“What makes you different from your peers who also want to get a job in journalism? ABC audio producer and digital reporter Wing Kuang is an expert at turning a disadvantage into an asset. Having first come to Australia as an international student, she encountered a lot of barriers to finding a job as a journalist. She says that community radio provided important opportunities to develop her skills and build a portfolio, and that it was ultimately her social media presence that led to her first ...
May 13, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 12
“The minute I walk into that space, I turn my audio ears on.” ABC broadcaster Kirsti Melville is an award-winning radio documentary maker, who always starts planning for an audio feature by thinking about sound. Melville describes how she triages the audio in any recording environment, and how she works with sound to create immersive and impactful storytelling. "I often talk about it in quite filmic terms. Think about it in terms of small close-up sound and broader, wider sound that creates a sc...
May 06, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 11
“Your voice is such a personal quality…It’s like your own aural fingerprint.” As an ABC voice coach and journalist, Tamara Oudyn is shaping the diverse voices of the national broadcaster. Here she describes the lessons she teaches cadets, including the role of the 3ps - pitch, pace and pausing - in broadcasting. Her emphasis is on training young journalists to sound like themselves on air. “Authority comes from being comfortable in front of a microphone and knowing what you are on about.” WORK M...
Apr 29, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 10
"The thing that I love about audio is that...it's really intimate." ABC journalist Jo Lauder says audio can be really effective in transporting the listener to a particular time and place. She explains how she goes about planning different types of audio pieces, whether for Triple J's Hack or long-form narrative podcasts like Saving the Franklin . She says it is crucial to engage the listener right from the start. "You grab them with the curiosity. You just have to really hook someone in so they...
Apr 22, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 9
“Who measures objectivity? Who judges objectivity?” Objectivity is traditionally seen as a cardinal tenet of journalism, but Daniel Browning's long experience in Australian newsrooms has left him questioning whether objectivity is possible, or even beneficial. The Bundjalung and Kullili man, who leads the ABC's Indigenous Radio unit, says First Nations communities have been failed by the Australian media. He champions the idea of subjective journalism, believing that being 'close to the subject’...
Apr 15, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 8
“Always get the name of the dog, the brand of the beer, and the title of the song that was playing as the car crashed off the road.” This is one writing commandment that the award-winning writer for Good Weekend Konrad Marshall keeps top of mind, as told to him by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom French. For Marshall, that attention to detail is one trademark that helps set his work apart. As a feature writer, he sees his main job as engaging readers in a captivating story. “I’m just trying to get your...
Apr 08, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 7
“Focus on the intimate and particular.” When it comes to feature writing, Stephanie Convery says it is often the small details that count. Her work with Guardian Australia involves shining a light on inequality, and frequently focuses on people’s personal circumstances. She likens features to creative writing in the need to draw on literary devices to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ the reader why a story matters. She says the key to starting any feature story is being curious. “When you go to write a...
Mar 25, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 6
“You can’t go in with no idea of what you might hope to get out of it, but you have to be open to what happens in the interview.” As former host of Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to people for a living. Here she outlines her rules for interviewing, including the pre-interview research process and how to structure questions. She describes the importance of an ethical approach, particularly when interviewing marginalised communities. The interview's purpose, she...
Mar 18, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 5
"If you haven't grabbed the readers' attention within the first 10-12 words, you lose them." Saffron Howden's job is training journalists how to write news for Australian Community Media. She sees news journalists as storytellers dealing in facts, who need to always be thinking about their audience. In this episode, she offers tips on the craft of writing a strong news story. "Focus on...the thing people are going to care about. And keep it simple." WORK MENTIONED: https://www.bluemountainsgazet...
Mar 11, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 4
"It's about fairness in the search for the truth, and fairness in publishing our stories." The Age's Nick McKenzie has put fairness at the centre of his journalistic identity. It's led him to break some of the nation's biggest stories, winning him 16 Walkleys, but also has meant he's been sued for defamation on multiple occasions. In this episode, he lays out the steps he takes to ensure his reporting is fair and ethical. "Journalism is a profession of infinite possibility - you just need to app...
