How did you get to the role you’re in today?

I never expected to end up writing for a specialist religious magazine. I loved Zola and Tom Wolfe as an undergraduate and wanted to be a social novelist. I went into journalism as a graduate trainee at The Times to learn something about the world and get some first-hand reporting experience abroad.

I used to be the founding editor of Spear’s magazine which is a glossy wealth management magazine advising people how to stay rich. That I’ve ended up giving people advice on spiritual matters shows my career has done a 360 and certainly hasn’t followed a logical path.

When the pandemic hit, the Herald board (I was chairman) asked me to step in after we lost our editor – I enjoyed writing and editing so much that I am still editor more than two years on.

You were awarded Writer of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards 2022, congratulations. How does it feel to have your work recognised?

I had been nominated twice before and felt very lucky that the ceremony was back to being a live event with plenty of wine on the table. Writer of the Year is a strange one as the Herald is such a team effort.

Our judges were particularly impressed with your willingness to get out there and see the story with your own eyes, from reading your work, this is not the first time you’ve ventured into the unknown for the benefit of your readers. What makes you so determined?

As a trainee in 1991 I remember reading Wolfe’s essay, ‘Stalking the Billion Dollar Beast’ in the staff canteen at News International, for the first time. I loved every word and was determined to leave London and report abroad.

The following year, I reported on the LA Riots from Hugh Hefner’s study at the Playboy Mansion after being shot at in South Central LA. More recently, my PPA Independent awards entry included my account of travelling to Ukraine, just as the war began, as part of a diplomatic mission with the cover of being a humanitarian worker with the Order of Malta.

One lesson I’ve learnt: there is no substitute for first-hand reporting with a writer’s notebook. Googling just doesn’t give you any authentic colour detail. There is no substitute for getting to the story yourself.

What is your hope for the future of special interest media?

I think it’s the best part of the subscription media landscape. If you can be original and the leader in your field with specialist experts, the digital world is for conquering.

What can subscribers of Catholic Herald expect in 2023?

We are expanding in the US and hiring new foreign correspondents in major cities around the world – from Rome to Latin America, Africa to Jerusalem. These Herald Journalism Fellows will be funded by our new non-profit Catholic Herald Institute in New York.

You can read William’s award-winning Ukraine coverage here.