---
title: "Interview with Kelly Baker – Acting Editor and Arts & Lifestyle Editor of NewsLocal’s Prestige titles: Wentworth Courier, North Shore Times & Mosman Daily"
description: Kelly Baker, acting editor of the Wentworth Courier, Mosman Daily and North Shore Times, is a journalist, editor and speaker….
---

[Media Research Information and Insights ](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog)

# [Interview with Kelly Baker – Acting Editor and Arts & Lifestyle Editor of NewsLocal’s Prestige titles: Wentworth Courier, North Shore Times & Mosman Daily](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/kelly-baker)

 Written by [Admin](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/author/admin) | Jun 18, 2020 9:21:42 AM

Kelly Baker, acting editor of the Wentworth Courier, Mosman Daily and North Shore Times, is a journalist, editor and speaker. She is a regular television commentator and has appeared on The Project, Channel Nine’s Today Show, Today Extra and A Current Affair, amongst others, and co-hosted the podcast Honey Mums. Kelly has a Masters in Professional Writing from UTS, and is currently writing a book about single mothers and female friendship. She tweets [@kellybakermedia.](https://twitter.com/kellybakermedia)

**From newspapers and magazines to podcasts and TV, what has been your favourite industry to work in?**  
There are aspects of each that I love. But, even though I have worked in magazines for a longer time than any other area of media, I started out in newspapers and always find myself returning to them. Print is in my soul and newspapers especially. I like the rough and tumble pace and I enjoy newspaper people. There’s something raw and honest and direct about newspapers that I’m genuinely attached to. Having said that I do love all forms of media.

 

** As the arts and lifestyle editor of NewsLocal’s Prestige titles, describe how your typical day looks.**

It’s a cliche but there’s no typical day – especially now with COVID-19 in full force. Our titles have gone into temporary suspension and we’re currently focusing our work online. That changes everything of course as a digital read is quite different to a print read and the same goes for design and so on. Also we’re all working from home and communicating via video calls mainly so that’s different too and I am far more involved in the social media strategy of the three titles than I am when in the office. I’m actually loving that. It satisfies my magazine cravings in a strange way as it can cross over somewhat. Also, I am currently working as acting editor so that’s a change too.

 

 **How do you go about finding ideas and information for stories?**

I get up early each day and scour all of the titles that relate to the areas we cover first and foremost. But I tend to read very widely at all times also. That’s always inspiring ideas or thoughts or concepts that I think will work for our readership. On top of that I work with a team of incredibly talented people who are always on the hunt for a good story so that changes everything. And, our readers come to us too which I love. There are so many ordinary folk doing extraordinary things and as a trio of community publications we love to hear about local stories, events and happenings. Then of course there’s the hard-working people working in communications and PR who contact us with ideas 24-7.

 

** How has the nation’s coronavirus pandemic affected your day-to-day job?**

Oops. I think I answered that by accident above! But to elaborate I am doing most of my interviewing via the phone these days. Our photographers are still out working but they’re ultra cautious at all times – gloves, masks and of course 1.5m or more away.

Our hours seem to have changed too. It seems like we’re working every day – at least a little … I guess that’s what happens when you work from home.

 

** Walk us through your process on how you sort through your press releases, from what’s usable and what’s not.**

Hmm… there’s news sense first and foremost. I know instantly if an idea or concept will work for us, be it as it is or with some tweaking. I am not a big fan of press releases that contain a raft of quotes from a professional person who has been hired by a company to be their spokesperson. Often the information isn’t really there – it’s just a bunch of different ways to use that particular product. Having said that – I look at them. Sometimes there’s something in there that will work within another story. I do wish they’d just come as Word documents and not PDFs with embedded images and links and the rest… I have to take all of those out. Also, a good hook is a good hook. It doesn’t need to look like a school project to get anyone’s attention.

[View full post](https://www.medianet.com.au/blog/kelly-baker)

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