It’s the job of a journalist to bring light to stories and people, but it’s not often they are in the spotlight.

At PritchittBland Communications we run a special blog series where we put the spotlight on Australian financial journalists and dig a little deeper to find out where they’ve come from and what drives a good story. See it from their perspective and read the interview with our next guest, Andrew Cornell, associate editor at Capital Brief.

Why did you decide to go into journalism?

Basically I failed to become a librarian. I was always keen on writing and studied it at Melbourne Uni but at the time, in the 80s, media companies didn’t really hire graduates. I was lucky to get a cadetship at the Herald & Weekly Times where the training was exceptional and rigorous and News Ltd hadn’t yet taken over the old, credible culture of the Sun News Pictorial and the Melbourne Herald. I’ve just kept going as journalism always offers something new and important - like Capital Brief.

What about the finance industry interests you the most?

I don’t have a finance background - genetics and mediaeval philosophy - but during my cadetship it became clear there was a finance and economics angle in every story and often it was the critical, albeit poorly investigated, element. Whether that was sport, crime, politics, restaurants or entertainment. In that sense I’m a Marxist: capital explains much of what is happening in society.

What are you looking forward to seeing happen in the financial landscape in the next 5 years?

I’m always hoping for more transparency and less rent seeking. Unfortunately, even in western democracies, too much power and influence accrues to those with the most money and influence, be that individuals, companies or industries. When vested interests can sway policy and markets all of us end up paying. If we want better governance, ethics and financial equity much more transparency, from governments and organisations, is vital.

What makes a good story?

A kernel of something we don’t know. That might be a scandal or an exclusive but it might just be a clear explanation of how a particular market is working, making clear the forces at work. As humans we respond to human stories and even the most technical stories have people as their agents so I’m always looking for something more human than textbook.

What advice would you give to executives when they are talking to the media?

Don’t try and dodge the question. If you don’t want to or can’t answer the question, say that. We don’t really expect you to blurt out you’re about to takeover Company X but answering a different question or trying to distract simply implies there is more going on here than we think. There’s nothing more intriguing than an executive trying to be cute. Why? Do you want to sound like a politician? And definitely don’t lie. An interview is a transaction, the terms need to be clear and both parties speaking in good faith. That’s why our mantra at Capital Brief is “we break stories down, we don’t beat them up.”