Bylines

About Bylines

Bylines is a podcast about the men and women who shape Australia’s news - and what really goes on behind-the-scenes in Australian journalism.

Publisher

Isaac Irons

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Apr 2024

Latest episode

26 Aug 2024

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Aug 2024

   Episode #16: Peter Greste "There is a crisis facing journalism at the moment."

   Peter Greste is former journalist, academic and director of the Alliance for Media Freedom. Peter is best known for the 400 days he spent in an Egyptian prison on made-up terrorism charges along with several of his Al Jazeera colleagues. He was released in 2015 and meant to serve time in Australia, which the Australian government never enforced. And yet Peter is so much more than just this highly covered experience – he was a seasoned foreign correspondent operating mostly from Africa and the Middle East, and an exceptional talent whose career was cut short by his experience in Egypt. As we discuss in our chat, it turns out terrorism charges – even bogus ones - make international travel a little tricky. Peter has since become an academic and a leading advocate for media freedom speaking at international events and pushing for a Media Freedom Act in Australia. As we discuss, Australia does a terrible job in terms of its media freedom, and it’s getting worse. Peter wrote an amazing book on his experience in Egypt and on the global threats to journalism called The First Casualty, and in February this year filming wrapped for a movie based on Peter’s experience called The Correspondent. Our conversation touches on… 📰 Peter’s thoughts on the latest threats on media freedom, notably Julian Assange’s recent guilty plea to espionage offences and the jailing of Australian whistleblower David McBride 🎥 His formative early newsroom experience at GMV6 in Shepparton and the book that inspired him to become a foreign correspondent 🏤 How a drink in a London bar and a cute girl led him to cover stories in war-torn Yugoslavia 🕵♂️ Peter’s view on how everything changed after 9/11 and why the media itself has become a battleground for ideas, often with very real-life consequences 🌍 His love of sub-saharan Africa and losing his esteemed colleague Kate Peyton, who was shot right next to him 🧘♂️ How exercise and Vipassana mediation helped Peter keep his sanity in prison and make peace with himself 🆓 And Peter’s thoughts on the threats to journalism freedom today

2. 

   19 Aug 2024

   Episode #15: Tim Elliott "That's your challenge: to paint a picture of a human being, not someone who does something."

   Tim Elliott is a senior writer with Good Weekend, author and podcast host. Tim is one of Australia’s best feature writers and if you haven’t read his pieces in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Saturday magazine, Good Weekend, you’re really missing out. Tim started his career writing for Sydney surf mags before heading to Bolivia to write for The Bolivian Times in his early twenties. He’s loved writing ever since he was a kid copying out Times New Roman Font in his notebook and after a career as a freelancer and news journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald, Tim now works for Good Weekend, producing feature stories on anything and everything you can imagine. Tim co-produced the 2022 podcast Inside The Tribe with fellow journalist Camille Bianchi on an Australian cult which won best true crime podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards. He’s also a Kennedy Award-winner for his feature writing and can claim one to have written one of the most engaged-with pieces in the Sydney Morning Herald ever – a 2014 piece on his father’s suicide which led to him being inundated with thousands of emails, letters and texts. Our conversation touches on... Why a single feature article can take Tim 6 weeks of research to complete and involve up to 72 interviews How he wrote a recent piece on Katherine Folbigg and the lawyer who helped secure her freedom, Rhanee Rego Tim’s love of words and why reads the work of other writers to get inspired How he ended up writing for The Bolivian Times in South America and patrolling jungles with DEA agents How Tim got a job as a feature writer for Good Weekend magazine and why he chose to write a very personal story on his father’s suicide How he came to write his award-winning podcast Inside the Tribe about an Australian cult The subtle things Tim looks for when he’s interviewing a person for a profile and why he doesn’t like interviewing celebrities or performing arts people And how his childhood experience of family mental illness made him a more sensitive writer today. For a full episode transcript and links to Tim's work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com (http://bylinespodcast.com/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6 (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds)

3. 

   9 Aug 2024

   Episode #14: Michael West “I think the mainstream media’s getting completely misled in really important stories.”

