our part. I’m having fun all day long and I don’t have regrets.

Is there anything that you would love to change about the industry?

I am only talking from a perspective of where I am, working for a very small publication in a small city. The challenge is to keep our heads above water. If only we could have more resources and staff. The question is: how do we make journalism pay? I don’t want to get our begging bowl out and go to Google or Facebook, but of course larger organisations do have money.

There are ways to ensure that local journalism cannot just survive but thrive. I think that we need to ensure that more people are aware that we are a membership organisation. For the price of an expensive pint, the community can help support independent journalism. The Guardian has done that model well. Journalism doesn’t come for free. I think we need to explain to people that we put all our content out there.

The model is broken because we emit blood, sweat, and tears to give everything we do away for free. What I would change is for more people to appreciate the cost of independent journalism. They might like getting all their news for free, but just taking a few steps back and appreciating that in order for journalism to survive we need to somehow make it sustainable is important to remember.

Can you discuss the importance of regional journalism as it contrasts with national journalism in today’s age?

People want to know what’s happening down their street. I think that’s it in a nutshell. People want to know what’s going on in their neighbourhood. People are inherently nosey. If a new shop has shut or opened, if there are new landlords or evictions — people want to know. Life is local. I didn’t make up that phrase, but regardless, life is local. I love being at the heart of that local news gathering operation.

The problem about living on patch is that I can’t open my front door in the morning without seeing half of my news stories in front of me. If I’m late for work, it’s because I probably nipped down an alleyway to get a photograph of something that’s happening. Or I’ve spoken to someone who’s got a story to tell. Life is local and everyone’s got a story to tell. I want them to tell their stories to us.

Sometimes news is difficult to report on. How do you stay motivated if the news that you report on is depressing, especially as someone who may have a connection to those involved as a regional journalist?

I felt sad yesterday because I was talking to someone who I’ve known for ten years who is closing her shop, which happens to be in my own neighbourhood of Bristol. She was sad talking to me, I was sad talking to her. We’re human beings. We are emotional animals. I sometimes find myself getting caught up in the emotion of stories. In fact, often I do. I am racked with guilt or anger. But, if I’m being honest, by next week, there’s a new story to write.

It doesn’t mean we have to be completely emotionless. It’s sometimes hard not to get too emotionally invested within the stories. But we must always look for the next story. To get the best stories you do have to be able to emote on a human level. You want people to tell you, their secrets. You need to have enough emotional intelligence for them to share their story with you. It’s a responsibility. Once I’ve put out that emotion for the story, I do just have to move on to the next one.

What surprises have you had within your career?

I think the biggest surprise is probably when I was made redundant from The Bristol Evening Post. I was paying the bills by doing some PR work, which is the only time I haven’t been a full-on journalist, but even then I was still running a blog. I always had the ambition to turn it into something more. The biggest surprise I got was when I got a tap on the shoulder from someone setting up a brand-new media organisation in Bristol and I was asked if I wanted to join.

The biggest surprise is that my career was put on fast-forward and allowed me to get where I am. That wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t anything that I hadn’t created for myself. You’ve got to back yourself. You’ve got to be your biggest cheerleader.

What do you do after work?

I need to spend time with my two children. I need to turn off electronics (other than Strava) and go rollerskating with my kids or go cycling. We visit new places. Often my social life becomes part of my working life if I’m going to a new restaurant or the theatre. I’m able to relax in the theatre, but chances are I’m reviewing them as well. So, it’s all very much entwined.

I’m also not very good at switching off. I need to just switch off and spend time with my two young daughters and beautiful wife who don’t see me as much as I would like. I just like to make those moments really matter while they’re still young enough to be able to come on adventures with me.