Journalism requires curiosity. and Jon has proven himself as one of the most curious journalists out there, willing to push boundaries and ask uncomfortable questions.
Welsh Born, World Educated
Jon Ronson was born in Wales and his curiosity led him into journalism from an early age when he began his work for CBC radio in Cardiff before he even began a formal study in media. Jon earned a degree in Media Studies at the Polytechnic of Central London.
A self-proclaimed introvert, Jon has always used his eccentricity to push boundaries. He wrote his first book in 1994. Clubbed Class is a journal of travelling where he bluffed his way into a jet-set lifestyle looking for the world’s best holiday.
This first book truly shows Jon’s personality. He thrives on being alone, and yet he is curious enough to put himself out there in experiments where he can then turn around and report back to people. He is a true journalist.
His experience and true education in journalism come from his world experience. This led him to create some pretty intense Jon Ronson videos like “When Online Shaming Goes Too Far.”
Jon Ronson Loves New York
This Jon Ronson interview begins with Ronson explaining his love of New York City. He enjoys the people, and his ideas for his acclaimed book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed comes from his experiences in New York
Jon Ronson’s study of the culture of New York City led him to the idea of exploring the phenomena of public shaming online, e.g. when individuals become the victim of shame because of something they’ve tweeted. In this study, Jon discovered his own tendency to make fun of his privilege, much like those who became victims of public shame.
He explains the trends of public shaming, comparing people making mistakes to mutations, where they quickly learn to not say the things they’ve said in the past. Unfortunately, those things are already out there on the internet, forever following them.
Jon also discusses how he believes the book has been misused. He was not attempting to make any political statement. He just wanted to talk about how jokes went sideways.
Curiosity Keeps You Employed
Jon Ronson ardently believes that curiosity has helped him stay employed. He went into journalism and continues to explore new topics because of his curiosity, even though he’s had enticing offers. For example, after he wrote Shamed, intellectuals from the dark web invited him to collaborate on projects.
He declined and claims that if you only take jobs you know about, you lose curiosity, and curiosity keeps him doing what he enjoys doing.
The Jon Ronson documentary “The Men Who Stare at Goats” is an excellent example of how Jon’s curiosity has served to produce some excellent work.
Why Porn and Why Podcast?
Studying the world of porn and podcasting about it came innocently for Jon. He incidentally met a pornstar named Princess Donna. The meeting happened after one of his twitter followers tweeted and asked him if he’d ever looked into exploring porn and the shame involved in it.
Because Jon cares about the hypocrisies he sees in himself and humans in general, he began his porn project. Because podcasting is, as he puts it, the “wild west of narrative fiction”, he began podcasting about it.
Curiosity and Journalism
Jon embodies the curious mind of a journalist that we all need. The best journalists understand the world of news and media requires curiosity. Jon digs in and finds the stories that keep us informed.
Let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments below!
