If you are interested in recent debates over the future of journalism, media and communication opportunities, read here:
John Martinkus' cinematography
http://www.smh.com.au/national/hardship-sacrifices-and-fear-on-the-front-line-20130809-2rl7h.html
Fraser Johnston's UK award winning photography
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2013/06/04/380692_tasmania-news.html
Emily Woodgate Ocean warming story for ABC, AM programme.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3522242.htm
Selina Bryan Tassie Tiger story for ABC, AM programme.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3307231.htm
Claire Todd Poppy inquiry considers importation
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-23/poppy-inquiry/4647450
Fraser Johnston Aurora Australis: chasing the southern lights – Australian Geographic.
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/aurora-australis-chasing-the-southern-lights.htm
Damien McIver Underwater Jungles for ABC, 7:30 report.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-26/the-vanishing-underwater-jungles/4654722
Damien McIver, Burke reconsiders lapsed protection for Tarkine for ABC, Lateline.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3159807.htm
Heather Kirkpatrick is a professional outdoor instructor, emergency relief work logistician, freelance journalist and filmmaker. She has lead expeditions on every continent - climbing mountains and raft guiding in the world's most remote wilderness regions. Heather has spent seven seasons teaching field survival skills in Antarctica and recently managed the helicopter logistics as food was delivered to flood victims in Pakistan.
Her worldwide travels inspired her to pursue short courses in filmmaking over the last decade and to study postgraduate Convergent Journalism. Heather has published stories in print media and produced an ABC radio documentary. She has travelled independently through the Democratic Republic of Congo filming stories of war-displaced people and in Rwanda following rap-artists who became orphans after the genocide.
Heather has independently produced and directed her first feature length documentary 'Mary Meets Mohammad,' where she intimately followed Mary and Mohammad for 16 months in Tasmania..
Student from 2002-2004; 2006-2010; 2011
It wasn't meant to take so long. Nine years. A bachelor's degree, honours, PhD and a Diploma of Languages. The formal qualifications barely hint at the range of experiences: hosting radio shows, editing the student magazine, working in Jakarta, attending conferences, giving lectures, sitting exams and marking exams. I spent a year studying representations of the Australian identity in Today Tonight. Lots of shonky tradesmen; too much Naomi Robson. I spent almost four years completing my doctoral thesis, The Popular Political Documentary: Case Studies of Magnetic Media. I've worked for an English-language magazine in Budapest and, for the last few years, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. General news, sports news, hosting television broadcasts, commentating AFL matches, travelling to new places, meeting new people – it's a great job, especially if you love learning. UTAS let me indulge my love of learning for almost a decade, and it helped me get a job which allows me to keep doing it.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-07/hundreds-stranded-as-tas-bushfire-crisis-unfolds/4454642
I had always wanted to be a journalist, but knew jobs in the industry were hard to come by so I decided to do a double degree. I enrolled in Arts/Law in 2007, and finally graduated in 2012 with Honours in Law.
The double degree meant less time for journalism subjects than in a straight Arts degree, so I focussed on practical subjects teaching TV, radio and newsgathering skills. I had to fight to get into the Professional Placement program – it was only offered to final year students, and in 2009 I was in the final year of my Arts component, but not Law.
It was worth the fight. I got a placement at the ABC and learnt so much in those two weeks. From there, I landed a casual news production assistant job. In 2011 I won an ABC cadetship, and finished the rest of my degree part-time by correspondence.
I love my job. I never know what I'll be doing on any given day. So many people have shared their stories with me. You see behind the scenes of everything that's happening, and have an extraordinary responsibility to choose what's eventually packaged and presented to the public in the fairest and most accurate way. The deadlines are constant, the criticism is fierce, the stress is high but it's worth it for the difference that you make.
I graduated with Honours in 2010 and am lucky enough to now work alongside a lot of my former classmates. I started working for ABC News during my first year of uni as a production assistant, which was a fantastic foot in the door and helped me move straight into reporting once I graduated.
I've been in the ABC's Burnie office since late 2011. Working in a regional area has great bonuses... there's less competition to cover the big stories and you get to travel a lot. I've been all over the north-west for work, including about six overnight trips to the West Coast and a day trip to King Island.
The practical courses at UTas helped me further develop my cross media skills. Being able to write for television, radio and online is crucial for working at the ABC where nearly all the journalists in Tasmania work across the three mediums. I also went to London for a semester on a Global Environmental Journalism scholarship which was an incredible experience. It was great to study at a different university and still gain credit for my UTas course.
I highly recommend taking every opportunity that comes along, whether that's doing an international exchange, work experience at a local media organisation or getting up at 5AM to present the news on a community radio station.
