Tintin with his loyal companion Snowy
Tintin the Belgian boy reporter is a childhood favourite of mine and an inspiration for my ventures into journalism. For me, he is a pioneer of adventure reporting. He was my first journalist role model. He was also my reason for visiting Belgium aside from my great love of good quality chocolate.
Long before my lecturers at Swinburne University, he introduced me to journalism. I was introduced back in 1993 when I was still in primary school. ABC television gave me Tintin as it was through them that I got to discover and love him. I never read the books despite my love of reading. I connected more with him through TV.
I still remember being glued to the television set for the screening at 6 pm on weekdays. My mother would be nearby in the kitchen cooking and I could smell the wonderful aromas coming from a traditional Italian kitchen. If dinner was ready she would kindly bring it to me and I would eat whilst watching Tintin. The episodes only went for half an hour which would go by so fast. Often many of the stories were in two parts so I had to wait the following night to see the conclusion. This was torture if it was the weekend as I had to wait for Monday.
I must say despite my love for Tintin, I still wanted to become an archaeologist and not a reporter at that stage. I had a strong desire to explore ancient cultures. It’s only been the past few years that I have decided to explore journalism.
Tintin’s creator Herge had a great love of travel and history. These themes show up in many of the stories. We see Tintin embarking on some travel adventures that feature both history and archaeology. Tintin’s visit to Egypt in the Cigars of the Pharaoh and his visit to the bottom of the ocean in search of Red Rackham’s Treasure are good examples of this. Long before me, Herge combined these disciplines. I take my hat off to him!
Tintin in Cigars of the Pharaoh Tintin in Cigars of the Pharaoh
I believe if Tintin had been created in the digital age, Herge would have been reporting Tintin’s adventures online on social media and perhaps even on a blog.
Extra info;
Adventure Reporting 
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