Breaking news is hectic. And when you hold the portfolio of a Middle East expert on a breaking news desk, the word “hectic†starts to sound like an understatement – and that’s all without getting into the complexities of reporting during a war.
But for James Genn, the intensity is strangely calming.
Genn is The Jerusalem Post breaking news desk’s resident eccentric firebrand, never short of something to say, whether it be informative, witty, or maddening. It is not an uncommon sight for Genn’s eyes to light up with the spark of crazed intensity and mischief that befits his chaotic soul – something that perfectly suits the fast-paced environment of the breaking news desk. But that facade of crazed genius is just that – a facade, one that covers the efficient and dependable engine of a brilliant and consistent mind.
Within the maelstrom of nonstop updates and frequent missile sirens, as news changes rapidly and needs to constantly be dispatched, Genn is a veritable eye in the storm, a source of calm and dependability. If he is on the job, then the news is in good hands.
In Jerusalem sat down with Genn to talk about his work.
What brought you to Israel?
That’s not an easy question to answer in a short way. I first visited in the summer of 2005 on a school trip during the build-up to the Gaza disengagement which would take place that fall. It was quite a strange time for the country, but there was still something magical about it. My parents, who lived here in the 1980s when it was a very different place, thought I was mad when I told them I wanted to move here a couple of days into the trip. I sort of never really changed my plans and made the permanent move by myself in 2014 (with several relatively long-term stays in the meantime).
What made you interested in journalism?
My journalism story is a bit of a horseshoe. I started off as a teenager doing small pieces for local newspapers, community radio, school papers, etc. This was at a time when social media had not quite risen to the power it has today, and online media barely existed, except as an archive for what was in that day’s print.
Growing slightly frustrated that articles seemed to be out of date by the time they went into print (still an issue today), I grew away from it slightly. I did, however, choose one of my undergraduate majors in publishing media, but that focused a lot more on books and marketing than journalism.
Things took a pause, and I didn’t think about it as an option until I ended up circling back when I joined The Jerusalem Post.
What brought you to the ‘Post’?
I applied for the job! I had spent three years working in a heavily corporate open source intelligence analyst job and became a bit dissatisfied with my knowledge only really being for clients who paid for it rather than the public, especially when the Oct. 7 massacre happened, and people started focusing on the Middle East and Israel a lot more.
Joining the Post meant that I could use the knowledge that I had gained and share it with the wider public, using it to create stronger reporting as I went along.
What is it like working on a breaking news desk during war?
Strangely calming. There’s something about being able to channel and focus on what you are doing and what needs to be done that makes things run relatively smoothly. It can be hectic, and it can also be exhausting at times, but I always prefer shifts that are too busy rather than too quiet.
I also was a bit desensitized. In my previous job, I was exposed to Hamas’s Oct. 7 videos uncensored, and, well… there isn’t much you can see after that which is more brutal.
What’s something about your job most people don’t know?
It’s incredibly collaborative. From the breaking news desk, to reporters, to editors, to copyeditors, everyone works together to try to get the best output that we can. While seeing one name on a byline can make somebody think that only that person [writer] was involved, quite often there was a lot of work from others behind the scenes who don’t always take credit for what they do.
Share one of your favorite anecdotes from your career thus far.
I don’t really want to call it a favorite, but I can give one I will never forget. When the remains of the final Gaza hostage, St.-Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili, were finally found, I was the one who broke the story to the newsroom. A memory of shouting ‘IDF statement!’ a quick glance, ‘They found him!’ and everyone pausing and diverting to breaking the news.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and shifted tasks to work on getting out that Gvili’s remains were coming back, and I won’t forget the role I played in that. We, as a team, managed to be one of the first English-language reports in the world to share that information, and I’m proud of that.
What advice do you have for aspiring journalists?
Most people would probably say, ‘Read read read.’ I sort of agree, while acknowledging that not everybody can absorb via streams of text. Maybe that’s a good way to put it: ‘Absorb, absorb, absorb!’ Gather all the information and knowledge you can, however you can.
I also think that it’s important to find a subject area that interests you, or that you enjoy writing about. It makes it a lot easier, especially when you end up covering similar topics every day.ï®
