By Ethan Franke
From the outside, the career of a journalist is an intriguing one; a true calling to explore the world, to tell stories that bridge cultures and provoke conversation.
ABC News Breakfast producer Alexander Darling is a man well-placed to provide insight into what it’s like taking on the challenging yet fulfilling career path of a working journalist.
“You know the great promise of journalism is that it can get you out and seeing the world,” said Darling. “And I always had a bit of a curiosity to look at what was beyond my own neighbourhood.”
Darling graduated from RMIT University in Melbourne with a Bachelor of Communications back in 2015 and has since worked in multiple roles within the industry, in both regional NSW and regional Victoria.
In his eight years working in the media, Darling said his history of employment certainly “hasn’t been boring”.
His first proper job took him to Port Macquarie where he became a radio reporter back in 2016. He recalled what it was like making the move away from Victoria.
“I was 22 when I first left home and I had a lot of growing up to do,” he said. “While I was also learning how to be a journalist.”
“I had to learn how to pay rent for the first time, learn who to trust and it was challenging but I probably had those experiences a lot earlier and with a lot more positivity than if I hadn’t been a reporter.”
To say that Darling embraced his early journey with an impressive, optimistic demeanour would be an understatement.
His job eventually took him from Port Macquarie to Gosford, then after starting to feel homesick in 2018, he got a job at a local newspaper in Horsham, Western Victoria.
This would prove to be a tricky stage in his career, as the pandemic hit during his time there and resulted in him being stood down in early 2020, although he was thankfully rehired two months later.
By the end of 2020, however, Darling wound up as a journalist with the ABC’s Horsham branch. After spending three years there, he eventually made his way back to Melbourne and into his current role.
Darling’s extensive resume has seen him cover a wide range of topics.
“At my current role, it’s a necessity, but in my own case, I guess everything interests me a bit to a certain point,” he said. “I’ve always had a pretty decent general knowledge and I know a little about a lot of things. So, I like to give myself opportunities where I can cover pretty much anything.”
(Listen to his in-depth answer to the question of whether it is passion or necessity that drives him below.)
From politics to regional community profiles and even a wide array of sports, Darling has made use of his perceptive view on the world, and it has allowed him to not shy away from any potential stories.
When covering stories of tragedy or loss, Darling has made the ethics of his craft a top priority.
“Even though the stories I’m reporting on don’t affect me personally, I still try and have that empathy for the people who have lost loved ones or lose their homes, because when you’re out there, it’s very easy to just see it as transactional.
“The risk of being insensitive while you’re trying to do a job is always there. So you have to remind yourself that they’re people as well, and that if this happened to you, you probably wouldn’t want to talk.”
Darling recalled an interview he had with a grieving mother, who opened a cafe in honour of her son who had died in a car crash.
“It was quite a sad interview, given she was still coping with the grief of losing her son, but she trusted me to tell her story. I had the responsibility of doing right by her, given she had shared that very personal information with me.”
Darling still lives an unconventional lifestyle due in part to his current position.
“You do have to make sacrifices; my work starts at 3am at the moment,” he said. “It does demand a lot of you if you want to do this job and it isn’t for everybody, but even up until now, the benefits have definitely outweighed the negatives, definitely.”
Although he didn’t sugarcoat his story, Darling’s well-spoken manner and willingness to be transparent about his experiences certainly reflected the positive impact that his career lifestyle has had on him.
In a world where the media that we take in is so impactful, it’s reassuring to know that there are by-the-book journalists like Alexander Darling who are serving their nation with such admirable willingness.
Featured image: Alexander Darling reports from the field. Picture: YouTube