The Masterclass Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S3E12: S03E12: Wing Kuang on Starting a Career in Journalism May 13, 2024

“What makes you different from your peers who also want to get a job in journalism?

ABC audio producer and digital reporter Wing Kuang is an expert at turning a disadvantage into an asset. Having first come to Australia as an international student, she encountered a lot of barriers to finding a job as a journalist.

She says that community radio provided important opportunities to develop her skills and build a portfolio, and that it was ultimately her social media presence that led to her first job.

“Tweeting had become my only way to make myself known.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://allthebestradio.com/featured/500-retrospective-vanishing-voices/

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/days-like-these/wing-vs-the-machine/101916326

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S3E11: S03E11: Kirsti Melville on Working with Sound May 06, 2024

“The minute I walk into that space, I turn my audio ears on.”

ABC broadcaster Kirsti Melville is an award-winning radio documentary maker, who always starts planning for an audio feature by thinking about sound. Melville describes how she triages the audio in any recording environment, and how she works with sound to create immersive and impactful storytelling.

"I often talk about it in quite filmic terms. Think about it in terms of small close-up sound and broader, wider sound that creates a scene."

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/earshot/earshot/102676508

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/earshot/the-ghosts-of-wittenoom---part-one/10635386

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/earshot/the-ghosts-of-wittenoom-part-2/10747390

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S3E10: S03E10: Tamara Oudyn on Voice in Audio Journalism Apr 29, 2024

“Your voice is such a personal quality…It’s like your own aural fingerprint.”

As an ABC voice coach and journalist, Tamara Oudyn is shaping the diverse voices of the national broadcaster. Here she describes the lessons she teaches cadets, including the role of the 3ps - pitch, pace and pausing - in broadcasting.

Her emphasis is on training young journalists to sound like themselves on air.

“Authority comes from being comfortable in front of a microphone and knowing what you are on about.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/crime-pays-the-mystery-behind-why-we-love-crime-dramas/101742770

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S3E9: S0309: Jo Lauder on Audio Storytelling Apr 22, 2024

"The thing that I love about audio is that...it's really intimate."

ABC journalist Jo Lauder says audio can be really effective in transporting the listener to a particular time and place. She explains how she goes about planning different types of audio pieces, whether for Triple J's Hack or long-form narrative podcasts like Saving the Franklin. She says it is crucial to engage the listener right from the start.

"You grab them with the curiosity. You just have to really hook someone in so they want to find out what's going on."

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/dig/series-3-saving-the-franklin/102414460

https://soundcloud.com/triple-j-hack/jo-lauder-goes-on-a-space-walk-with-earthlight

https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/hck-2024-01-04/103234860

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S3E8: S03E08: Daniel Browning on Objectivity in Journalism Apr 15, 2024

“Who measures objectivity? Who judges objectivity?”

Objectivity is traditionally seen as a cardinal tenet of journalism, but Daniel Browning's long experience in Australian newsrooms has left him questioning whether objectivity is possible, or even beneficial.

The Bundjalung and Kullili man, who leads the ABC's Indigenous Radio unit, says First Nations communities have been failed by the Australian media.

He champions the idea of subjective journalism, believing that being 'close to the subject’ can be an asset.

“The lie of objectivity is that we assume we have it.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsySGx7ReWU

https://magabala.com.au/products/close-to-the-subject

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S3E7: S03E07: Konrad Marshall on the Craft of Feature Writing Apr 08, 2024

“Always get the name of the dog, the brand of the beer, and the title of the song that was playing as the car crashed off the road.”

This is one writing commandment that the award-winning writer for Good Weekend Konrad Marshall keeps top of mind, as told to him by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom French. For Marshall, that attention to detail is one trademark that helps set his work apart.

As a feature writer, he sees his main job as engaging readers in a captivating story.

“I’m just trying to get your attention for thirty-five minutes on a Saturday morning by reading something that you really enjoy.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.smh.com.au/national/couch-surfer-in-his-30s-oscar-winner-in-his-40s-why-the-whole-world-wants-taika-20231101-p5egs4.html

https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2016/the-noongar-warriors/

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/rod-laver-gets-back-into-the-swing-of-life-and-love-20190115-p50re5.html

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S3E6: S03E06: Stephanie Convery on Feature Stories Mar 25, 2024

“Focus on the intimate and particular.”

