‘All you need to do is make your way towards the journalist as quickly as possible’. There was no need to worry. It was only one of the single most important press conferences in the giant showdown that was APEC, and I was the microphone girl.
I spent much of last week swanning around the International Media Centre at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The process to become an APEC volunteer began way back in April. I remember fanning myself with a piece of paper in the dying summer heat as I listened to a member of the taskforce talk about the ‘Olympics of International Relations’ that was to be APEC.
‘Now’, she warned, ‘you may not have heard too much about this before but over the course of the year it will grow in momentum’.
And that it did.
A few interviews, police checks and training sessions later, about 500 university students from all across Sydney were primed for action.
Issued with uniforms, a high fashion APEC bum bag, hat and dry’z’bone we were ready to be ‘the smiling face of APEC’.
Whatever you think about OPEC, ah, I mean APEC, one particular guest or the havoc that it caused on Sydney streets, it was a moment of limelight for Australia on the global stage.
Apart from gawking at journalists I admire, waiting for them to do something super human as they stirred their tea, I had front seat tickets for one of the biggest media events Australia has ever seen.
The centre had a pulse which beat steadily throughout the day. Hurried fingers darted over keyboards and radio journalists did live feeds from the open-planned work areas. The likes of Laurie Oaks scuffled to get prime position in a door-stop press conference with Alexander Downer. I stood on the edge of the fray feeling very much a part of the media pack. Fired with a mix of interrogation and humour, the questions kept rolling until Downer’s security bundled him out again.
At one stage I stopped and stared at what I thought was a television journalist practicing her lines. Moments later I realised she was directing her gaze to a camera man in the rafters. I was like an eclipse over the moon, blocking the shot, which I’m hoping wasn’t a live cross, in the most thorough way.
Permeating the rabbit-proof fence I was able to attend the bilateral exchanges with Chile and Hong Kong. The city lock-down was surreal. At one stage all the photojournalists with whom I was travelling to the PM’s office tumbled out of the bus to grab that perfect shot - the Chilean president was rolling past and CBD workers, crammed to the edges of every corner, were stopped in their tracks.
For a communications student like me it was a rare chance to get a look into the workings of an unparalleled giant, well-oiled media machine.
As I walked through the centre, dropping media releases into the likes of Al Jazeera’s, ABC International’s, Fairfax’s, Reuter’s pigeon holes, I felt right on the edge of a very exciting world.
Howard’s final press conference. He was early. The room was abuzz. I held the microphone firmly. The first hand shot up and I made a bee line. Howard squirmed at an uncomfortable question about China. One day, hopefully, the question will be mine.
Comments
Hey Gemma,
This is kind of unrelated but I'm hoping you can help me. I'm a Year 12 student and surprise surprise, I'm uncertain about my future. See for the past whole of my life I've told myself that I want to be an actor but if not I'll do journalism. However in the past couple of weeks I've realised in fact I'm not so sure about the journalism thing. At uni I really just want to do a major in English and Politics. But the way everyone bags out arts students is kind of off putting. Should I major in Media as well so my degree doesn't seem like a complete waste of time? Is it a worthwhile course? Or would it be better to just do a postgrad so I can get myself a 'real job' after an arts degree. As you might have guessed- I have no idea! And I'd really like it if you could give me even a little bit of insight. Thank you so much!
~*Manda
Posted by: Manda | October 3, 2007 07:53 PM
Hi Manda,
Don’t worry, it’s not unusual to feel a little unsure about the future, especially when it’s something as important as choosing the right degree.
Firstly, an Arts degree should never be underrated. Not many other degrees at uni allow students the same freedom and ability to tailor to individual interests. Like a Bachelor of Science, Arts is a broad based degree enabling students to pursue majors from a large range of subject areas.
While a Bachelor of Arts differs from specialised degrees like Law and Veterinary science, individual majors like English and Government enable students to explore more specific career paths.
Some Arts students also take on an Honours year which involves producing a fourth year thesis. Exploring a major in particular depth like this can also contribute to employability and enhanced career options.
A lot of people do go on to post-gad study but I think that is something you can assess at the end of an undergrad degree.
More than anything, a Bachelor of Arts is invaluable in developing independent thought, communication skills and opening students up to the world.
If you are interested in Journalism I would also highly recommend looking into the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) degree. In four years it fuses Arts subjects and majors with a range of theoretical and practical media subjects. I have tried my hand at print, radio, online and television journalism as well as considering media globalisation, law and ethics.
It is important to know that you can only major in Media and Communications if you are enrolled in this specific degree.
I also think it is incredibly important to foster your passions so if you came to uni you should be aware that there is a great drama community with clubs like the Sydney Uni Drama Society (SUDS) and opportunities to take part in regular performances.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with. Thanks,
Gemma
Posted by: Gemma | October 7, 2007 11:34 PM
Hey Gemma,
Thank you so much for replying! I hope you don't mind but I do have a few more questions: with the Media and Communications degree it says in the uac guide you can only do one other major. Is that true? Because there are lots of interesting languages and subjects offered but I don't know which I'd like to major in yet. Can you...I don't know...try before you buy?
Also when asking around about it- the Sydney course gets bagged out in compared to say UTS because it goes for four years and offers little to no practical experience, with the most common horror story being that Sydney media students don't even write an actual story until their final year. Is that true? Are you happy with your course? Are there any perks?
Haha sorry, many weird questions.
~*Manda
Posted by: Manda | October 10, 2007 08:19 PM
Hi again Manda,
The great thing about the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) at Sydney is that you are able to combine humanities and social science subjects with theoretical and vocational training in media and communications.
To earn a ‘major’ in a subject area you need to complete 36 senior credit points (each subject is worth 6). I recommend going to the media and communications home page. They have a break down of the entire degree and can shed some more detailed light on all these ‘uni terms.’
In answer to your question, yes you can do more than one other major in this degree. I have chosen to major in only one other subject, Anthropology, but I have plenty of friends who are doing two majors. For example, one is doing Art History and Government and another French and Sociology on top of media and communications. It all depends on how each individual chooses to spend the 192 credit points up for grabs throughout your degree.
In your first year it is not unusual to try your hand at Arts subjects you won’t major in. For example, I have also enjoyed taking Art History, History, Government and English.
As for the UTS, Sydney debate, I can’t speak on behalf of UTS but I can tell you that I love my degree. With both practical and theoretical media and communications subjects tied into humanities and social sciences, I’ve enjoyed a really broad and enriching education.
The Sydney degree allows you to try your hand at print, radio, online media, television and media relations. Contrary to the horror stories, one of the first media subjects you’ll do is ‘Principles of Media Writing.’ After giving everything a go, I now have a clear idea of where my strengths are. I’m also about to embark on my fourth year internship which will give me the opportunity to gain experience using my skills in a professional environment.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions,
Gemma
Posted by: Gemma | October 14, 2007 08:51 PM