Rupert Cocke

About

I am a career journalist, with 30 years of experience reporting and editing. My track record includes investigative reporting, data-backed features, interviews with executives, podcasts and more, including real-time news at the beginning of my career. This is all underpinned by a deep commitment to journalistic ethics and best practice. In my current role, I am one of the senior editors for Mergermarket's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) team. Mergermarket is ION Analytics's flagship publication for news and data about mergers and acquisitions (M&A). My main responsibility involves commissioning, scheduling, editing and sometimes writing cutting-edge and data-backed features on M&A and private equity. Most of these features combine quotes from subject-matter experts with data storytelling and links to proprietary material, such as recent scoops and leads derived from algorithms. The articles act as a showcase of our best work. I also train the team on features and other issues; and have a mandate to improve workflows. I also continue to edit a range of stories every day while still doing some reporting too, often as backup to my commissioning practice. Two of the cornerstones of my personal practice come from a masters degree in Media Management, which I successfully completed in my spare time between 2012 and 2015. One is reflective practice (being thoughtful about feedback to constantly improve skill levels) and the other is modern change management (small committed teams looking for quick wins early in projects). I consider myself to be a full-spectrum journalist. This means that I also publish a weekly essay on thinking critically about the news in my spare time as a busman's holiday. The essays are available at https://sharpenyouraxe.substack.com/ (the blog was launched in 2020). My e-book on the futility of internet debates is available at https://www.amazon.com/Sharpen-Your-Axe-debates-social-ebook/dp/B0BJ9LVFQ4/ref=sr_1_1 (published in 2022). Any opinions expressed on LinkedIn are those of the individual author and do not reflect the opinions or views of ION Analytics or its subsidiaries.