When it comes to feature writing, Stephanie Convery says it is often the small details that count. Her work with Guardian Australia involves shining a light on inequality, and frequently focuses on people’s personal circumstances. She likens features to creative writing in the need to draw on literary devices to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ the reader why a story matters.

She says the key to starting any feature story is being curious.

“When you go to write a feature you don’t necessarily know all the answers to the questions that you’ve asked. Part of finding the answers is writing.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/25/yachts-at-the-top-power-privacy-and-privilege-in-the-world-of-australian-superyachts

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/feb/13/slowly-tortured-by-his-brain-family-urges-action-on-head-trauma-at-concussion-inquiry

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/21/we-need-to-be-alarmed-food-banks-in-overdrive-as-politicians-allow-australians-to-go-hungry

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S3E5: S03E05: Laura Murphy-Oates on Interviewing Mar 18, 2024

“You can’t go in with no idea of what you might hope to get out of it, but you have to be open to what happens in the interview.”

As former host of Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to people for a living. Here she outlines her rules for interviewing, including the pre-interview research process and how to structure questions. She describes the importance of an ethical approach, particularly when interviewing marginalised communities. The interview's purpose, she says, should always be top of mind.

“Think about what the audience would want from the interview.”

WORK MENTIONED

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2023/jun/26/a-deep-sea-explorer-on-the-oceangate-disaster-and-the-rise-of-submersibles-full-story-podcast

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2021/jan/21/the-indigenous-family-fighting-back-against-a-legacy-of-police-brutality

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2023/oct/09/we-dont-want-your-backyard-briggs-on-why-hes-campaigning-for-yes-full-story-podcast

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S3E4: S03E04: Saffron Howden on Writing News Stories Mar 11, 2024

"If you haven't grabbed the readers' attention within the first 10-12 words, you lose them."

Saffron Howden's job is training journalists how to write news for Australian Community Media. She sees news journalists as storytellers dealing in facts, who need to always be thinking about their audience. In this episode, she offers tips on the craft of writing a strong news story.

"Focus on...the thing people are going to care about. And keep it simple."

WORK MENTIONED:

https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/8279201/licence-to-kill-2-million-roos-emus-culled-to-protect-humans/

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S3E3: S03E03: Nick McKenzie on Ethics and Defamation Mar 04, 2024

"It's about fairness in the search for the truth, and fairness in publishing our stories."

The Age's Nick McKenzie has put fairness at the centre of his journalistic identity. It's led him to break some of the nation's biggest stories, winning him 16 Walkleys, but also has meant he's been sued for defamation on multiple occasions. In this episode, he lays out the steps he takes to ensure his reporting is fair and ethical.

"Journalism is a profession of infinite possibility - you just need to apply yourself and be determined and be ethical and be thorough and be guided by the public interest."

WORK MENTIONED:

https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/the-faceless-man-60-minutes/27c925bd-757d-47c9-ba88-1b2309b72936

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/calls-for-investigation-into-factional-powerbroker-adem-somyurek-20200614-p552iy.html

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S3E2: S03E02: Finding Interviewees with Julia Bergin Feb 26, 2024

"Every story that you do, you need to talk to people."

Julia Bergin's journalistic career has taken her as far afield as Japan and the Northern Territory, meaning she's had to work at building up her contact book time and time again. In this episode, she talks about all that goes into finding the right interviewees for a story.

"It's broadening this remit of interviewing from just a Q&A to the groundwork that happens before. And that's not just about writing up questions. That's developing a rapport with your interview subject."

Articles mentioned:

https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/04/24/alice-springs-traditional-owners-launch-patrol/

https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/06/13/dingoes-research-dna

https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/10/13/voice-to-parliament-aec-silenced-alice-springs-indigenous-supervisor/

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S3E1: S03E01: Finding a News Story with Angus Thomson Feb 19, 2024

“You have to learn by doing, and you will only get better with practice.”

Angus Thomson started with Sydney Morning Herald as a cadet in 2022, and is currently their health reporter. In this episode he explains how he goes about finding news stories, reflecting on his experience as a student at The University of Melbourne and as a professional journalist. He has a key piece of advice for those unsure of where to start in finding a news story.

“Go local. Draw on your networks.”

Articles mentioned:

Two towns separated by a bridge, a border – and $28 million lost to gambling.

Matthew was given a 20-year ban for this. Now he’s fighting to clear his name.