   Michael West is an independent journalist and owner of Michael West Media. Since 2016, Michael has achieved the extraordinary feat of running his own independent Australian media company, Michael West Media. The decision to start his own company and take on the highly concentrated Australia media market dominated by big players came after he was made redundant by then-Fairfax’s Sydney Morning Herald. As we discuss in our interview, running a media organisation is no easy task and Michael puts in incredibly long hours to make the business work. He commission, publishes, and sometimes researches and writes stories himself, all while doing HR, business finances, and fending off regular defamation threats. The business model, which he admits isn’t a huge money-maker, has nevertheless seen him build a growing audience across multiple platforms, a success he puts down to the failure of the mainstream media to engage in hard-hitting investigative journalism untainted by vested interests. Before going on his own Michael had decades of experience as a business journalist at both The Australian Financial Review and The Australian. As a journalist and then editor at The Sydney Morning-Herald Michael made a name for himself exposing multinational tax avoidance by big companies, which led to a senate inquiry and an overhaul of the tax system in Australia which brought in billions of dollars in previously unpaid taxes. Michael explains his lifelong fascination with business journalism has all been to do with exposing the scam – now a regular topic he writes about on his site. Our conversation touches... 💻 How Michael handles running his own small media company doing everything from HR to researching and publishing stories and dealing with defamation threats 🗒 How an accidental cadetship at The Australian Financial Review nurtured his interest in business journalism and exposing ‘scams' ⚖ Why Michael thinks identity politics is a danger for democracy and why the media has failed here. 📰 How Michael’s experience as a stockbroker helped him at The Australian newspaper writing his column, Margin Call, where he wrote often satirical pieces about dodgy business people. 💵 Michael’s expose’s on multinational tax avoiders in Australia which led to a widely covered senate inquiry and massive change. 👨💼 And how the failure of the mainstream media has created opportunities for small independent creators like Michael. For a full episode transcript and links to Michael's work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

4. 

   2 Aug 2024

   Episode #13: Liz Hayes “I just didn't want to put myself out there anymore…I was over it.”

   Liz Hayes is a veteran journalist with 60 Minutes, author, and the host of Under Investigation With Liz Hayes. Liz Hayes is a household name in Australia and an icon of Australian news television. She’s appeared on our TV screens for over forty years making her a true veteran of the industry in a career that has tracked the rise of TV current affairs journalism in Australia. And yet Liz came from humble beginnings: the daughter of a dairy farm, Liz grew up mostly without a television. Liz has stayed true to her calling as a journalist through it all and today produces her own investigative program with 60 Minutes. In 2023 she published her memoir, I’m Liz Hayes, which tells her extraordinary story from farm girl to Australian TV royalty, and the thousands of amazing stories she covered in between, mostly as a journalist for 60 Minutes, where she criss-crossed the globe on the sometimes exhausting hunt for exclusive yarns. Liz has interviewed several prime ministers, reported from a helicopter above a live volcano in Iceland, helped catch Australia’s most wanted paedophile, interviewing dozens of the highest-profile celebrities and musicians, covered crime in Australia and overseas, interviewed warlords in Afghanistan, visit Guantamano Bay and so much more. As I discover in our chat in her beautiful Sydney apartment, Liz has some sage advice to offer as someone who has experienced the pressure of appearing in front of TV cameras for four decades. Our conversation touches upon... 🕵♀️ Liz’s latest endeavor, Under Investigations, and her foray into the world of not just true crime but international unsolved mysteries 📔 Her decision to write a memoir to hopefully inspire others to dream big 🏃♂️ Her childhood growing up on a dairy farm as a potential star runner and the dreaded pre-competition “egg flip” 📰 Her experience court reporting at The Manning River Times in Taree and how that nurtured her interest in journalism 🎤 The steep learning curve becoming a TV journalist in Sydney and how Liz still finds it tough being in front of a camera today 🚁 The time she had to make a narrow helicopter escape while reporting on emerald mining in the Andes 👦 Why she prefers human interest stories to celebrity stories 📺 And why Liz left breakfast TV to join 60 Minutes and escape public attention. For a full episode transcript and links to Liz’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

5. 

   26 Jul 2024

   Episode #12: Charles Miranda “I said ‘Eddie I’ve got a gun to my head’ and he went ‘You too, huh?’”

