Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Interview with Glenn Oglaza: "When I Stories" (Pegasus, 2024)

Date: March 9, 2026
Host: John Gibbs
Guest: Glenn Oglaza, author, journalist, and poet

Overview

In this episode, John Gibbs interviews veteran journalist and poet Glenn Oglaza about his career-spanning memoirs, When I Stories and More When I Stories, and his later-life turn to poetry. Together, they discuss the craft of journalism, the ethical and personal complexities of reporting, moments at the turning points of modern history, and the role of poetry as personal reflection and potential social influence.

Episode Breakdown

1. Introduction to Glenn Oglaza and His Books

• Glenn’s Career in Brief: Nearly 40 years covering major national and international events for local radio, ITN, and Sky News. Recently, he has become a prolific poet.
• Books Discussed: When I Stories and More When I Stories — published simultaneously, chronicling his journey from local radio in the 1980s through to the present.
• Why "When I Stories"?
  • The tongue-in-cheek title comes from a cameraman's gentle mockery of the competitive storytelling among journalists. (02:35)
  • The two-volume release resulted from an overabundance of material—originally 340,000 words, pared down to a still-hefty 260,000. (02:35)

2. The Craft of Journalism: Origins and Philosophy

• Starting Out: Oglaza began in local radio—a foundation he and presenter John Humphrys (BBC) believe provides invaluable experience in understanding "the human story." (05:10)

• Parochialism in News: The idea that all news is fundamentally local; proximity breeds empathy and interest, as illustrated by John Kerry’s famous newsroom scenario (06:24):

  "He said... 100 people drowned in the South China Sea, two policemen killed in Paris, or a policeman stabbed in Birmingham? ... It's the policeman in Birmingham. ... That is what resonates with people. If it's happening at the end of the road, it's more resonant than happening in another country." – Glenn Oglaza (06:24)

• Empathy and Reporting: Oglaza recounts the emotional distance from stories far away, noting it is easier to empathize with those "like us." (07:45)

3. Life as a Frontline Journalist

• Personal Sacrifice: Constant readiness meant disrupted social life; only truly understood the cost after having children (09:34):

  "I've left weddings, I've left all sorts of events because the phone's gone and I've had to go to the airport. And it is difficult to have a social life."

• Coping Mechanics: Journalism's drinking culture as both stress relief and social glue—what Oglaza describes as "functioning alcoholics" (11:31). He denies lasting trauma, crediting professional distance, but acknowledges the changing impact of stories after becoming a parent (12:36).

• On Dealing with Trauma:

  • Discusses the Dunblane school massacre: felt national and personal grief, was in "floods of tears on the plane." (13:20)
  • On King's Cross fire: shared sense of "just getting on with it," both among journalists and emergency services. (14:22)

4. Landing the Big Stories – and What They Teach

• Witness to History: Oglaza sought journalism to be “the eyewitness to history.” Major events include:

  • Miners’ Strike: Saw the destruction of a working-class culture and the strategic miscalculations of union leadership (18:15).
  • Margaret Thatcher: Early brush with the Iron Lady, being dubbed a "moaning Minnie" for pressing questions about unemployment (19:39).
  • Manipulation of Media: Politicians’ photo ops and "managing the news," from Thatcher to Trump (21:55, 22:56).
  • Eastern Europe, 1989: Reporting the fall of the Berlin Wall ("the most incredible time," 45:48) and Ceausescu’s Romania (42:03).

• Political Leaders Up Close:

  • John Major: Contrary to his "grey man" image, he had charisma and vision (27:45).
  • Gordon Brown: Dry humor and "saving the world" during the financial crisis, but tendency to micromanage (30:32).
  • Comparisons: Divides PMs into "actors or vicars"; Major and Brown as the latter, Blair and Cameron as the former (31:49).

• The Poll Tax Riots: Noted for the courage of the camera crews and the significance of visual journalism (36:54).

5. The Realities Behind the Reporting

• Team Effort: Emphasizes the crucial, unsung roles of producers, cameramen, and fixers—“80 to 90% of television news is logistics” (38:54).

• Dangers and Practicalities: Living rough in war zones, lack of sleep and hygiene, eating whatever is available—reminiscences from Iraqi Kurdistan, Romania, and more (40:14).

• Newsroom Anomalies: Sometimes, those with the deepest knowledge of a country would be least likely to be sent. Assignments could be random (08:43).