From Port Phillip Bay to the Coral Sea, tracking the travels of the eels.

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S2E6: Silvi Vann-Wall on Pitching and Piloting Oct 18, 2021

In 2018, Silvi Vann-Wall was a journalism student who was chosen as a finalist in a nationwide podcasting competition. Suddenly she found herself on a stage, pitching her idea to the best podcasters in the world. Her advice on developing your podcast concept is very simple, "You must be able to describe it in one sentence by the time you're ready to pitch. Otherwise, keep trying!" She went on to produce, with Izzie Austin and the Wheeler Centre, the Pill Pop podcast, which she describes as an audio road trip for the chronically ill.

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S2E5: S2: E5 Matt Bevan on Season Arcs Sep 30, 2021

“The most helpful part of the series arc is dragging people to the next episode,” says ABC’s Matt Bevan, the host of China, If You’re Listening. That’s the fifth season of his geopolitical pod, for which he’s done both chronological and thematic season arcs. In this episode of the Masterclass, he shares what he’s learned about shaping narrative arcs across a season for a podcast, including how to tempt your audience to keep listening and how to reward loyal listeners.

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S2E4: Rachel Fountain on Turning Your Idea into a Podcast Sep 13, 2021

Audience and sustainability are two key factors for Deadset Studio's Executive Producer Rachel Fountain in thinking about what podcasts will work. "When you know who the podcast is for, you can think about what they might be using it for, and tailor your content to that," she says. Rachel has worked on many popular podcasts at ABC Audio Studios, including Days Like These and Pineapple Project, and here she shares the secrets to turning your ideas into a podcast.

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S2E3: Martin Peralta on Sound Design Sep 01, 2021

"It's never finished, but you get closer and closer to 'I'm happy with this'". Martin Peralta is one of Australia's most sought after sound designers, having worked on ABC podcasts including Trace and Unravel, as well as Gimlet's Science Vs, and many others. In this episode, he outlines his work processes, his secrets for finding the right sound design and how to use music in podcasts.

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S2E2: Elizabeth Kulas on Narrative Structure Aug 16, 2021

"A good piece of work is written once. A great piece is written five times." To Elizabeth Kulas, the host of ABC's Days Like These, narrative structure is front of mind in planning and writing every podcast episode. Formerly the host of 7am, she gives a Masterclass in structuring your episode.

Louisa Lim teaches Audio Journalism and Podcasting at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism. She has been a journalist for more than two decades, working as a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for the BBC and NPR. She co-hosts a podcast on China, The Little Red Podcast, which won the Australian Podcast Award's News and Current Affairs prize in 2018.

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S2E1: Marc Fennell on Telling Complicated Stories Simply Aug 09, 2021

In season 2 of The Masterclass, Louisa Lim explores podcasting with some of the world's best podcasters. In this episode, Marc Fennell, the creator and host of the smash hit podcast Stuff the British Stole, gives a masterclass in how to tell complicated stories in a way that people can understand.

Louisa Lim teaches Audio Journalism and Podcasting at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism. She has been a journalist for more than two decades, working a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She co-hosts a podcast on China, The Little Red Podcast, which won the Australian Podcast Award's News and Current Affairs prize in 2018. Her book, The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. Find her on Twitter @limlouisa

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S1E14: A Matter of Life and Death; True Crime Podcasts Oct 09, 2018

Louisa Lim explores the booming phenomenon of podcasts with investigative journalist Richard Baker and the ABC’s Rachael Brown. What makes this genre so compelling to audiences, and what does it tell us about ourselves and how far can you push the the story telling?
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named anEconomist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

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S1E13: Pod Save Radio- How Podcasting is Transforming the Audio Sphere Jul 09, 2018

Louisa Lim moderated a lively discussion between Natasha Mitchell, host of the ABC's Science Friction and Robert Smith from Planet Money on NPR. They tackled topics such as their individual approaches to a story, how podcasts are pushing the boundaries of narrative story telling and how much of yourself should you insert into a story?
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

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S1E12: Manoush Zomorodi on Engagement and Audience Interaction May 15, 2018