   Charles Miranda is a senior correspondent for NewsCorp Australia and a non-fiction author. Charles has collected some incredible stories over his career as - to put it in his words - a “death and mayhem correspondent” for NewsCorp Australia. He was one of the first people to stumble upon the cockpit wreckage of MH-17 in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the actions he took that day before Russian rebels rode in and carted away the evidence would play an important role at a war crimes investigation in The Hague and the breaking of international news stories. He spent a year tracking down a USB containing vital video evidence suggesting that the plane had been shot down by a surface to air missile fired by the Russian-backed rebels, killing all 298 passengers on board including 38 Australians. Charles has been in the media for decades working predominantly for NewsCorp Australia including 10 years spent as a Europe and Middle East correspondent covering security, defence, foreign affairs and transnational crime. He is the author of a non-fiction book, Deception: The true story of the international drug plot that brought down Australia's top law enforcer Mark Standen, which we discuss in the episode. Our conversation touches upon... ✈ Charles finding the MH-17 wreckage and breaking the revelations to the world via his news reports, plus his overage of the war 2014 and 2022 🔫 Charles’s experience growing up in Spain under the Francoist regime and his surprise upon arriving in Australia to find out his primary school peers didn’t know how to fire a handgun 🎸 Charles’s early career as a music writer for the Canberra Times following Dire Straits on tour 🏛 How Charles got his first gig covering federal politics by observing the weapons guards were carrying outside parliament house 🗺 His time in East Timor covering conflict there with US marines; why Charles thinks good foreign reporting has to involve boots on the ground rather than writing behind a screen 🛬 Charles’s career post-911 including the time he thought his end was imminent aboard a troop transport plane in Afghanistan 👮♂️ The time Charles nearly went to prison in Wandsworth in the UK for his reporting, and why he can’t talk much about it; 📰 His extraordinary exclusive on Australia’s most corrupt top cop Mark Standen 👤 And the time Charles was briefly held hostage by armed rebels in The Philippines. For a full episode transcript and links to Charles’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

6. 

   19 Jul 2024

   Episode #11: Kerry Lonergan OAM "I'm amazed at the resilience of farmers and graziers throughout Australia.”

   Kerry Lonergan OAM is a former journalist, podcast host, and founding father of ABC’s Landline current affairs program. Kerry is a legend of Australian journalism although you’d never hear that from him. His career started in the 1960s as a freelance writer and he later moved Brisbane with Channel Nine covering state politics, including the colourful and scandal-plagued era of the Joh Bjelke Peterson government. That was before Kerry and his colleagues were sacked for writing negative stories about the so-called “Hillbilly dictator”. After moving to the national broadcaster Kerry successfully started the program that would define his career. Landline, a country program for country people, emphasised positive stories about news in Australians regions and has since become a regular fixture of Australian television, having run now for over three decades. Kerry is semi-retired but he still hosts a weekly podcast about the Australian beef industry, Beef Weekly, still contributing his vast knowledge of the sector even after all these decades. In 2013 he received an Order of Australian Medal for his services to broadcasting and in 2015 was inducted in the Rural Press Club Hall of Fame. Our conversation touches upon Kerry’s upbringing in the NSW Hunter Valley, his early love of radio and current affairs and how he learnt to read the Sydney Morning Herald aged five or six; a memorable interview with legendary comedian Spike Milligan; why Kerry thinks the national broadcaster needs more contrarians with diverse political views; why he wanted Landline to be emphasise positive rural stories; the demise of state and local investigative journalism in Australia; and Kerry’s experience reporting on the Joh Bjelke-Peterson government for Channel Nine in Brisbane before being unceremoniously sacked – along with all his colleagues - by the new owner Alan Bond. For a full episode transcript and links to Kerry's work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

7. 

   12 Jul 2024

   Episode #10: Matt Wordsworth “You need the audience to be barracking for you.”

