So You Want to be a Writer WRITER 641: Joe Aston on his tell-all book on Qantas, ‘The Chairman’s Lounge’
Fasten your seatbelts and stow those tray tables, as we interview Joe Aston about his latest book, The Chairman's Lounge – The inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. Joe is a former Australian Financial Review columnist and he discusses his experience writing about Qantas, its CEO and the company’s public branding crisis. He also shares insights on journalism, research and balancing objective reporting with creating a compelling narrative.
00:00 Introduction
03:36 Nat Newman’s writing tip
08:50 WIN! Murdle Australia by G.T. Karber
11:16 Word of the week: ‘penetralia’
12:32 Writer in residence: Joe Aston
21:10 Joe’s switch from corporate life to journalism
27:25 The evolution of journalism
28:04 The pressure of producing quality content
29:02 Balancing reporting and opinion
31:18 The role of CEOs in public perception
34:06 Joe’s experience writing his book
37:28 Research versus the writing process
42:34 Future plans and new ventures
49:02 Joe’s advice for aspiring authors
50:50 Final thoughts
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