Peter Bruce looks back
Gareth van Onselen speaks to veteran SA newsman, who says journalists aiming to excel must know their subject and know their readers. He is known as an outstanding columnist but still relishes the feeling of ‘getting a good story first’
This month Peter Bruce retired from his formal duties at the Financial Mail and Business Day, though he will continue to write his various columns. He leaves at a particularly fraught moment, for journalism and politics alike. I spoke to Bruce about the state of the trade he has dedicated his life to and some of the challenges it faces. Bruce’s experience is vast. He worked, briefly, for the Rand Daily Mail, and for 18 years at the the Financial Times. Back home in SA, he has run Business Report and both the Financial Mail and Business Day as editor and, later, editor-in-chief, for the bulk of his career. Bruce’s role in establishing the latter as the daily authority on the political economy was significant. He is deeply knowledgeable about journalistic best practice and the economy. Bruce says any journalist who aspires to be excellent must "know your subject and know your readers". His own columns, of which the standard bearer has long been The Thick End of the Wedge, are testamen...
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