The smartphone has changed audience interaction forever, and Manoush Zomorodi’s Note to Self is a trailblazer in audience engagement. She talks through extreme engagement,
and how she managed to get listeners not just to call in, but to change their lifestyles.
Show notes
@manoushz
Note to Self
https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/notetoself
Bored and Brilliant series
https://www.wnyc.org/series/bored-and- brilliant
Bored and Brilliant; How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self
https://www.amazon.com/Bored-Brilliant- Spacing-Productive- Creative/dp/1250124956
Ghosting, Simmering and Icing with Esther Perel
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/esther-perel- online-dating/
I Didn’t See Your Text
https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/esther-perel- empathy/
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E11: Julie Shapiro on Podcasting May 08, 2018

You have to love and idea and a topic so much that you want to live it, breath it, eat it and marry it. That’s the advice that Radiotopia’s Julie Shapiro gives for anyone who wants to get into podcasting.
Show notes
@jatomic
http://www.julieshapiro.org/who/
Radiotopia
https://www.radiotopia.fm/
Ear Hustle
https://www.earhustlesq.com/
Millennial
http://www.millennialpodcast.org/
99% Invisible
https://99percentinvisible.org/
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E10: Lyse Doucet on Journalism in Hostile Environments Apr 30, 2018

The job of a journalist is to tell the stories of our time. In this episode, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet talks through the challenges facing today's journalists from the conflict frontlines to the increasing hostility to the mainstream media.
Show notes
@bbclysedoucet
The Real Story, What is Fuelling The War in Yemen (BBC World Service)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswx1l
Lyse Doucet Reunites With Refugee Family in Canada (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37412117/lyse-doucet-reunites-with-syrian-refugee-family-in-canada
Syria in the Wake of US-led Missile Strikes (BBC Newshour)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172w252dqg20mt
Syria: The World's War (BBC Two)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b227d8
Inside Yemen: Three Years of War
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/n3ct553w
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E9: Steve Inskeep on Going Live Apr 23, 2018

Going live is one of the trickiest skills for any audio journalist to master. In this episode, NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep draws on his decades behind the mike to outline some of his top strategies for going live.
Show notes
@nprinskeep
Morning Edition
https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/
To Escape Civil War, Many Yemenis Flee to Djibouti
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594839290/to-escape-civil-war-many-yemenis-flee-to-dijibouti
Yemeni Refugees Cross Gulf of Aden to Seek Safety in East Africa
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/595967396/yemeni-refugees-cross-gulf-of-aden-to-seek-safety-in-east-africa
Why Yemen’s War Mostly Remains Out of News Headlines
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594839325/why-yemens-war-remains-mostly-out-of-news-headlines
US Fast Tracks Missile Defence System to East Asia, Drawing China’s Ire
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/03/09/519369095/u-s-fast-tracks-missile-defense-system-to-s-korea-drawing-chinas-ire
Insurgents in Nigeria Release Most of the Girls Abducted Last Month
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/21/595791356/insurgents-in-nigeria-release-most-of-101-schoolgirls-abducted-last-month
Major Breaks in Boston Marathon Bombing Case
https://www.npr.org/2013/04/19/177928415/major-breaks-in-boston-marathon-bombing-case
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.
PHOTO: Aspeninstitute-Internal- https://www.flickr.com/photos/60463478@N08/

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S1E8: Neal Razzell on Using Sound Apr 16, 2018

Sound and silence are the tools of an audio journalist, and their uses – as emphasis, as illustration, as explication or as a chapter break – are manifold. In this episode, the BBC’s Neal Razzell talks through how to make your pieces sing, and how to go one step further with sound.
Show notes
Neal Razzell 's Twitter - @NealRazzell
Spain’s Battle for the Bull (Documentary Podcast, BBC World Service)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033zrkw
Last Call From Aleppo (Crossing Continents, Radio 4, BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08zd778
Audiograph: The Sound of the Brexit Pound
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p043px57
Audiograph: The Sound of Climate Change
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p043pryr
Audiograph: The Sound of Mexican Migration to the US
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04dyfg9
Audiograph: Falling Infant Mortality Rates
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0418j8v
Opposing Obama (BBC World Service)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2010/01/100128_opposing_obama_part_1.shtml
Podcast series: The Assassination (BBC World Service)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05r6cgx/episodes/downloads
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
@limlouisa
Production Team
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for
Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co- produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E7: Natasha Mitchell on Writing for Radio Apr 09, 2018

