
As he retires as Thomson Foundation chief executive - after a decade at the helm - Nigel Baker reflects on his previous 35-year career in journalism and lessons learnt along the way. Posted by Nigel Baker
Few jobs offer the opportunity to be bombed in Baghdad, set up an international TV news organisation and dance with the Pope.
I experienced all three during more than 35 years in journalism before being appointed chief executive of the Thomson Foundation in 2011. Each provided vital lessons in helping me to carry out the foundation's main purpose: supporting journalists in improving their skills and strengthening their businesses to help everyone get an honest account of what is happening in the world.
The moral of the story is you learn something from every experience. No-one can take away that knowledge, and the trick is to turn it to good use on a future occasion. You often learn more from the negatives than the positives: for example, working for a bad boss is dispiriting but can show you how not to behave when you are in charge.
I have been fortunate in my career that the bad bosses have been few and far between. From newspapers to local radio, national and international news agencies, and editing national and international television news services, I've had the privilege to work for - and learn from - some of the world's finest. So, what about those seminal experiences?
Image: Nigel interviewing Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, in Baghdad in January 1991, shortly before the outbreak of bombing in the first Gulf War
The value of training In 1991, I found myself as the producer for the UK television news network, ITN, in Baghdad when it was bombed by coalition forces after Iraq invaded Kuwait. While I was an experienced TV journalist, it was my first foreign assignment, and first in a war zone - a situation for which I had had no formal training.
Lessons learnt: The right training is vital for you to feel comfortable in the job and perform at your best; and whichever side of a conflict you may find yourself on, the overwhelming majority of ordinary people in any situation are decent, friendly and you get the best results as a journalist by treating them with respect.
Understanding cultures In 1994, I helped set up the international television wing of the Associated Press news agency and, as head of news, led the merger of its services with those of rival WTN which it bought in 1998.
Lessons learnt: As a provider of news coverage to most countries in the world, every nation has its own news culture and values. It is important to understand the local culture of wherever you are working. As digital technology evolved, it became important for journalists to understand the best technology to gather and distribute their stories.
-- Play
-- --
Watch: Nigel as head of news at APTV in the mid-1990s (from 0:43)
Storytelling skills And finally . dancing with the Pope. In 1982, as a reporter for the British national news agency, the Press Association, I covered the visit of the Pope to Liverpool. Outside the city's Catholic cathedral, I was standing next to John Paul II as he sang and swayed to the music with an ecstatic crowd. A colleague from the British tabloid, The Sun, reported a more colourful version that the Pope danced a jig of joy.
Lessons learnt: While my version was more strait-laced - and accurate - the idea of dancing with the Pope was more likely to keep the reader's interest then - and now! While being a news agency reporter instilled the importance of accuracy, the story is a reminder that telling a good story well is the essence of journalism. If we don't think about engaging an audience, we are talking to ourselves.
More from the archives: Nigel as an ITN TV producer in 1986, at a Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth, UK
Nigel with an ITN cameraman filming at the Red October Mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
Telling a good story well is the essence of journalism. If we don't think about engaging an audience, we are talking to ourselves.
Nigel Baker, chief executive, Thomson Foundation
Related content
Parting shot: The greatest reward has been helping to progress the careers of countless journalists - Nigel Baker
Thomson Foundation appoints Caro Kriel - a veteran journalist with more than 20 years' experience in international news - as its new CEO
Change at the top: Thomson Foundation has announced that Nigel Baker, chief executive since 2012, will retire from the role in July 2021
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026
New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions
Shotoku US...
14/04/2026
Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...
14/04/2026
Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion
New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...
14/04/2026
Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...
14/04/2026
Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound.
April 14, ...
14/04/2026
Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...
14/04/2026
Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...
14/04/2026
Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...
14/04/2026
LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...
14/04/2026
Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21
Brie Clayton April 14, 2026
0 Comments
Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...