KEVIN COULSON

Newspaper

Senior Editor at The Athletic

By Megan Geall

What is your worst fear as a journalist? Becoming irrelevant and having my job taken by young, hungry upstarts from City University!

What do you think could be done to improve diversity in the industry?

Oof. This is a full-blown article in itself. Something I’m really proud of from my time at The Athletic is the Talent ID days that we run – and very often recruit from. Sports journalism is awash with middle-class white men (like me!) and it’s not even close to being diverse enough. Similarly, while I was at Eurosport we worked with Kick It Out to offer work experience as a crucial frst rung on the ladder. There is no easy answer though and, while these things will hopefully help, much more needs to be done as it’s a big problem – in sports journalism and beyond.

What is one moment from your career that stands out in your memory?

I once tried to fry an egg on the pavement at the Australian Open to demonstrate the 40-degree heat in a video. It didn’t work.

Who is a person you fnd inspiring and why?

There are people speaking up loudly for what they believe in, even when it might cost them personally or put them in danger. And there are people quietly and selfessly working to make the world a better place without much credit. These stories restore my faith in humanity, which can be tested when you read too much news.

What advice would you give to a newjournalist?

Speak to anyone and everyone. You never know where a simple conversation might take you.

What is the most valuable skill you learned at City that you still use today?

The lessons from media law and ethics have been invaluable. I don’t use shorthand very much these days but phrases like ‘all sorts of things’ will be seared on my brain forever.

If you could sum up your experience at City in three words what would they be?

Intense, revelatory and… fun. I don’t want to say fun because it sounds so basic, but it was fun.

If you weren’t a journalist, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably be doing something very physical, like welding bikes. Building something with my hands that requires a lot of concentration and commitment.

Is there a piece of work that you are proudest of?

I worked on a flm called Wings over Water a 3D IMAX flm a few years ago. I worked on it for almost two years, so I felt like much of my vision went into it. It has had a huge reception and did well in the awards. It’s about migrating birds across America. I’d watched the rough cuts so many times, on my phone and on the train, so it was really emotional when I saw the fnal product in the theatre, knowing what went into every single one of those shots and how much time we spent setting them up and what they all mean together.

Harriet