An international perspective on audio journalism from Corinne Podger
This week, we spoke with Corinne Podger, a Lecturer in Mobile, Video and Multimedia Journalism at Macleay College, one of Australia’s leading providers of industry-ready digital journalism graduates
Corinne’s previous employers include the BBC, ABC in Australia and the Thomson Reuters Foundation. She gave our class a glimpse into her versatile background and explained Australia’s audio journalism landscape.
Corinne’s background is very diverse. She has experience in every form of journalism from print, to television, to radio, to online content. She uses her vast experience in journalism to help teach others this important craft; and we benefitted from hearing about her experiences as we approach graduation.
Corinne’s Four Tips for aspiring journos
- Have digital editing skills.
- Think creatively and use your creative skills.
- Have the confidence to inquire about work.
- Be able to think multi-platform.
How audio can support development goals
Through her work with BBC Media Action and the Thomas Reuters Foundation, Corinne has seen first-hand the impact that radio and audio can have in developing countries, often supporting development goals.
Examples cited by Corinne include:
An international perspective of audio journalism
Along with the career advice Corinne imparted, she also briefly spoke about Australia and its place in the world of audio journalism.
We found out that it is one of the world leaders in producing audio journalistic content.
Much of this is produced by ABC radio, who have an extensive podcast archive.
But, we also saw how some newspapers in Australia embed extensive amounts audio in their online news stories, something that is rarely seen in the United States.
This piece, for example, uses content from AudioBoom, as well as YouTube, to support and enhance a piece about “Australia’s greatest detective.”
The Sydney Morning Herald, meanwhile, produced a podcast series on the short life and brutal death of Phoebe Handsjuk.
US newspapers might well have an audio journalism department, but it is often somewhat separate from the typical news columns.
Corinne also talked about how audio journalism’s popularity and widespread use has forced Australian journalists to be quick with producing stories. This is because the demand for audio pieces is very high as many stories require them to supplement text.
Final Takeaways
To wrap up our discussion Corinne emphasized a point we have heard multiple times this term: and that is that audio journalism has low entry barriers.
If anyone wants to work in that field, all one has to do is use his/her cellphone and post content on social media.
Do this, will build a solid portfolio, gain a following, and — hopefully — this will give you the foundation you need to find a job in this field.
