Farewell Hitch

Saddened to read of the death of one of my (few) heroes, Christopher Hitchens yesterday. I only recently read his brilliant memoir, Catch-22; he was one of the bravest (physically and professionally) writers around. Not enough like him – and more specifically, not enough editors out there with the guts to publish (for want of a better word) the truth.

Also just finished Lee Stringer’s “Grand Central Winter” yesterday, really good read; lots of witty one-liners and very good on the politics of homelessness and alienation in New York. Stringer is a former editor of “Street News”, from which the Big Issue got its idea – except from what I can tell, Street News was much braver, more in yer face.

What Hitchens and Stringer have in common is a belief that the truth is a messy, inconvenient business. Any aspiring journalists wanting to try and fill their shoes should bear that in mind. Don't be afraid to write the truth; be ready for the inevitable fall-out. You can deal with it because you know in your heart you did the right thing.