I started my Bachelor of Arts in 2007, graduating in 2009 with Majors in English and Journalism, Media and Communications. At the end of my BA I felt there was more to be explored in JMC, so I enrolled in Honours in 2010. With the supervision of Michelle Phillipov, I wrote a thesis titled Danger: Keep Away! Moral Panics and the Banning of Heavy Metal Music to Protect Young People- a bit of an out-there topic, but one that I had a lot of fun researching and writing! In 2011 I began my Masters of Journalism, hoping to get my foot in the door for a career in journalism. But life's path can often divert and take us in a completely different direction. Early that year I interviewed Federal Member for Lyons, Dick Adams, for one of my Masters pieces. I got word that a position had opened in Mr Adams' office, and on a whim I applied for the position. I have now worked for Mr Adams for 2 years, and have loved every minute of it! I frequently travel to Canberra for work, and have met many inspirational people along the way. As Mr Adams' media advisor, I apply the skills I learned in my JMC studies on a daily basis.
Communications Officer -Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Councils. Corey is currently employed in a resource sharing role as a Communications Officer at the Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Councils in North West Tasmania. Corey completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Journalism, Media & Communications and Public Policy in 2007. During his time at UTAS, Corey was a volunteer radio announcer at Edge Radio and was recognised on the Dean's Roll of Excellence. Upon completion Corey started work as a Journalist/Sub-editor at The Advocate Newspaper, where he was employed for almost four years. Corey then took up his current role in October 2011. Corey's role is to implement a communications strategy and provide information to media, stakeholders and the broader community to assist in promoting the corporate image and work of both organisations. Corey also provides authoritative advice to the Senior Management Team, Mayor and the Council on issues management, strategy development, stakeholder relations, media relations, advertising, event, publication and electronic content management, including implementing the delivery of such. As a result both Councils are now using a range of social media tools in complement to traditional methods to reach their target audience. Corey has particular interests in new technology, politics and social media.
During my time at UTAS, I was able to discover and hone in on what I wanted to do professionally post-graduation. I studied a Bachelor of Arts degree, with major in Journalism and Sociology, both areas that I was naturally interested in, but unsure of how I could parlay these into legitimate career options.
I was fortunate enough to be taught by top-level educators and learn with engaged peers; this was a community environment where I not only developed tertiary-level skills, but also made life-long friends.
Studying various theory and practical units across a number of media-based industries allowed me to navigate my own direction in order to achieve the right learning outcomes.
Now, working as an Editor in print and online mediums, I can look back on my time at UTAS and see clearly the path it enabled me to take to get to where I am today.
I began arts and business degrees in 2008 with no idea where I'd end up. After a year of confusing the bottom line for the probability of gross tax, commencing a JMC major was a welcome relief of words. Core units instilled in me the long-standing, vital, often criticised and confused role of a journalist. Craig's classes showed me how twitter had changed all that, and Michelle taught me how a man in budgie smugglers can sell salmon products. Kate highlighted the make-or-break opening lines of a press release, which now dictate many of my work days. Claire told me to write about what interested me.
I finally got my hands on a camera in John's practical subjects. Shooting, voicing and cutting my own stories over long hours in the media lab made me want to chase that Lois Lane dream. Living in Tasmania where action or someone interesting is never far off, plus extracurricular activities including writing for local magazines further fuelled the reporting flame.
Icing on the cake was an ABC professional placement in late 2011 from which I got a job. I've been working in the busy Hobart newsroom ever since as a broadcast journalist.
I go to work not knowing exactly what's going to happen, who I'll be chatting to or what little yarn might crop up and I'm constantly learning. It's vastly different to uni, where days are structured and essays are written over time according to marking criteria. I've had to learn a heap quickly on the job but every piece of copy I file is done according to what I learnt in the early days in the Arts Lecture Theatre: WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY.
In my current role as a full time radio content maker, I produce the ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast show. I wake up at 4:30am, reach the office by 4:50am, on air at 5:30am and finish by 12:30pm. I research talent for the presenter, produce a live studio show and conduct field interviews and vox pops.
Journalism wasn't my first choice. When I finished grade 12, I was going to study psychology. A gap year of work and travel renewed my interest in journalism, a career that demands constant ideas, information and a ready ear.
As part of my final year of study at UTAS I scored a ten day internship in the Hobart ABC newsroom. I moved into a casual position in the Rural department then into Local Radio, to ABC Marketing and back to Local. I was contemplating a year at AFTRS in Sydney when I found out I had got the job with ABC Northern Tasmania, a position I had interviewed for over Skype at 3am in Germany!
During my studies at UTAS I was encouraged to read and listen to news and to get as much experience in journalism as possible and the time I spent presenting Edge Radio and writing for Warp magazine was invaluable.