Telum Talks To... Damien Cave, Australian Bureau Chief, The New York Times
This week's "Telum Talks To..." interview is with Damien Cave, the Bureau Chief of the recently-founded Australia bureau of the globally-famous New York Times. Since first announcing the NYT would be arriving on Aussie shores, the reception has been a mix of excitement, trepidation and curiosity. Damien explains what the bureau is hoping to achieve, and why, and also gives a few hints of what's in store. For more like this delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to the Telum Media Alerts.
What have been some of the challenges in launching The New York Times, which is an already well-established brand, in Australia?
We’ve experienced the common challenges that all Australians endure (like getting decent Internet service), and the challenges that come from being a mix of new and experimental but also associated with a brand that many people already know for coverage of other things.
We’re a bit of a start-up at the outer reaches of a behemoth, and we’re arriving in Australia after other international brands like The Guardian. That means we’ve needed to really think through how to communicate what we’re up to to our established and new audiences - especially that we’re not here to create a local “edition” but rather to add Australia coverage and audience engagement to the rich menu of offerings that The New York Times offers everyone all over the world. (As I often say, The New York Times is The New York Times no matter where you live.)
Being a new addition to The Times also means - and this is another challenge - that we’ve needed to hone our internal communication skills as well so that the broader NYT understands and benefits from what we’re learning here, as a beachhead for The Times global growth initiative. We have a mandate to try new things and our work here involves not just the team in Australia; it’s also plugged into a cross-disciplinary team in New York and Hong Kong that includes newsroom editors and experts in data analytics, marketing, brand, audience development, product and technology.
Keeping the collaboration going across time zones in the middle of a major digital transformation across the entire NYT is also a challenge, and one that I expect Joe Kahn, our managing editor, will discuss in his Andrew Olle Media Lecture later this month when he’s in Sydney.
What has the reception been like from both Australian readers and the wider media industry?
The audience reception has been pretty positive; our readership numbers show steady growth and subscriptions in Australia have nearly doubled in the past year, with an accelerated curve of growth since we officially launched our Australia bureau a few months ago. There's still a lot more to do and to improve on, and our readers tell us that too, but our subscriber Facebook group is filled with engaging discussion every week and we often receive emails from readers in Australia and from Australians in other parts of the world letting us know that they’re thrilled to see The New York Times perspective on Australia.
The wider media industry response has been more mixed, which is to be expected. Journalists are competitive by nature and The New York Times is an institution that always stirs up love and angst among those who are part of our wider tribe.
I will say though that we also have quite a few supporters in the Australian media industry as well; those who want to partner with us and those who privately express frustration with certain elements of how their own companies or lines of coverage have been managed. They seem happy to have a new player in the mix doing something somewhat different.
How would you characterise your audience? Are you writing for Australians or an international / US-based audience?
As I wrote in a recent FAQ, our audience is curious, eager to be informed - and blurs the line between local and international. From what we can tell so far, our most loyal readers are “globalisers,” a mix of Australians in Australia (many with experience abroad) plus Australians living in other countries, Americans and other expats in Australia, and those of various backgrounds who have a connection to Australia or who are just curious and eager to understand this part of the world. That includes quite a few Americans.
What are the major issues that resonate with your readers?
In terms of issues in Australia, we’re finding that our readers are connecting with global stories that are playing out in Australia and elsewhere - like climate change, immigration, gender, and the battle between the forces of nationalism (or localism) and those of globalisation.
We are also finding (happily) that readers appreciate when we cover diverse communities with nuance, and when we really dig into the way Australia relates to both the United States and China.
But our globalised readers in Australia or with ties to Australia come to The New York Times for more than Australia coverage. They are avid readers of our coverage of Trump and Washington; our deep coverage of China, Asia, and the Middle East. They also are big fans of our food coverage and Modern Love column, and our newsletters - my weekly Australia Letter, and our daily Morning Briefing.
How do you think the Australia media landscape compares to your home country’s?
The media landscape here strikes me as equally or slightly more divided by ideology, with conservative outlets on one side (News Corporation) and liberal outlets on the other. The public broadcasters also play a much bigger role in setting the agenda, obviously, and in part because there is less philanthropy to support journalism, there seem to be fewer independent outlets with the muscle to hold power to account - in the way that ProPublica does in the United States, for example.
Generally, I find that the standards of reporting are closer to the British model than the American model, which can at times mean more one-source stories, more coverage of politics as bloodsport, and less transparency about sourcing than I’m used to. (This is also, and perhaps primarily, the fault of government, in my view, which has a tendency to obscure and stay cosy with friendly reporters; and media cutbacks which make it harder for newsrooms to invest in the kinds of deeper coverage that most reporters prefer.)
On the more positive side of the ledger, I’m perpetually impressed by the level of interviewing and conversation about policy and news, whether on a show like Q&A or The Drum or The Feed or on radio shows like Hack.
I also think there is a new generation of Australian journalists, including many with diverse and international backgrounds, who are doing interesting and innovative things digitally, often inside large media organisations like the ABC. This is similar to what’s going on in the U.S. and I look forward to seeing what they come up with, especially if they are empowered to experiment beyond the status quo.
You have also worked as a foreign correspondent for the NYT, first as a Baghdad Correspondent in 2006 - 2007 and a Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Correspondent between 2010 and 2014. What was the main thing you took away from those experiences?
Tough one! I’ve reported from more than a dozen countries for The Times and they all had a lot to teach, but if I had to boil it all down, I’d say that working as a correspondent in so many places has taught me the importance of humility and the risks of certitude. In my experience, both journalists (and policymakers) are more likely to get themselves into trouble when they go into new situations thinking they’ve got all the answers. It takes humility and curiosity to connect and understand people on various sides of a war or intense divide. Empathy beyond our own experience or individual biases - remembering to remind ourselves of what we may not know - is a prerequisite for the fair and authoritative coverage that our world increasingly needs.
On a personal level, how have you found moving to Australia and getting to know the culture?
It’s been fantastic. Richard Flanagan, the novelist, gave me the very good advice early on, to not think of Australia and the U.S. in terms of their similarities but rather their differences. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the place and the people here, from Sydney to Darwin to Townsville to Melbourne and beyond. My kids are teaching me things they learn at school. My very smart Australian colleagues (most of our team is Australian) are all helping me learn as much a possible, as fast as possible, while having fun along the way.
Most memorable story you’ve been involved with so far?
I really enjoyed spending time with the South-Sudanese basketball team, the Savannah Pride, in Blacktown. I logged lots of hours in their little gym and when the coaches and players opened up their world to me, I was truly grateful for their trust - and their fantastic, globe-trotting story. I’m also finishing up a story now that I really enjoyed reporting, tied to Australian culture, which I found quite enlightening. And I loved working with the illustrator, Sam Wallman, on this artistic rendition of the Lowy Institute poll.
Coffee, lunch or drinks?
All three, please.
And soon we’ll have a New York Times food critic in Australia to tell us all where to go.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Like many journalists probably, invisibility comes to mind. But I also wonder if it would be more useful and fun to be able to change shape and life-form - to literally become a fly on the wall; or a koala; or someone with access to records that governments and corporations prefer to hide.