Journalist Spotlight: Interview with Euan Kennedy, General Reporter at the Herald Sun

Medianet sits down with recent cadet graduate, now General Reporter, Euan Kennedy at the Herald Sun. He reflects on completing his year-long cadetship across multiple Victorian newsrooms. He discusses the challenges of adapting to different masthead audiences and formats, shares key tips for pitching stories, and offers advice to the next cohort of media cadets. 

Congratulations on finishing your cadetship! Can you describe what you gained most from your cadetship in the past year?
I gained a lot about source and story gathering in addition to honing my news sense and copy writing by working alongside senior journalists in all the different newsrooms across Victoria.  

What have you learned from being placed in different newsrooms, such as The Australian compared to the Geelong Advertiser?
It was a real challenge to quickly find my feet while jumping between newsrooms during the two month rotations, but I feel my writing style remained consistent throughout. The differences involved understanding the audience and agendas of the different mastheads, as well as adapting to the word count constraints of a print tabloid versus a broadsheet.  

What time of the day do you most like to be pitched at? And which day is your busiest?
Busiest day depends on what's happening in the news, or if I have many stories I am working on simultaneously. I think morning is the right time to pitch; it gives me time to take your idea to the newsdesk before things become more hectic later in the day.  

What are you looking forward to most now that you're a General Reporter at the Herald Sun
I'm looking forward to continuing to build contacts and seek out interesting stories. As a general reporter I am not limited to one particular round or subject, allowing me to take advantage of this versatility and tell a wide range of stories. I'm also looking forward to building my video and multimedia skills further.  

Finally, do you have anything you would like to add? What advice would you give to the next round of cadetships?
To the next round of cadets: say yes to every opportunity, and savour the unique experience of getting to do so many different jobs in the one year.