Interview with Natalie MacDonald, Senior News Editor at LinkedIn

Senior News Editor Natalie MacDonald is responsible for curating and developing original content for LinkedIn News, including small business LinkedIn Live show #TogetherInBusiness and LinkedIn’s Women At Work series for International Women’s Day. Previously, Natalie was a Reporter with Sky News Business covering Wall Street moves and Australian business news. Prior to moving to Sydney, Natalie spent three years in Eastern Europe and Switzerland as a Business Reporter. You can Tweet her at @NatalieMacBiz.

When did you first decide you wanted to be a journalist?

I was 15 and declared that I wanted to be a war correspondent, and report on the plight of the women and children in Afghanistan. Being a business journalist and now covering small business and professional issues at LinkedIn may not seem like quite the same thing (!) but my love of media has always firmly laid in using storytelling as a means of community service, education and advocacy.

What does a typical day in the LinkedIn newsroom look like for you? 

Like many, the LinkedIn News team is currently working remotely. We start each day with a video call to run through the day’s agenda. Alongside our daily news coverage, we’re always working on various projects — whether it’s a list, like the recently launched Top Startups 2020, a newsletter for jobseekers such as Cayla Dengate’s Get Hired Australia or another edition of small business LinkedIn Live show #TogetherInBusiness — so no two days look the same! We work very collaboratively with our global counterparts across 15 countries, so it’s not unusual to have a regional video call added to the mix too.

What sort of content does your audience most engage with at the LinkedIn newsroom?

The LinkedIn News mandate is to offer the news and views professionals need to talk about the things that matter right now. That can range from hiring and industry news through to the future of work, skills and even issues like the gender pay gap. As the coronavirus pandemic continues and our work and home lives collide, it’s been interesting to see rising interest in remote work issues.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?  

It’s hard to look past this year. From drought and bushfires to the coronavirus pandemic, the challenges faced by professionals, and particularly small businesses, have been endless. As the daughter of a small business owner, I’ve been so proud of the work we’ve done to support this community — launching LinkedIn Live show #TogetherInBusiness, alongside sharing resources for SMEs in my newsletter Food For Thought, which surpassed 100,000 subscribers this year. Beyond that, showcasing inspiring women through our Women At Work series for International Women’s Day is always an empowering experience. I loved the buzz of anchoring mornings on Sky News Business, even if the 3am alarm was a bit painful! And being able to travel around Europe as a business reporter is an experience any young journalist would love.

How do press releases factor into your work?  

We encourage companies and agencies to send us press releases — you never know what projects and coverage we may be working on. Releases more likely to pique our interest are those relating to the workforce, jobs, skills and industry. For news coverage, it’s even more helpful if a story/update has an accompanying post on LinkedIn that we can utilise in our coverage.