Mar 04, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 3
"Every story that you do, you need to talk to people." Julia Bergin's journalistic career has taken her as far afield as Japan and the Northern Territory, meaning she's had to work at building up her contact book time and time again. In this episode, she talks about all that goes into finding the right interviewees for a story. "It's broadening this remit of interviewing from just a Q&A to the groundwork that happens before. And that's not just about writing up questions. That's developing a...
Feb 26, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 2
“You have to learn by doing, and you will only get better with practice.” Angus Thomson started with Sydney Morning Herald as a cadet in 2022, and is currently their health reporter. In this episode he explains how he goes about finding news stories, reflecting on his experience as a student at The University of Melbourne and as a professional journalist. He has a key piece of advice for those unsure of where to start in finding a news story. “Go local. Draw on your networks.” Articles mentioned...
Feb 19, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In 2018, Silvi Vann-Wall was a journalism student who was chosen as a finalist in a nationwide podcasting competition. Suddenly she found herself on a stage, pitching her idea to the best podcasters in the world. Her advice on developing your podcast concept is very simple, "You must be able to describe it in one sentence by the time you're ready to pitch. Otherwise, keep trying!" She went on to produce, with Izzie Austin and the Wheeler Centre, the Pill Pop podcast, which she describes as an au...
Oct 18, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 6
“The most helpful part of the series arc is dragging people to the next episode,” says ABC’s Matt Bevan, the host of China, If You’re Listening. That’s the fifth season of his geopolitical pod, for which he’s done both chronological and thematic season arcs. In this episode of the Masterclass, he shares what he’s learned about shaping narrative arcs across a season for a podcast, including how to tempt your audience to keep listening and how to reward loyal listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener...
Sep 30, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Audience and sustainability are two key factors for Deadset Studio's Executive Producer Rachel Fountain in thinking about what podcasts will work. "When you know who the podcast is for, you can think about what they might be using it for, and tailor your content to that," she says. Rachel has worked on many popular podcasts at ABC Audio Studios, including Days Like These and Pineapple Project, and here she shares the secrets to turning your ideas into a podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...
Sep 13, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 4
"It's never finished, but you get closer and closer to 'I'm happy with this'". Martin Peralta is one of Australia's most sought after sound designers, having worked on ABC podcasts including Trace and Unravel, as well as Gimlet's Science Vs, and many others. In this episode, he outlines his work processes, his secrets for finding the right sound design and how to use music in podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 01, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 3
"A good piece of work is written once. A great piece is written five times." To Elizabeth Kulas, the host of ABC's Days Like These, narrative structure is front of mind in planning and writing every podcast episode. Formerly the host of 7am, she gives a Masterclass in structuring your episode. Louisa Lim teaches Audio Journalism and Podcasting at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism. She has been a journalist for more than two decades, working as a foreign correspondent ...
Aug 16, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In season 2 of The Masterclass , Louisa Lim explores podcasting with some of the world's best podcasters. In this episode, Marc Fennell, the creator and host of the smash hit podcast Stuff the British Stole , gives a masterclass in how to tell complicated stories in a way that people can understand. Louisa Lim teaches Audio Journalism and Podcasting at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism. She has been a journalist for more than two decades, working a foreign corresponde...
Aug 09, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Louisa Lim explores the booming phenomenon of podcasts with investigative journalist Richard Baker and the ABC’s Rachael Brown. What makes this genre so compelling to audiences, and what does it tell us about ourselves and how far can you push the the story telling? Host details: Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisit...
Oct 09, 2018•49 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Louisa Lim moderated a lively discussion between Natasha Mitchell, host of the ABC's Science Friction and Robert Smith from Planet Money on NPR. They tackled topics such as their individual approaches to a story, how podcasts are pushing the boundaries of narrative story telling and how much of yourself should you insert into a story? Host details: Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently w...
Jul 09, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The smartphone has changed audience interaction forever, and Manoush Zomorodi’s Note to Self is a trailblazer in audience engagement. She talks through extreme engagement, and how she managed to get listeners not just to call in, but to change their lifestyles. Show notes @manoushz Note to Self https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/notetoself Bored and Brilliant series https://www.wnyc.org/series/bored-and- brilliant Bored and Brilliant; How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative S...
