Interview—Morgan Meaker, journalist
Award-winning freelance journalist, Morgan Meaker, shares how she began her career in investigative journalism, the importance of sharing humanitarian stories and her approach to developing a piece in our October interview.
“...I met people making epic journeys, walking from Syria and Afghanistan to Europe. What struck me most was the disappointment so many refugees said they felt when they arrived here. They had expected their rights would be respected in Europe. But in reality, they were stuck in a two-tier system, where it seemed as if the rights of Europeans didn’t apply to them. Seeing that disappointment was a real eye opener for me. It made me want to expose those inconsistencies throughout European society - I hoped that would spur on some sort of change.”
An image from Morgan’s article China’s missing million: the search for disappeared Uyghurs – photo credit: Morgan Meaker.
How did you begin your career in journalism? Did you intern or begin writing for smaller publications perhaps?
Starting out was really hard. I spent a few years juggling odd jobs like nannying, life modelling and retail with internships at arts and fashion magazines. But when I was writing for outlets like Time Out, Dazed & Confused and 1883 Magazine, I started to get more and more interested in global affairs so I decided to switch fields - from art to politics. I went back to studying, to City University to take a master’s program in International Journalism. That experience helped start me out as a freelancer - which is where I am now.
Did a particular event lead you to human rights’ journalism?
I loved writing about political art. When I landed an interview with the founders of Ayyam Gallery (the London branch has sadly shut down since), I was exposed to work by Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian artists who were wrestling with huge themes like loss, power and dislocation in their work. By the time I graduated from City University, those themes were all over the media because the EU was trying to figure out what to do about the so-called “refugee crisis”. I went back to working part-time as a nanny so I could buy flights to Beirut, Germany and Greece. It was on those trips that I met people making epic journeys, walking from Syria and Afghanistan to Europe. What struck me most was the disappointment so many refugees said they felt when they arrived here. They had expected their rights would be respected in Europe. But in reality, they were stuck in a two-tier system, where it seemed as if the rights of Europeans didn’t apply to them. Seeing that disappointment was a real eye opener for me. It made me want to expose those inconsistencies throughout European society - I hoped that would spur on some sort of change.
Some of your more recent pieces focus on the topics of digital rights and digital democracy. They’re fascinating issues that you’ve explored through pieces such as ‘How Digital Virtual Assistants Like Alexa Amplify Sexism’ and ‘Inside the online disinformation war trying to tear Sweden apart’. What in particular interested you in this sphere?
It seemed like a natural progression. Human beings have created this incredible new universe online but we are still figuring out how the ethics and rights we have in the real world should be applied in the virtual one. Digital spaces have also become the stage for this giant power struggle. When the Arab Spring took place, protesters were using technology to their advantage - social media was a weapon against authority. But now those dynamics are shifting and governments are using bots, trolls, technology legislation and online surveillance tools to solidify their power.
Tabanovce transit centre on the Macedonia-Serbia border for refugees making their way to Europe – photo credit: Morgan Meaker
It’d be interesting to know more about the process you go through when pulling together an article. When travelling for your research (for example, for your upcoming pieces on the Saxony election in Germany and the Austrian election), are the themes of the piece pre-planned or is it more spontaneous—do you observe and chat to people on the day and build the article from there?
Usually, I sketch out the people I want to talk to, the places I want to go and the topics or themes I want to dig into. But I want the reporting to lead me to a conclusion; not reach a conclusion first and try to find neat quotes to prove it. When I can, I try to make time to have long discussions with people face to face. It’s easier to talk through ideas that way and sometimes people will mention something off-hand which ends up being the key to your article. But it’s also really useful to meet and speak to people spontaneously, at protests or on the street. Every situation is different and it also depends on the deadline; how much time there is to do reporting from the ground.
Congratulations on your awards (Forbes 30 under 30 in media and marketing in 2018 & news award winner in the MHP Communications' Young Journalists Award)! Has winning these impacted how you approach your work?
Awards are a nice confidence boost. Especially as a freelancer. They make me feel like I am not just sending words into the abyss. I think they may have helped me get invited to speak at a few conferences but I’m not sure they had much of an impact on the work itself.
Are there any journalists, modern or historical, whose work has moved you?
Joan Didion’s essay Slouching Towards Bethlehem made me want to be a journalist. I’d never read a writer who could communicate through blank space; using paragraph breaks. Also Janine Di Giovanni’s reporting from Bosnia made such a tragic war so human and she would weave herself so lucidly into the story - something I haven’t been brave enough to try yet.
Have you a favourite piece of your own that you’re proud of? What makes this piece special to you?
Perhaps I’m a perfectionist but I’m never really happy with anything I’ve written so I always feel like my favourite piece will be the next one…
An image from Morgan’s article China’s missing million: the search for disappeared Uyghurs – photo credit: Morgan Meaker
Article originally published October 30, 2019