When the true players won’t say much on the record and you’re sick of interviewing other journalists, you need people who’ll tell you what you probably already know in a way you can convey to your audience.
It helps if these people have big names, are happy to court controversy, and have a certain turn of phrase. These media tarts, often former players themselves, can offer insight on the way things are done, and the reasons behind the press conferences. Most importantly, they’ll take your call and hurry down to your studio when something breaks. For reasons of their own, they’re happy to have their face on a breaking story as an expert and guide. For some of them, that willingness has translated into lucrative paid gigs. For others, it just helps keep them relevant.
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific's leading geo-politics and economics portal.
He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.