One of the biggest secrets to writing for radio is not writing for radio, but letting your sound and your interviewees do some of the work. In this episode, Natasha Mitchell of Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Radio National walks us through how to show, not always tell, for radio.
Show notes
Natasha Mitchell's Twitter @natashamitchell
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/natasha-mitchell/2914164
Eugenics, Power and Privilege; Why America had a Nazi Problem Before Charlottesville (Science Friction)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-08/eugenics-history-us-had-nazi-problem-before-charlottesville/8883074
Calling all Carnivores and Vegetarians; Would You Eat Meat Grown in a Lab? (Science Friction)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sciencefriction/would-you-eat-in-vitro-meat-grown-in-a-lab/9185470
The Secret Life of Children (Earshot)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/the-secret-life-of-children/7936046
The Secrets Inside Your Cells; Epigenetics, Trauma and Ancestry (Science Friction)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sciencefriction/the-secrets-inside-your-cells/9237992
Recorded at Studio 757, External Relations, University of Melbourne
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E6: Robert Smith on The Art of Radio Packages Mar 26, 2018

Learn how to fantasise your ideal piece into reality, as well as how to become an audio hunter who knows exactly what they want and how to get it. In this episode, NPR's Robert Smith decodes the structure of a radio news package, talking through the tricks of the trade, and how to do it all on a tight deadline.
Show notes:
Robert Smith’s Twitter - @radiosmith
Harlem Says Its Farewell to James Brown
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6692842
Episode 788: Robert And Kenny Go To The Fair
https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/08/11/542893444/episode-778-robert-and-kenny-go-to-the-fair
Countdown Begins as Planet Money's Satellite Gets Placed on Rocket
https://www.npr.org/2018/02/01/582513401/countdown-begins-as-planet-moneys-satellite-gets-placed-on-rocket
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
arts.unimelb.edu.au/soll/resources/horwood
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E5: Becky Lipscombe on Recording in the Field Mar 19, 2018

Use your mic like a camera, zooming in and out to getting aural close-ups and wide shots to build texture to your pieces. In this episode, the BBC’s Africa producer Becky Lipscombe talks through how to report in the field including what to take out with you and how to get the sound you need.
Show notes
Becky Lipscombe’s Soundcloud page
https://soundcloud.com/beckylip
Robert Mugabe Resigns (BBC Newshour)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172vr1h1kz89l2
Zimbabwe; The People Have Spoken
https://soundcloud.com/beckylip/zimbabwe-the-people-have-spoken
Sierra Leone; The Ebola Orphans
https://soundcloud.com/beckylip/sierra-leone-the-ebola-orphans
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
arts.unimelb.edu.au/soll/resources/horwood
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E4: Elspeth Morrison on Finding your Radio Voice Mar 12, 2018

In audio journalism, you need to sound like yourself plus 10%. But what does that even mean? In this episode, voice coach Elspeth Morrison breaks down how to find your radio voice and use it appropriately.
Show notes
Elspeth Morrison a voice coach who has worked with journalists for almost twenty years. She has trained many BBC journalists, as well as training actors in her other job as an accent coach.
@elspeth27
A Guide to Northern English Accents (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1RpWFqs6CR94G8DqKNVKGrQ/a-guide-to-northern-english-accents
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
arts.unimelb.edu.au/soll/resources/horwood
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E3: S1 E3: Hamish Macdonald on The Art of the Interview Mar 05, 2018

Interviewing is like playing chess; you need to predict two moves ahead and have your figurative pieces in play ready to meet your interviewee there. In this episode, the award-winning journalist Hamish Macdonald talks through the art of the interview, and the importance of holding people in power to account.
Show notes
Hamish Macdonald is an award-winning Australian broadcaster and foreign correspondent. He sometimes presents ABC Radio National’s Breakfast show, as well as hosts Channel Ten’s The Project. He has also worked at Al Jazeera, ABC America and the UK’s Channel Four. He was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University in 2016, and won the RTS Young Journalist of the Year in 2008.
@hamishnews
Michael Wolff dismisses ‘silly’ criticisms of Fire and Fury in Heated Interview (ABC)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-12/michael-wolff-says-criticisms-of-trump-book-fire-and-fury-silly/9319852
Pray for us; Aleppo is really ‘hell… A firsthand account of life in Syria (ABC)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/dr-farida-almouslem/7837880
Christopher Pyne calls for Sam Dastyari to be Sacked (ABC)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/christopher-pyne-calls-for-sam-dastyari-to-be/7813634
Sam Dastyari Donations Scandal; Christopher Pyne Backtracks from Breach Claim (SMH)
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sam-dastyari-chinese-donations-scandal-christopher-pyne-backtracks-from-breach-claim-20160905-gr8p4y.html
The Truth is (Channel 10)
https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-truth-is/2013/6/3
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
arts.unimelb.edu.au/soll/resources/horwood
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E2: S1 E2: Mike Innes on Finding a Story and Turning It Into Radio Feb 26, 2018

