The Times editor Tony Gallagher joined us at JournoFest to discuss his career so far, from his early days working at the South West News Agency to becoming editor of three national newspapers, sharing sage advice for pursuing a career in journalism.
Here, part-time trainee Abi Akerman shares what she learnt.
Tony Gallagher stressed the element of luck involved in landing a dream job or graduate scheme.
He said a combination of curiosity, ambition, hard work, good judgement and being in the right place at the right time are all important factors to success in the industry.
When discussing legacy media, Gallagher highlighted that digital subscriptions are the future and the number one priority in newsrooms like The Times.
He also addressed declining trust in traditional media amid the noise of social media, and how the removal of fact-checking requirements on platforms like Facebook and X benefits established news organisations that verify all content.
With the ever-increasing presence of AI in the industry, he was extremely transparent about how it is implemented at The Times.
Currently, they’re testing it for headline generation and story summaries, which would expedite the process. However, he emphasised the significance of human intervention.
He said that AI wouldn’t replace journalism because readers want a recognisable person behind the story.
“There always needs to be a human that signs it off,” he said.
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Gallagher also outlined the importance of The Times’ comprehensive news coverage, including stories that set the news agenda and attract readers’ attention in the competitive media landscape.
When asked about comment sections, he said that good opinion writers set the tone for the newspaper and will tell the reader something new with each instalment, change their minds, or incorporate news stories within their commentary.
When asked about newspaper ownership in 2025, particularly Bezos’s Washington Post, Gallagher stressed the importance of diverse opinions to appeal to a broad readership.
You can read all the highlights and top tips from JournoFest 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 here.