A Military Viewpoint – Interview with Vanguard journalist, Kaj Larsen

Judging by the crowd oozing out of Saturday’s gathering of Vanguard journalists, the documentary-style programs broadcast on “Current” are making an impression. 
What makes the Vanguard series so different, explained Vanguard presenter Mariana Van Zeller, is the method. The team – consisting of multi-linguists, ex-Navy seals and third generation journalists, don’t research their stories behind a desk. Kaj Larsen, Laura Ling, Christof Putzel, Mariana Van Zeller and Adam Yamaguchi spend the time on the ground, with the locals  – actually living the story. Many times, Van Zeller explained, this time spent researching with real locals, often gives birth to other stories and possible future Vanguard projects. During our interview, ex-navy seal Larsen cemented this point when asked about the stages of researching their stories. 

The first step, he explained, is to find a local guide. This demonstrates the real nature of Vanguard – through this dialogue with a local guide, the team are able to obtain not only the invaluable local knowledge of customs, cultural traditions and understanding of the social geography, it also guarantees a real, genuine and lived cultural perspective that many other investigative pieces seem to emit.  

But how does someone from a military background become part of a groundbreaking series based on revolutionary methods of reporting? Isn’t there a slight disadvantage by reporting without traditional knowledge of journalism?

Advantage more than disadvantage, Larsen thinks. He believes that the tools of journalism can be learnt, but his, and the other Vanguard journalists’ backgrounds (journalism or not), allow for a more interesting journalistic perspective and a broader understanding of reportage beyond ‘traditional’ ideas of journalism. 

In the vast sea of possible stories, what makes an interesting story for the Vanguard team? 

For Larsen, apart from stories that fall under the seven great themes of literature, investigating and raising awareness of injustices are always important to investigate. Stories that have a “global or moral impact” are also high on the list.

And while there are some drawbacks to using the medium of film to tell these stories, Larsen explained, television media remains a medium that has an intrinsic “truth-telling power”. While filming, for example, the spontaneous nature of personal experience is visible (as the team report as naturally as possible, leaving ‘traditional’ reporting mistakes, like the usage of incorrect words, remain within the finished product) and more importantly, the ability to combine words and images in film leads to more effective journalism and deeper understanding of the subject matter. 

Bridget Davis