Channel Nine

For the last two weeks I have been interning at Channel Nine in Brisbane. This internship was a bit of a dream come true. I have watched the journalists and presenters at Nine for as long as I can remember so the thought of working alongside them had me in an excited daze.

I probably didn't think about the logistics of interning at Mt-Cootha. I thought I would be okay to drive from Beerwah everyday in peak traffic but my wonderful parents had a very different idea. What eventuated was two weeks in an apartment in Toowong and I must say I will be forever grateful for that decision. The 6:30am wake up calls were early enough and by the time 5pm rolled around I was more than ready for bed.

On day one I spectacularly missed the turn off to the mountain and found myself on the motorway heading to Ipswich. To my surprise I kept my cool and still managed to make it in time. As I drove up to the locked gates and spoke to security I had a knot in my stomach and really didn't know what to expect.

After a quick introduction to the Chief of Staff I flicked through the pages of The Courier-Mail before heading out with a journalist. My first day went rather quickly. I was with Nat Wallace for two stories before we got back to the newsroom and I was whisked down to the control room to meet the production staff. I then witnessed the 4pm bulletin from behind the scenes and snuck into the studio to watch Eva Milic work her presenting magic.

As I approached the boss on day two I was told I would head out with a cameraman to shoot some Vox Pops on my own. For those of you who don't speak journo, a Vox Pop is where you ask random people for their thoughts on an issue. In this case I went down to South Bank to ask commuters what they thought about the early morning bus strikes. Having never done a 'voxy' before I was nervous. The cameraman had briefed me and I knew what to do but you can never really tell how these things are going to happen. I must say I was proud of my efforts. I basically asked everyone in the vancinity and although there was plenty of rejection I got a variety of responses. The cameraman said I nailed it. He said he's seen journalists more nervous than me. I was in my element! Once back at the newsroom I was told I would do a live cross for the studio rehearsals. Channel Nine in Brisbane is in the process of changing studios which requires plenty of practice. I was more than happy to be given the responsibility of reading a script 'live to air' and really loved it. Hearing Melissa and Andrew in my earpiece was a highlight.

On day three it was fairly similar. I did three practice live crosses which all went really well. Eva mentioned I should stop interning and just start presenting the 6pm bulletin, it was awesome! I was then sent with a cameraman to Carindale to interview the owner of a news agency which sold a winning lotto ticket. I then came back to newsroom and watched the 4pm bulletin. This time I actually worked up the courage to ask Eva for a photo.

On Thursday I met Tessa Hardy at the Magistrates Court. I was stoked to meet Tessa as I really admire her and her work. She was so lovely and really helpful. We were there to see whether Australian basketball great Shane Heal was going to be committed to trial. After hearing a few hours worth of law jargon it was announced he would face trial at a later date. I stayed back with Tessa to see her do a live cross for the 6pm bulletin. She also encouraged me to write my own version of it and pretend to do a live cross for myself. She was really great at giving advice.

On Friday I was sent out with Joel Dry to cover a PR story on the opening of a new climbing facility which linked with Ninja Warrior. I loved shooting this and actually got to do my own piece to camera and version of the story. Joel even used a few pieces of footage I cut. I also saw the 4pm bulletin and introduced myself to Alison Ariotti. She was so lovely and we got to chatting about QUT and their wonderful journalism program.

After a whirlwind weekend I was back in the newsroom on Monday. I was sent out with Tessa again and went to the Lady Cilento hospital for a press conference and piece on the US sailors visiting sick kids. As we got back to the newsroom I was sent out with another journo to attend a police press conference and interview with the police union. I was just back in time to watch the 4pm bulletin with Alison.

The rest of the week was pretty similar with practice bulletins and 'live crosses'. I also shot quite a bit of footage for the bus strikes and managed to do some more vox pops. I physically caught some city buses and most of the vision was used in a few stories.

All in all I loved interning at Channel Nine. I got to experience the workings of a real newsroom and met some of my journalism inspirations. I must say the journalists and cameramen treated me with the utmost respect and it was great to get to know them. I really hope this experience has put me on the right path to securing employment in the regions in the next six months.

#ashleighdwan #journalism #beyondthestory #channelnine