   Matt Wordsworth is a director at Blue Hill PR and a former ABC news journalist and presenter. Matt is a familiar face to many Queenslanders as the former presenter for the ABC’s 7pm news bulletin, and if you’re a little older than me you’ve also probably seen him hosting various ABC current affairs programs including 7.30, Lateline and Stateline. Matt spent just over two decades at the national broadcaster covering mostly politics in Queensland, New South Wales and Canberra. In 2023, at the height of his career and while still presenting the primetime evening news, Matt shockingly left journalism to run a public relations firm with his wife. Matt says it was the right decision to make and he’s still a passionate advocate for the ABC; his iconic departing words at the end of his final news bulletin were: “Long live public broadcasting.” Our conversation touches upon why Matt left journalism at the height of his career and his experience running a PR firm focused on the ag sector with his wife Stacey; why authenticity is key to public relations success; how studying philosophy while working as the nightly news presenter improved his writing and analysis; how Matt is continuing the Wordsworth family legacy which yes, includes a distant link to the great William Wordsworth; how reporting at The Queensland Times nurtured his love for journalism and his decision to quit an ABC cadetship after 12 months to travel overseas; Matt’s experience covering the end of the Kenneally NSW government and what makes for good political coverage of an election; why he thinks journalism has become too focused on Canberra at the expense of investigative state and local reporting; and his approach to interviewing politicians for ABC’s leading current affairs programs including 7.30, where his guests wouldn’t always appreciate the tough questions he was asking. For a full episode transcript and links to Matt’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

8. 

   5 Jul 2024

   Episode #9: Anne Kruger “It was almost like this adrenaline rush, but also lead at the same time.”

   Anne Kruger is a university academic, news verification expert, journalist, and former CNN news anchor. I met Anne earlier this year at the University of Queensland where she teaches journalism and strategic communications. Anne is an experienced journalist with a storied career at CNN, Bloomberg and ABC News Australia, and she is also a leading expert in news verification tackling the wicked problems of misinformation and disinformation in the media. She was an integral force in establishing Australia’s first disinformation and misinformation code of conduct for digital platforms and still sits on the sub-committee – in her own time – that regulates complaints against big media companies. Misinformation and disinformation are key issues in journalism today and issues which Anne is clearly passionate about in our interview. Anne first came across the seriousness of disinformation while working in Hong Kong, first as a CNN news anchor during the SARS outbreak and later for Bloomberg. In Hong Kong Anne thrived in the high-pressure roles – which included anchoring the CNN World News – and developed an appreciation for the importance of fast and accurate information. Our conversation touches on Anne’s experience on a subcommittee tasked with enforcing a disinformation and misinformation code of conduct on Australia’s digital media giants; her upbringing in Toowoomba and how a degree in classical music shaped her career in journalism; her move to Hong Kong and how she landed a role at CNN; her experience at the Cable News Network during the early-2000s SARS outbreak, where she worked with fellow Australian Stan Grant and learnt the value of fast and accurate reporting; witnessing the extremes of poverty and wealth in the city and the challenge of Westerners doing journalism there today; and the high pressure job of a anchoring the world news for CNN and what happens when things go wrong. For a full episode transcript and links to Anne’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

9. 

   6 Jun 2024

   Episode #8: Paula Doneman “I’ll never forget his eyes…I just thought this is probably the last thing that poor little girl saw.”

   Paula Doneman is an experienced crime and investigative journalist, author, and true crime podcaster. Paula’s been in the news industry for over three decades now reporting mostly on crime in Queensland, which makes her one of the state’s most experienced and still-active journalists. She made a name for herself while still a student at the University of Queensland, breaking major stories on the state’s prison drug trade and deaths in custody which led to a Commission of Inquiry, a huge achievement for anyone, let alone a university student. Since then, Paula’s covered high-profile murders, written a book – Things A Killer Would Know - on serial killer Leonard Fraser, and produced several true crime podcasts including Little Girl Lost about the unsolved murder of Leanne Holland and Pendulum, about the unsolved murder of Margaret Kirstenfeldt. Paula’s career has covered print and broadcast journalism and she's won a Walkley award for her reporting on an Australian Defence Force sex ring. Our conversation touches on Paula’s experience at UQ’s Weekend Independent newspaper under the tutelage of journalism veterans Bob Bottom and Evan Whitton, and where her exclusive yarns on the prison drug trade led to a commission of inquiry, Paula being stalked on campus, and blowback from government ministers; her latchkey childhood in Brisbane in a big family with a police officer father and a psychologist mother; her frosty newsroom reception at The Courier-Mail after the paper headhunted her following her success while at university; her involvement in the investigative team at the paper with the likes of Michael Ware and Paul Whittaker; the time she worked at The New York Post and had to track down Jerry Seinfeld; the dangers of being an investigative crime reporter; her investigation into serial killer Leonard John Fraser and the incredibly unusual story of missing woman Natasha Ryan; what motivates Paula to do the hard-hitting, dangerous and often intense investigative reporting that she does; and her advice to young journalists today. Paula's full of cracking tales about her time in journalism which we couldn't possible cover in a single hour. If you're interested in learning more she featured on a great episode of ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler, which you can find here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-paula-doneman/8491366 (https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-paula-doneman/8491366) For a full episode transcript and links to Paula’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

10. 

