Today, Medianet is joined by Peter Bannan from The Swan Hill Guardian. Here, Peter delves into his experience during the beginning of his career as well as a glimpse into his day-to-day as a Senior Journalist.
Hi Peter! Thanks again for participating! Could you tell me a bit about the start of your career? How have your degrees in Media and Journalism aided you and what are your tips on landing internships at news publications?
My career started in northern Victoria, in Kerang and Cohuna. In my first week, a man drowned while kayaking in a water channel. I was given the wrong location (there were two roads of the same name. One was a road and the other a track in a state forest deep in mud). After some back and forth with VicPol media, I eventually found the correct locality. It was a weekend, and I was the only rostered journalist. You just went with the adrenaline and made decisions that you thought made some sense at the time. Those initiatives are hardly taught in a degree until you are on the ground making critical decisions with very limited time to think, or process, what you are going to witness. And that’s before you even piece together the story for publication.
The key to landing internships is all about networking! Connect with industry peers on LinkedIn, flick them a DM or an email, follow them on X. Like, share and comment. Don’t be afraid to persist! The aim is to get your name out there. Persist now and you’ll go far in any career. Ensure your online portfolio is attractive, simple and updated. No one cares about your job as a shelf stacker or the name of your high school. Keep it relevant and curtail it to the medium you want to intern at. All this said and done, it’s important to remain in contact with the news outlet that knocks back internship applications. There could be a valid reason they decline!
What does your media cycle as a Senior Journalist look like? Are there any dates/events that you plan for in advance or look out for content?
My day begins with reading news outlet websites and listening to talk back radio to digest the issues of the day, noting what can be localised. If time permits, the daily quiz from the Shark on Herald Sun website, too!
I check emails for any releases and tips that have come across the desk and look on socials. There is a story in anything and anyone. You really don’t need to look very hard in this digital age. I’ll then take part in editorial conferences with the editor and other journalists, discuss ideas and features. Finally, I’ll plan for upcoming council meetings, court cases and sitting weeks in State and Federal Parliament.
What are your thoughts on the use of AI in journalism? Have you used AI yourself and what have been its biggest impacts to the industry thus far?
I haven’t explored AI much because it does too much creating, which I enjoy! I gave ChatGPT a go, but it wrote the story not how I would structure it. It took the control away from me, which discouraged me. I feel it’s used somewhat in advertorials where there is a lot of technical jargon that newspapers can get away with.
In terms of reliability of information, I still think the journalist needs to insert the quotes and facts to ensure it’s 100 percent accurate. It might have a future in journalism if the industry faces continued cuts in editorial. But right now, it's too early to analyse its place in today’s journalism.
Is there any upcoming work from you that we should keep an eye out for? Alternatively, what has been the proudest/most memorable experience in your career thus far?
The council elections will be fascinating in regional Victoria, especially in the area I cover, Gannawarra Shire, with concern over the behaviour of some councillors and consequently trying to attract new candidates to stand. The poor conduct of councillors across the state has been in the spotlight.
The proudest experience was winning Best News Story at the 2017 Victorian Country Press Association Awards for the 10th anniversary of the Kerang rail disaster. I interviewed the wife of the first police officer who responded. He later retired from the force because of PTSD he suffered from the tragedy. The ripple effect on not just him but his family was profound. I felt privileged and humbled to be trusted to share their deeply personal story.
You are the Founder of a PR firm, Peter Bannan Public Relations. Could you tell us a little bit more about this and what you wish PR knew about you or your work?
I launched my own PR business about two years ago. It’s still very much in its infancy, but I started it because I see so many businesses, small and big, missing opportunities they could achieve with some simple PR. Business success is a big thing and I often discover owners and managers don’t know how to sell their story, their products or services and the people behind the scenes. Social media, media releases, photography, videos and a clean website add influence and take customers on the journey.
Lastly, what do you look for in content pitching?
Simple. 10 digits and the @ symbol. Too regularly comms don’t include phone contact details in releases and/or email signatures. I hear many journalists say they will delete an email that doesn’t include contact details as it requires a lot of follow-up work. Many journalists are time poor as newsroom resources reduce in size.
I’m also looking for some dot points at the beginning of a pitch to grab my attention, media release text in the body of the email and not just as an attachment, time and locations for subject interviews, and high resolution portrait photos of the subject quoted to reduce that unnecessary follow-up.
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