Last year, National MP Murray McCully said, “National Radio has become a cosy little haven of sad lefties and politically correct Treaty separatists.” The station’s 37-year-old political editor, Kathryn Ryan, doesn’t fit that image. After two years in the job and just over five years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, she is admired by both sides of the House. One gruff right-wing political insider confided: “I can tell you who almost every single political journalist votes for. But with Kathryn, I wouldn’t have a clue.”
Is your low profile deliberate? Without wanting to sound like a jerk, I am one of the old-fashioned journos who believe our job is to do our job. Profile matters to the extent that you want people listening to your product. But how well I do the job dominates my thinking.
That’s not spin? No, it’s genuine. There’s nothing wrong with being lured by other things. But at this point that’s where my heart and soul are.
You took a circuitous path into journalism. I always had an eye on becoming a journalist, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I don’t regret that. A lot of people become journalists too young. It is worth starting with something else under your belt, a different perspective and maturity. Teacher training in 1985-86 was some of the most helpful tertiary education I had. Frankly, it is about learning to get people to do what you want through punishment and positive reinforcement. I studied management and ran a sports stadium; I came to journalism understanding the basics of managing a business.
How important is institutional journalism training? In 1995, I did Canterbury’s journalism course. It is important that people come to this industry from a variety of backgrounds. We got rid of cadetships. We shove everyone through courses. That isn’t necessarily healthy.
Does the daily audience of more than 400,000 scare you? I get nerves every time I perform – not nervousness but alertness. I am acutely aware of the responsibility to listeners and ever conscious of trying to do better.
A public radio political editor might expect to attract accusations of bias. You haven’t. Perhaps if nobody hates me, I’ve failed! Actually, in an election year I don’t mind that. I do play it safe, partly because it’s public radio. Sometimes I fantasise about having an opinion column where I could let loose. Maybe I will get bolder as I get older.
RNZ gets flak. Act has labelled it “Radio Pravda” and there are McCully’s comments. How do you respond? Get over it. Sing a new tune! Politicians release hot air. I seldom hear such comments privately. I listen to anybody who wants to comment and if there is some validity, I pay attention. You cannot back up those sorts of comments, certainly not regarding our political coverage. Often the real cry is for more diversity in voices, which I have sympathy for. Constant effort and investment is required to ensure a range of views. By and large, RNZ manages that. We can still do better. There is a drive to get more diversity, which means attracting and keeping people who are highly valuable in a competitive market. If RNZ wants to achieve diversity, it needs to invest. There are good signs that it is willing to do so.
Hiring people? That’s a far cry from February 2003 when you became political editor. When I started, we were in a staffing crunch. It was a very difficult start, because I didn’t have the resources to do what I needed. But we got through it. RNZ is the most settled, positive and forward-looking that I have seen it. We have enough staff to cover news demand and we are able to start paying attention to more in-depth stuff.
What’s that? The media run to keep up with the set agenda of political parties too much. The next stage is to dig deeper into what is going on. The entire industry must invest more. Without resources, you do not get results.
Are you more concerned with breaking stories or providing analysis? Both. For me, analysis is the job’s real attraction. We break stories, but not enough yet of the calibre I would like. I think the whole Press Gallery needs to examine itself. There are isolated examples of good breaks, but it comes back to investment by media organisations.
Your job must be more fun if there is a credible Opposition. Not only that, it’s more satisfactory for democracy, although that sounds like another jerkish comment. Critics of the media should appreciate what we are up against in terms of the machinery, size and resources of government. It is David and Goliath. If you have an Opposition that isn’t functioning, two legs of the chair are gone.
Are you addicted to politics? No, but it utterly dominates my life at the moment. This is not a job that you can ever stop thinking about. But there will be a time when I walk away without regrets.
You have been a commentator on TVNZ’s Agenda and you fill in as host for Morning Report. Could TV or radio presenting be your next fulltime job? I enjoy telly slots and Morning Report. I love broadcast journalism. But the future is in the future. My focus is on this election and our political coverage.
Some people seem stuck at Parliament. Will you be able to leave? There is strength in staying for a long time, because of the three-year electoral cycle. You need two or three terms to get a sense of recent history. Changes of government bring a whole new landscape to explore. The trend toward short careers and less institutional knowledge is a problem. But I don’t expect to be locked away there for the rest of my life.