Reflections on working as a journalist

Having recently completed a month working as a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald, I have gained man valuable insights into the working life of media practitioners. The following is a log I kept of my day to day experiences working in sports journalism.

Friday 11/9/09: Commenced placement in the sports department of the Newcastle Herald. I was given a tour of the Herald headquarters, assigned a work station and access card and was given information about the operating systems used at the paper. I was re-introduced to the sports journalists and editing staff as they arrived, and began researching ideas for a story to write. I was provided with information about the International Triathlon Union World Championships taking place on the Gold Coast by John Leeson, and proceeded to plan, research, interview and write a preview for the event. I attended an editorial staff conference, where each department outlined the stories they would be filling their allotted space in the paper with, and discussed front page credentials of stories and cross department ideas for stories. Photos to accompany stories were examined and informally voted on by the editorial staff. This was a unique insight into the selection processes behind the production of a newspaper, and I was surprised to see it taking place in such an informal manner. After this meeting I accompanied Neil Goffet to Number One Sportsground to take a photograph of, and interview, the captains of the local Black Diamond AFL teams who were to contest the grand final.

Monday 14/9/09: Reviewed the daily papers and collected my published work for my portfolio. I interviewed Merewether Carlton Rugby president Dennis Neader for the club’s perspective on having a team in the NHRU grand finals in every grade. I wrote a story following the interview and organised a photo to accompany it. I also interviewed Jane Mountford, a Novocastrian who won the 60-65 age category event at the ITU World Championships which had just finished, about how she won the event on a busted ankle to honour her late husband, well known former KB United player Bob Mountford. I encountered an ethical dilemma over whether to write the story with the colourful angle about the ankle injury, or to respect Jane’s wishes to play the fact down. My colleagues encouraged me to write the more newsworthy story about Jane overcoming adversity in the name of her late husband, and I did so as the sub-editors wouldn’t have allowed me to bury such important information.

Tuesday 15/9/09: Attended post season press conference with Newcastle Knights coach Rick Stone. It was interesting to observe and participate in an in-house style press conference, with only two media entities present, as it subverted many of my expectations about the nature of professional press conferences. I wrote an article about Adam MacDougall’s likelihood of remaining at the Knights next season based on some of the points raised in the conference.

Friday 18/9/09: Attended Newcastle Jets pre-game press conference, with coach Branko Culina, player Kaz Patafta and club chief executive John Tsatsimas. The format of the press conference was more in keeping with my preconception of such an event. There were several media entities present, the layout was media appropriate, sponsor boards were situated behind panellists and there was a more formal, professional approach than the Rick Stone conference. I followed up a lead from the conference and wrote a story about new Jets signing, Iraq International Ali Abbas, and confirmed that he had been cleared to play that weekend by Football Federation Australia.

Monday 21/9/09: Assisted junior sport reporter Josh Leeson in compiling the junior sport briefs section of the Tuesday sport lift-out. I researched, interviewed and wrote stories about disability swimmer Maddison Elliott and young boxing sensation Tyrone Polyak. I found there were some differences in reporting junior sport as opposed to seniors, as quoted material generally comes from parents or trainers than the actual athletes themselves.

Tuesday 22/9/09: Watched the Dripping Wet Pro Junior surf event on livestream, and interviewed Merewether competitor Ryan Callinan about his performance in the event. It was interesting to note the plethora of tools journalists can use to follow events and gather information.

Friday 25/9/09: Received press releases about a Motocross series event to be held in Maitland, and about the Mattara surf competition to be held in Newcastle. I assisted Josh Leeson in writing a preview for the surf event by interviewing local surfer Craig Anderson, a competitor in the event who had recently returned from an international surfing trip. I learned a lot about the temptation to use off the record information, but realised it is ultimately ethically unviable material after Craig implored me not to reveal some sensitive information.

Monday 28/9/09: Wrote the entire junior sport briefs section, which involved writing four separate junior sport stories. I had to research, interview and write about junior netball, rugby union, tennis and rugby league. I discovered that story selection was very much dependant on the availability of sources, and that stories with more news value and relevance often have to be abandoned due to a lack of access to reliable authorities.

Tuesday 29/9/09: Endured a very frustrating day. Nothing constructive was achieved. I attempted to reach Wallsend touch football’s media manager to get contact information for a player who had been selected in the Australian touch side, but was unable to reach him, despite leaving several messages. I learned that not all sources are willing to make media attention a priority.

Wednesday 30/9/09: Another fruitless day, where I was unable to contact necessary sources. I continued my efforts to contact the touch football source, and also failed to reach Phil Sargent to discuss the NSW Motocross championships.

Thursday 1/10/09: Contacted Australian Cruiserweight boxing champion Daniel Ammann’s manager to write a preview for a fight Daniel was preparing for in New Zealand. I began researching the W-League and Women’s Jets side in order to prepare for their season launch the following day.

Friday 2/10/09: Attended Newcastle Jets Women’s season launch at the Marina Yacht Club in Wickham. This was the first significant media event I had covered alone, and was excited by the opportunity. It was fascinating to compare the male and female sporting arenas, particularly in terms of the athletes’ motivation to perform in the field. Women’s sport in Australia is far from lucrative for its athletes, and it was interesting to note the more humble nature of female athletes. Talking to the coaching staff was an educational experience for me with regards to the inner workings of professional female sport. The perks of the job became evident as I enjoyed a delightful free meal after the launch, before writing an article on the event.

Monday 5/10/09: Covered Daniel Ammann’s results from his bout over the weekend in New Zealand, and learned about the promotional aspect of boxing from his trainer Peter Hallett.

Tuesday 6/10/09: Celebrated the birth of sports writer James Gardiner’s child. No articles written today.

Wednesday 7/10/09: Attended the launch of the East Coast Surf Series, a new surf lifesaving series to be held in Newcastle and the Central Coast. The event involved a press conference, morning tea, interviews from Mike Rabbitt and a photo shoot. I organised a photograph of two local juniors who are competing in the event, and conducted several interviews. The subsequent article was the largest I wrote in my time at the Herald.

The experience has greatly benefited me not only in terms of portfolio material, but in providing me with the tools to succeed in the industry.