A publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

The fundamentals still apply when launching your journalism career

Perseverance, curiosity and keenness were the key traits that wannabe journalists needed for breaking into the media, according to a diverse panel of industry professionals.

Words by Emily Marr
 

The panel, appearing at the New News conference at the Wheeler Centre, agreed that with the journalism environment constantly evolving due to new technologies, a portfolio of published articles was no longer enough to impress a potential employer.

Freelancer Ben Eltham joined data journalist Kirsten Robb, business journalist Michael Roddan and news reporter Monique Hore for the session, hosted by veteran journalist and Swinburne University academic Andrew Dodd.

“You’ve got to show you’re connected to an audience,” said Dodd. “The capacity to create an audience is so important right now.”

“Twitter and Facebook and Instagram are a gold mine of stories waiting to happen.” — Herald Sun reporter Monique Hore

News Corp’s Roddan agreed, adding that “Twitter is an indispensable skill to have, even if it’s just tweeting about ‘The Bachelor’, you are still building an audience, because news organisations want you to be able to share what articles you have through your own distribution networks.”

Hore, a Herald Sun reporter, added that Twitter was more than a platform for sharing a journalist’s own work.

“Twitter and Facebook and Instagram are a gold mine of stories waiting to happen. You’ve got to sift through all the stuff that is a bit of nonsense to be able to get a story but they are there.”

Eltham, who is also national affairs correspondent for New Matilda, said social media was also a great learning opportunity for those wanting to break into journalism.

“Look at the people who really use social media really well. You can learn a lot from the way they have pioneered and developed the use of social media as a generic news platform,” he said.

Dodd said that despite changing technologies, editors had always looked for certain traits in potential journalists.

“Having curiosity and being confident about it and going where it leads you is important.”  — convenor of journalism, Swinburne University of Technology, Andrew Dodd

“Curiosity is a key word in this area. Having curiosity and being confident about it and going where it leads you is important,” he said.

Hore agreed, adding that it was vitally important to know that it was okay to ask questions, whatever the situation.

“Never hold back a question, even if you think it’s a little bit stupid,” she said. “Always just ask.”

But Robb, who works for Fairfax Media’s Domain group, said while curiosity was essential, many employers also valued people who had a wide ranging life experience.

“I think it definitely opens the door if you have some background in something that isn’t journalism,” she said. “I do think people paid a little bit more attention to me because I studied film. People find it interesting and look for the ones who have tried different things.”

Michael Roddan added that it was a mistake to think there was only one way into journalism.

“It’s [wrong] to think that doing a structured course is the only way of learning something, because you want to spend as much time reading the paper and reading books in your own time.”

“It’s great to have the skills but you must be able to write and write very well.” — data journalist Kirsten Robb

Hore said journalists should never “say no to anything” when it came to writing.

“Being an all rounder, you can figure out what you like most,” she said.

But no matter how much experience you had or how many followers you claimed on social media, the panel were adamant there was one skill that was indispensable for a career in the media — the ability to write well.

“It’s great to have the skills but you must be able to write, and write very well,” said Robb.

The panel said that potential journalists needed to be relentless in trying to get their work published.

“Perseverance is the most important thing. Eventually you will get better and people will start to notice you, just keep writing,” Eltham said.

Roddan agreed, also advising patience. “You do a lot of hard work and you will get noticed. Just be patient and put in the effort.”

About The Citizen

THE CITIZEN is a publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism. It has several aims. Foremost, it is a teaching tool that showcases the work of the students in the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, giving them real-world experience in working for publication and to deadline. Find out more →

  • Editor: Jo Chandler
  • Reporter: Qiyun (Gwen) Liu
  • Audio & Video editor: Louisa Lim
  • Data editor: Craig Butt
  • Editor-In-Chief: Andrew Dodd
  • Business editor: Lucy Smy
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