Outnumbered, surrounded. The reporters you’d want in a showdown

They’re outnumbered, outgunned and surrounded.

Daily, they duke it out with MPs and bureaucrats who have raised an army of well-paid, taxpayer-funded spin doctors. The person to the left of them in the media scrum wants to tell the same story, but better and faster. The person to the right shouts over them every time they attempt to ask a question. They require a detailed understanding of policy, but don’t get too comfortable! At the drop of a hat, they may need to sprint through parliamentary halls to a press conference or drive to a ribbon cutting and spar with a career politician dressed like a brickie’s labourer.

It’s a strange life political reporters lead. But consider for a moment, where we would be without them.

Four times this week I was reminded of the necessity of having some