August 30, 2018

Welcome to this week's AAP Medianet newsletter featuring notable career moves and publication changes in the media industry, our Editor's pick for news release of the week and upcoming events. 

This Week's Media Movements

Sarah O’Carroll >has become the first editor-in-chief of Yahoo Finance. Sarah joins the team from Power Ink Media, a content strategy consultancy she founded in 2015. Prior to that, she was working at Women’s Agenda as an associate publisher.

Alana Calvert has joined The Australian as a digital journalist. She was previously at SBS Radio as a digital content editor. Alana has also spent time at HuffPost Australia as a night editor and at APN as a journalist. 

NewsLocal has launched a digital news platform called the St George Shire Standard to provide community news for the Sutherland Shire and St George regions in Sydney. Reporter Eliza Barr will look after this platform. She was previously the crime and politics specialist reporter at NewsLocal Southwest. 

Lucas da Paz is now with Seven West Media as a junior journalist. Prior to starting in his role, Lucas was a casual reporter at Community News, where he reported on news happening in Belmont, Western Australia.

The Conversation has launched a new media podcast called Media Files. The monthly podcast is hosted by Andrew Dodd at the University of Melbourne, Andrea Carson at LaTrobe University and Matthew Ricketson at Deakin University. The podcast will feature journalists and editors discussing ethics, digital disruption and trends in the industry.

Jack Derwin is now a digital journalist at Your Money, a joint venture between the Nine Network and Sky News. Jack spent the past three years in Mexico and Spain, working as a columnist, freelance journalist and as an English professor. 

Editor's Pick: Press Release of the Week...

Dr Claudio Pizzolato pictured above.                                                                                                               

Media Spotlight

Jessica Chandra, editor of TheFIX at Nine Entertainment >

How did your path lead you to entertainment journalism? 
Straight out of uni I landed a job as an editorial assistant at POPSUGAR Australia when the site was only three months old and then I spent six years there. In a way, I was lucky that a position opened up on the Celebrity vertical because that’s always been my interest. Since then, I’ve worked across the websites of Cosmopolitan, ELLE and Harper’s BAZAAR.

What story has been your favourite to work on so far this year?
Something I’m currently working on is a piece about Crazy Rich Asians and what it felt like to watch it as an Asian Australian who rarely sees Asians represented in popular culture. A lot of Asian journalists and film reviewers are already writing about it, but the fact that so many people are passionate about it is proof of what a huge deal it is. I’ve also enjoyed reading everything about it.

What suggestions do you have on ways press releases can be improved to better suit your needs?  
The most helpful press releases for me are radio-based ones, where the PR has taken time to pull out key points from a celebrity interview or, better yet, included a transcript of the interview. For press releases about products, there needs to be a stronger hook than just ‘[Insert star] is now fronting [insert brand]; the opportunity to interview the talent would be helpful, but only if it is right for our brand and audience.

Upcoming Media Events

The Sparkle Ball
Friday 31st August, Sydney
A ball held by the Raise Foundation to raise funds to mentor Australian youth, helping them to be more resilient, capable and connected.

QLD Labor State Conference
Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September, Brisbane
In the annual Queensland Labor State Conference, Labor members from the state will vote on resolutions for the future direction of the party.

Barossa Gourmet Weekend (pictured above) 
Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September, Barossa
The Barossa Gourmet Weekend will showcase food sourced from local producers and quality world-class wines. There will be 32 events throughout the weekend including intimate tastings, dining experiences and food masterclasses.

Birdsville Races (pictured left)
Friday 31st August to Saturday 1st September, Birdsville, QLD
Over 6,000 racegoers will gather at Birdsville to experience bush horse racing at its best through a 13 race program. This annual event will also host live entertainment, including RFDS Cocktail Party, Fashions on the Field, food vendors, live auctions and more. 

Melbourne Firefighters Stair Climb
Saturday 1st September, Melbourne
Around 650 firefighters will climb 28 floors wearing full firefighting gear to raise money for Lifeline and the Black Dog Institute.

Dementia Awareness Month >
Saturday 1st to 30th September, Nationwide
Dementia Australia’s national campaign helps Australians to gain a better understanding of what it is like to live with dementia and how to support them. This year’s theme is ‘Small actions Big difference’.

©2018 AAP.  

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