525 - Guest: Richard Raycraft - Journey into journalism
"I'm only twenty-five years old, and I don't know anything about anything," wisely chides our in-studio guest, Richard Raycraft.
That’s exactly why, as CHRW Radio's (94.9 FM in London Ontario) News and Spoken Word Director who has a personal passion for the integrity of journalism, Richard likes to ask questions.
Having just completed a CBC radio documentary that has earned him acclaim, its subject matter is one in which Richard shares an additional passion beyond journalism: fighting against ISIS. What would inspire someone like Richard to want to fight ISIS by joining a foreign militia? What was it that inspired two other young Canadians to do the same – and to lose their lives in the process? The answers to both questions are what merged as the theme of Richard’s documentary. But that’s just the starting point of our own discussion with Richard, one that encompasses his views on public broadcasting, moral relativism, journalism’s current status and future, freedom of speech, attitudes of entitlement from his fellow millennials, Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, and much more.
In an era of 'fake news' accusations and denials, and with increasing public distrust in the media at large, what can we expect as the media trends of the future?
We'll leave it to you, our listeners, to judge for yourself whether or not Richard really doesn't "know anything about anything,” and whether or not his “questioning” philosophy is indeed the key to steering journalism in a direction that’s Just Right.