{"text":[[{"start":7.45,"text":"After 24 years of writing columns for the FT, this is my last. I was a sports columnist from 2002 to 2010 before switching to this column about more or less anything. As a goodbye, let me recount what it’s been like doing the job in our peculiar era."}],[{"start":24.95,"text":"My approach was that every column starts with one original idea — or at least a thought that is new to most readers. The idea should be something that can be stated in a sentence: for instance, that some Maga folk such as Peter Thiel and Elon Musk had formative childhood experiences in apartheid South Africa. What’s not a column is restating the conventional wisdom. That seems pointless, though I’m sure I sometimes ended up doing it. "}],[{"start":50.3,"text":"Every idea came from me. Nobody at the FT ever told me what to say or what political line to take. All those years, I spent most of my brainpower hunting ideas. I did it by listening to interesting people — in conversation, at conferences and by reading their books. It helps to live in a global city where people from everywhere pass through. English-language columnists tend to concentrate in London and New York, so I hope that writing from Paris, where the conversation is a little different, gave my column something distinct. "}],[{"start":82,"text":"Once I had an idea, I would research the topic in depth. Sometimes, while doing that, I’d discover that my idea was wrong or unoriginal, or I’d find a better idea buried beneath it. "}],[{"start":93.75,"text":"Then I compressed endless pages of research into 740 words. That’s where structuring comes in. Most weeks I spent longer structuring the column than writing it. I’d plan, almost to the sentence, which thought or quote went where."}],[{"start":108.05,"text":"The writing, typically on Monday morning, only took an hour or two. Over the decades, I’ve internalised my writing rules. Most come from George Orwell’s 14-page essay “Politics and the English Language”. I’ve added others, such as “Be wary of sentences longer than about 20 words” or “End the sentence on a strong word.”"}],[{"start":128.8,"text":"Having written the piece, I’d spend hours fact-checking it before sending it to the FT for even more fact-checking. FT readers have deep collective knowledge and will usually spot any error. Whenever one crept in, I felt deep shame."}],[{"start":144.20000000000002,"text":"My time as a columnist divides into two halves: before and after 2016. The advent of Donald Trump and Brexit made my column more political and revised my worldview. In particular, 2016 taught me how deeply many people distrust journalism, and how their politics are usually driven less by economic self-interest than by their identity. Lots of people who had felt disrespected by “elites” (which usually meant the cultural rather than the business elite) felt seen by Trump and the Brexiters. Meanwhile, many liberals (in the broadest sense), disillusioned with their political parties, came to identify more with their newspapers. For both sides, columns seemed to matter more than before. "}],[{"start":192.75,"text":"Being a columnist after 2016 required a new quality: not minding being shouted at. I got endless emails and comments telling me I was lying, whether on orders from the FT’s proprietor or editor or advertisers, or as part of some more complicated conspiracy. The sorry truth is that I actually believe the stuff I write. "}],[{"start":213.85,"text":"People often accused me of using the column to achieve political ends. That always surprised me, because I don’t imagine that journalism changes anything nowadays, when nothing we say about Trump or international law or expertise seems to have any effect. "}],[{"start":229,"text":"What we write might even be counter-productive. Many people will believe the opposite of whatever “the media” say. I kept doing the job because it’s fun, a paid self-education and a form of bearing witness. "}],[{"start":242.05,"text":"I got a lot wrong. In particular, I mostly neglected perhaps the biggest issue of our time: climate change. It’s a difficult topic for journalists. The fundamental story never changes: climate change is dangerous, and we need to act. It’s also a story without characters, and as every screenwriter knows, people need characters to care. I’ll keep looking for ways to write about climate, but now as a feature writer — my new job at the FT. "}],[{"start":271.05,"text":"From now on, I’ll be writing for the FT Weekend magazine and the wider paper in more depth on all sorts of subjects. I’ll miss this column, but it was probably time. I suspect I’ve said what I had to say. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity. I may never have a more interesting job. Thank you for reading. "}],[{"start":289.25,"text":"Find out about our latest stories first — follow FT Weekend Magazine on X and FT Weekend on Instagram"}],[{"start":303.8,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1784857053_2933.mp3"}