
Sky News executive producer Gillian Bowen gave journalism students at Macleay College a taste of what’s to come.
Ms Bowen told students that a journalist’s job goes well beyond the realms of nine-to-five, emphasising the importance of being aware of current and breaking news stories, before entering the newsroom.
“You need to be across what’s happening in the door before you walk in… Good journalists should keep abreast of the news rather than waiting for a story to be assigned to them,” she said.
She advised students to listen to radio news and follow social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to discover trending and breaking stories.
“Everything is usually announced on there, you can easily see whats trending.”
Her career was established as a cadet journalist for 2GB Radio in the Macquarie Newsroom. She explained that her passion for journalism and willingness to learn new skills has created many opportunities.
“Be flexible – you might end up doing something that you haven’t planned to do as a job.
“Multiple skills are a good idea as a backup plan and it’s needed… The more you know, the better,” Ms Bowen said.
She added that in journalism, you must be prepared for ‘people climbing over each other’.
“Be fully prepared for sleepless nights and never-ending endeavours of stress,” she said. – Soheir Adas
Top photo taken by Ben Atkinson-James.