Louise McLoughlin

I think I’m quite restless and curious by nature, and I always knew that I wanted a job that would allow me to meet lots of different people and to see a variety of places. I’m also pretty interested in people’s motivations for acting how they do, as well as the human impact behind the headlines.

I was really active in Societies and most of my favourite memories are from that, especially my time in Drama Soc. I directed the first-ever 24-hour play that TU Dublin put on, where everything was done in one day, including learning lines, building the set, and then putting on a two-act show. It was such an incredible show of force from the society, and I can still remember the collective adrenaline and excitement of pulling it off. I also directed ‘Avenue Q’ in my second year, and it was (I believe) the first time TU Dublin put on a full-length musical. Drama Soc really allowed me to grow into new spaces, and everyone was always really receptive to whatever weird or ambitious idea I had. They never said no, they always just said ‘Okay, how?’ and that's a really exciting (and arguably rare) thing to hear.

Amazing! Stressful! Exhilarating! I’ve covered so many stories I couldn’t have envisioned reporting on while I was in college, from major plane crashes to wars and terror attacks, as well as covering issues like press freedom, women’s rights, and climate change. It’s an amazing honour to be trusted with people’s stories, but it can also be hugely emotional. More generally, journalism has changed so much, even in the ten years I’ve been in it, and I think it’s really important to realise that that’s just the nature of the industry now -- it’s going to be in flux for a while and, as a journalist, you have to know how to do a bit of everything and continuously up-skill. I do believe strong, trusted, and rigorous journalism is needed now more than ever. 

For me, the best experiences at TU Dublin were always the ones that offered hands-on experience and a taste of what it would be like to actually be a journalist in the real world. I especially loved the radio documentary module because it gave us full control over how to shape a story from concept to completion, which is exactly what I do now. I also remember a class trip where we sat in the audience for a live radio show that a former student was producing, and it was really inspiring to see where the skills from the course could take you.

It’s okay to be imperfect. I put so much pressure on myself early on in my career because I didn’t sound like a seasoned broadcast journalist the first time I got behind a mic, or because my writing wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Part of my journey was just realising that these things sometimes take time and practice, and that's fine. I’ve since learned to really lean into the way my own voice sounds, instead of trying to copy RTE or BBC style, and that's been really freeing. I think the perception of what a journalist should look and sound like is changing a lot, and that's a good thing.

You’ll probably end up covering a bit of everything, but always make time to work on the stories that you’re truly enthusiastic about. If no one commissions a story you really care about, then you can always put it out on your own personal platforms. If you think something is really worth telling, then you should tell it. Find people who inspire you and watch their work, style, and career closely. Always be curious. And finally, the news can often be depressing, but not every story has to be serious (one of my first and favourite stories was recorded in a stunt plane) and a perk of journalism is that sometimes we get to cover things that really excite us.