In the words of the British comedy figure Alan Partridge, dead air is a crime. But how to go about finding sparkling interviewees to bring your pieces to life? In this episode, Mike Innes, an output editor for BBC World Service’s daily news programme, Newshour, talks through how to find the right guests to bring the airwaves alive.
Show Notes
Mike Innes is a Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC World Service. He has been a radio journalist for 15 years, and for the last six he has been an output editor for the BBC World Service’s Newshour. As a field producer, he reported and field produced from the US, South Sudan, China and many other countries.
@mikeinnes76
BBC World Service Newshour 20.11.17 as featured on programme
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172vr1gp9nynhq
Dan Patrick on Newshour 5.1.16
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dnws1
BBC World Service Newshour
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dnws1
Mike Innes and Tim Franks in Florida
https://www.facebook.com/907news/videos/10153745868025876/
Recorded at the Horwood Studio, University of Melbourne
http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/soll/resources/horwood
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1E1: S1: E1 Power of Audio Feb 19, 2018

One word is all it takes to sum up the power of audio. The same word kept popping up in my conversations with some of the best audio journalists in the world. Find out what it is, and how to use it to harness the power of audio in this episode.
Masterclass Episode 1
The Power of Audio; Learning Through Listening
One word is all it takes to sum up the power of audio. The same word kept popping up in my conversations with some of the best audio journalists in the world. Find out what it is, and how to use it to harness the power of audio in this episode.
Show Notes
Host details:
Louisa Lim has been a journalist for more than two decades. She was a foreign correspondent in China for a decade for BBC and NPR. She subsequently wrote a book called The People’s Republic of Amnesia; Tiananmen Revisited, which was named an Economist Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. She co-hosts a podcast on China called The Little Red Podcast with Graeme Smith from the Australian National University. She teaches Audio and Video Journalism at the University of Melbourne.
Production Team:
Buffy Gorrilla is an award-winning audio journalist and a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism programme. Buffy has been a producer at the ABC for Radio National and ABC Radio Melbourne and is currently working with RN’s Blueprint for Living. She is also host and producer of an upcoming podcast for the University of Melbourne called Starting Somewhere.
Ruby Schwartz is a Research Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. She provides research support for books, essays, op-eds and speeches, and co-produces the Vice-Chancellor’s public policy podcast, The Policy Shop. Ruby has co-hosted a weekly intersectional feminist news and current affairs show on 3CR, produces audio stories for FBI Radio’s All The Best and written articles for the Sydney Morning Herald. She was an editorial assistant at The Saturday Paper and wrote a thesis on gendered cyber harassment.
Contact us on Twitter: @limlouisa
Stories
Louisa Lim Protests, Self-Immolations A Sign of A Desperate Tibet
https://www.npr.org/2012/02/21/147170229/protests-self-immolation-signs-of-a-desperate-tibet
Louisa Lim On Tibetan Plateau A Constant Sense of Surveillance (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2012/02/22/147256506/on-tibetan-plateau-a-sense-of-constant-surveillance
Louisa Lim Ancient Mongolian Competition Ties Past to Present (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2009/09/11/112514153/ancient-mongolian-competition-ties-past-to-present
Louisa Lim North Korea Greets its Next Leader (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130469051
Louisa Lim China’s Migrant Wage Battle (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3413895.stm
Louisa Lim Love Songs Capture Ancient Ritual in New China (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7502196
Louisa Lim Belly Dancing for the Dead; A Day With China’s Top Mourner (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2013/06/26/195565696/belly-dancing-for-the-dead-a-day-with-chinas-top-mourner
Robert Smith Countdown Begins As Planet Money’s Satellite Gets Placed On Rocket (NPR)
https://www.npr.org/2018/02/01/582513401/countdown-begins-as-planet-moneys-satellite-gets-placed-on-rocket

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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