May 15, 2018•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
You have to love and idea and a topic so much that you want to live it, breath it, eat it and marry it. That’s the advice that Radiotopia’s Julie Shapiro gives for anyone who wants to get into podcasting. Show notes @jatomic http://www.julieshapiro.org/who/ Radiotopia https://www.radiotopia.fm/ Ear Hustle https://www.earhustlesq.com/ Millennial http://www.millennialpodcast.org/ 99% Invisible https://99percentinvisible.org/ Host details: Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades....
May 08, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The job of a journalist is to tell the stories of our time. In this episode, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet talks through the challenges facing today's journalists from the conflict frontlines to the increasing hostility to the mainstream media. Show notes @bbclysedoucet The Real Story, What is Fuelling The War in Yemen (BBC World Service) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswx1l Lyse Doucet Reunites With Refugee Family in Canada (BBC) http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-u...
Apr 30, 2018•27 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Going live is one of the trickiest skills for any audio journalist to master. In this episode, NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep draws on his decades behind the mike to outline some of his top strategies for going live. Show notes @nprinskeep Morning Edition https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/ To Escape Civil War, Many Yemenis Flee to Djibouti https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594839290/to-escape-civil-war-many-yemenis-flee-to-dijibouti Yemeni Refugees Cross Gulf of Aden to Seek Sa...
Apr 23, 2018•28 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Sound and silence are the tools of an audio journalist, and their uses – as emphasis, as illustration, as explication or as a chapter break – are manifold. In this episode, the BBC’s Neal Razzell talks through how to make your pieces sing, and how to go one step further with sound. Show notes Neal Razzell 's Twitter - @NealRazzell Spain’s Battle for the Bull (Documentary Podcast, BBC World Service) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033zrkw Last Call From Aleppo (Crossing Continents, Radio 4, BBC)...
Apr 16, 2018•33 min•Season 1Ep. 8
One of the biggest secrets to writing for radio is not writing for radio, but letting your sound and your interviewees do some of the work. In this episode, Natasha Mitchell of Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Radio National walks us through how to show, not always tell, for radio. Show notes Natasha Mitchell's Twitter @natashamitchell http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/natasha-mitchell/2914164 Eugenics, Power and Privilege; Why America had a Nazi Problem Before Charlottesville (Scie...
Apr 09, 2018•30 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Learn how to fantasise your ideal piece into reality, as well as how to become an audio hunter who knows exactly what they want and how to get it. In this episode, NPR's Robert Smith decodes the structure of a radio news package, talking through the tricks of the trade, and how to do it all on a tight deadline. Show notes: Robert Smith’s Twitter - @radiosmith Harlem Says Its Farewell to James Brown https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6692842 Episode 788: Robert And Kenny Go To ...
Mar 26, 2018•30 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Use your mic like a camera, zooming in and out to getting aural close-ups and wide shots to build texture to your pieces. In this episode, the BBC’s Africa producer Becky Lipscombe talks through how to report in the field including what to take out with you and how to get the sound you need. Show notes Becky Lipscombe’s Soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/beckylip Robert Mugabe Resigns (BBC Newshour) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172vr1h1kz89l2 Zimbabwe; The People Have Spoken https://soun...
Mar 19, 2018•29 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In audio journalism, you need to sound like yourself plus 10%. But what does that even mean? In this episode, voice coach Elspeth Morrison breaks down how to find your radio voice and use it appropriately. Show notes Elspeth Morrison a voice coach who has worked with journalists for almost twenty years. She has trained many BBC journalists, as well as training actors in her other job as an accent coach. @elspeth27 A Guide to Northern English Accents (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles...
Mar 12, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Interviewing is like playing chess; you need to predict two moves ahead and have your figurative pieces in play ready to meet your interviewee there. In this episode, the award-winning journalist Hamish Macdonald talks through the art of the interview, and the importance of holding people in power to account. Show notes Hamish Macdonald is an award-winning Australian broadcaster and foreign correspondent. He sometimes presents ABC Radio National’s Breakfast show, as well as hosts Channel Ten’s T...
Mar 05, 2018•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3