6. Media Ethics, Press Freedom, and Changing News Landscapes

• Scandals and Ethics: Reflects on media fabrications—tabloids versus regulated broadcast news (49:48, 51:57).

  "We shouldn't lump the media together...There’s a world of difference between The Economist and the Daily Star." – Glenn Oglaza (52:47)

• Rise of Partisan Media: Fox News and the trouble with alternative facts—a threat to democracy (54:00). Deepfakes, social media echo chambers, generational change in media trust (55:35).

• Diminishing Authority: The loss of “Walter Cronkite”-style trust (56:34):

  "The days when we all gathered around the television at 9 o’ clock or 10 o’ clock is long gone."

7. Journalism as Instrument of Change

• Shaping Policy: Oglaza believes his reporting on Kurdish refugees pushed UK/US governments to act post-Gulf War (58:11):

  "I think we changed government policy. ... Every night on News at Ten: 'These people are being murdered, they're being slaughtered, they need help and they need it now.' And eventually the British and American governments moved."

8. Transition to Poetry

• Origins: First poem published at age 8, but serious and prolific writing began after his journalism career (62:49).

• Themes: Politics, history, love, loss, satire, and personal reflection—all drawing from life and career (65:25).

  • Example: Poem on Constantinople 1453 emerged from historical interest, not personal resonance (66:12).

• Style and Motivation: Eclectic, satirical, sometimes whimsical or bitingly political ("Mad Vlad and the Orange Imbecile") (66:47). Sees poetry as a way to incite thought and feeling—hopes for "something for everyone." (70:02)

• Performance & Reception: Open to readings, though not fully convinced by audiobooks for poetry (70:52).

9. Reflection and Legacy

• Therapeutic Writing: Denies poetry is therapy, though friends see it otherwise: "It's just words thrown to the page, and there it is." (72:31)
• Can Poetry Change the World? Acknowledges the limited reach but holds out hope for impact: "I want people to think as well as feel when they read my work." (73:17)
• Books as Testimony: Host praises When I Stories as essential reading for aspiring journalists and students of history—an insider's chronicle of the lived realities behind the headlines (73:47).

Notable Quotes

• On Professional Distance:

  "Stories are stories. You just do your job, you switch into professional mode and you do your job as best you can." – Glenn Oglaza (11:31)

• On Political Leadership:

  "All Prime Ministers are either actors or vicars. ... Major and Brown were the classic vicars; Blair and Cameron were classic actors." (31:49)

• On Empathy:

  "We can sympathize but not empathize. ... It's more difficult to empathize with people who have totally different culture and lifestyle than it is with people who are neighbors down the road." (07:45)

• On Journalism’s Changing Role:

  "We're bombarded by so many words and images ... it's difficult to know what is true and what isn't ... it's a bit like embryonic fascism." (54:00)

• On Poetic Output:

  "A lot of them just seem to write themselves. Some have to do quite a lot of work on. But usually I have an idea and it just flows onto the page." (62:49)

• On the Power of News Images:

  "I think Michael Burke in Ethiopia, 1984, was a classic example. He was just reporting what was going on, but he did it so well. And the images were so moving and emotionally emotive. That had an effect, actually." (58:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Introduction to Oglaza & the "When I Stories" book | 01:20–03:35 | | The “when I story” culture in journalism | 02:35–04:23 | | Local journalism’s importance | 05:10–05:52 | | Parochial news and empathy | 06:24–07:45 | | Life on call; work-life challenges | 09:16–10:44 | | Drinking culture & trauma in journalism | 11:31–12:36 | | Reporting Thatcher and media manipulation | 19:39–21:55 | | The Poll Tax Riots – logistics & courage | 36:54–37:32 | | Berlin Wall and Central Europe revolutions | 45:48–47:58 | | Roguish tabloid ethics and media regulation | 49:48–53:40 | | On digital news, polarization, and deepfakes | 54:00–55:35 | | Changing policy via journalism | 58:11–58:58 | | Transition to poetry and writing process | 62:49–66:47 | | Poetry’s themes, purpose, and performance | 70:02–73:17 | | Reflection on legacy and the books’ value | 73:47–74:43 |

Conclusion

A rich, candid conversation that revisits the pressures and privileges of a journalist’s life, the changing nature of media, and the reflective turn to poetry. Glenn Oglaza’s memoirs and poems together offer both a historical witness to events and a meditation on how one makes meaning of a life spent recording history as it happens.