BBC Newsnight presenter and Radio 5 Live host Matt Chorley spoke at our 11th annual JournoFest conference at The Exchange in Twickenham.
Every year we host a journalism conference packed with notable journalists from national newspapers and broadcasters and emerging digital platforms. JournoFest brings together trainees and alumni from all our courses including our BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism degree and prospective members of #TeamNA.
Here trainee Tom Allen shares what he learnt.
Matt Chorley started work in local news as a reporter at the Taunton Times, and has since worked at the Press Association, The Times, Times Radio and the MailOnline.
He is now a BBC journalist, stand-up comedian and hosts his own podcast, ‘Matt Chorley’s Urgent Questions’.
Although not an hour of stand-up, we were blessed more than a few laughs from stories of his career journey so far.
Chorley’s career is proof that keeping an open mind in journalism will help you find the right thing and was the advice he gave trainees.
On how he broke into radio, he said: “I just said ‘yes’ to everything.
“It might be something you’re not sure you want to do, but it might turn out that you love it.”
He joked that he felt working at a local newspaper at the start of his career was ‘old-fashioned’ but upon reflection was invaluable.
Working in local news helped him build up all the essential skills needed to be great in the newsroom like speed writing which helped significantly in radio roles.
In the ‘Matt Chorley’s Urgent Questions’ podcast, he uses a method he describes at ‘the Chorley sandwich’.
This is making sure an interviewee laughs at the start and end of an interview to get away with asking hard-hitting questions in between.
Guests on his podcast include Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Using comedy as an interviewing tactic comes naturally to Chorley, with four comedy tours including a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe.
View this post on Instagram
Working at the BBC, journalists are required to be impartial, something colleagues warned Chorley about when he was poached from Times Radio.
He said that upholding impartiality hasn’t impacted his journalism.
This may have been thanks to advice given to him by former 5 Live host Richard Bacon: “Go in strong and let the BBC knock you back.”
Which ex-colleague does @LauraTrottMP think is a Traitor?
URGENT QUESTIONS podcast https://t.co/AB6CxTm8jN pic.twitter.com/PaShk8xPNj
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) February 25, 2026
Chorley said he was an example of how journalists are turning themselves into brands and how success can come from carving out your own particular niche in the industry.
His brand is being ‘the man who makes politics fun’ and having a USP has helped him land fantastic opportunities like hosting BBC Two’s Newsnight, being a panelist on BBC One’s Have I Got News For You and even interviewing Basil Brush!
He said: “I just love being on the radio and messing about.”
Between interviews with Basil Brush and education secretary Bridget Philipson, it’s clear his funny approach works!
View this post on Instagram
See our highlights from previous JournoFest events here.