My introduction to the Guardian came about on the London Underground around nine years ago. Someone else had discarded a Money section, when it was still a separate supplement in the newspaper, and I was absolutely hooked. It became my daily read. I no longer live in the UK but was very pleasantly surprised to discover that many of Dublin’s newsagents stock the paper, too. My reading pattern was barely interrupted by my move to these Celtic shores.
I’m from South Africa originally, and so I didn’t understand the comment, sometimes meant as a sneer, of “Oh, he/she is a typical Guardian reader”. Once I did understand, I was thrilled. I had found my newspaper home. I am a typical Guardian reader. I’m as mad as hell over the conglomerates hiding tax money, I want to hold power to account, I am worried about climate change and I eat kale.
It’s not that I necessarily agree with everything that the Guardian’s journalists and editors write. I am capable of thinking for myself. But, with a career that sees me just about live online, I’m aware of the information bubbles that we get ourselves into, where our own thoughts, beliefs and biases are constantly reflected back to us. The newspaper is invaluable for piercing those and bringing angles I wasn’t aware of to my attention.
It’s also due to this digital lifestyle that I still buy the newspaper in the good old-fashioned paper format. Seeing a great wodge of newsprint lets me know that I have a mini digital detox coming up, as I’ll sit and read it without a screen in sight.
I tend to read the Family section first on a weekend, and always from back to front, a habit I’ve had ever since my childhood. My favourite columnist is Hadley Freeman. I love the style of her writing. Having writing aspirations myself, I know just how much craft goes into honing style.
Recently, Guardian Cities has caught my attention. There has been some thoughtful coverage of my own hometown, Johannesburg, in it.
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