    24 May 2024

    Episode #7: Chris Allen “We're approaching these people and poking the bear to a degree.”

    Chris Allen is a journalist and veteran TV reporter for A Current Affair. If you’ve watched Australian television over the last thirty years you’ve probably seen or heard Chris on A Current Affair, also known as ACA, chasing down dodgy scammers, confronting neighbours from hell, or even exposing a grandma selling drugs from her front porch in her dressing gown and slippers. Chris is one of the great Australian TV journos and he’s still in the game with plans to return to ACA this year to do some more reporting. He’s been a journalist since the late 70s which makes him a veteran of the industry although you’d think he’s ten years younger if you saw him on TV. Our conversation touches on his coverage of the murder of Alison Baden-Clay just a few houses down from where he lived at the time; his early ambition to become a journalist or an actor; his experience of drama school in the same cohort as Judy Davis and Mel Gibson and his subsequent cadetship at The Courier-Mail; how his love of drama and journalism combined to see him thrive as a reporter on A Current Affair; being thrown in the deep end of TV reporting and how he succeeded in the tough industry; how he manages talking to the loved ones of victims after a tragedy in what the industry calls death knocks; the life of a TV journo working for ACA and the bizarre stories he’s covered including his iconic story on a drug granny and the time someone threated to bite his face off; why he understands why some people criticise A Current Affair for their coverage of neighbourhood disputes; the keys to good TV writing; and why journalism’s been a great career for him so far. For a full episode transcript and links to Chris’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

11. 

    17 May 2024

    Episode #6: Michael McKenna “Tell it like it is, and if you do that you can sleep at night.”

    Michael McKenna is the Queensland editor for The Australian newspaper. Michael is a well-known character in Australian journalism for his large personality and his abilities as a journalist and editor. He’s had a long career covering everything from courts and celebrities in England and America to federal and state politics in Australia. As Queensland editor for The Australian he’s responsible for the newspaper’s coverage of state politics, an important role and one which involves Michael working from morning to night. Michael says he loves it and in my mind he’s the classic image of a journalist, walking around with a notepad tucked into his pants, using sometimes colourful language and breaking exclusive yarns before anyone else. Michael and his team’s coverage of the Wieambilla police shootings in 2022 stand out in my mind as a clear recent example of his editorial ability in the face of an unfolding situation. Our conversation touches on the shenanigans Michael got up to as a young cadet writing a newspaper’s TV guide; why he gives his reporters ‘concept’ days to think about their beat; how be broke a story on Labor-aligned lobbyists with close ties to the Queensland state government; Michael’s time as a 21-year-old reporter working under Piers Morgan in London where he covered the Birmingham Six and scored exclusive interviews with Freddie Mercury’s parents and a recently deposed former prime minister Margaret Thatcher; Michael’s first big investigative piece on federal labor minister John Brown and a million dollar Gold Coast apartment; his time as an American correspondent based in LA writing about movie stars; the time he had to use cleverness and ingenuity to break an international story on Guantanamo Bay; why he’ll always call the people involved after breaking a scandal in the news and keep a conversation with them going; and how he plans on covering the upcoming Queensland state election. Michael's The Australian profile: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/michael-mckenna (https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/michael-mckenna) For a full episode transcript and links to Michael’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

12. 

    10 May 2024

    Episode #5: Richard Murray “I think one of the biggest issues we have in society today is that no one listens to each other."

    Richard Murray is a former journalist and war correspondent, and the current head of journalism at the University of Queensland. Richard has a fascinating story to tell and has lived a massive life, much of it spent as a journalist overseas working in places that typically don’t get much of our attention. He’s worked in India, Nepal, North and South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia, covered international politics, a civil war, and helped set up the Associated Press bureau in Pyonyang, North Korea. Richard’s a lecturer at the University of Queensland where I study journalism and has been a great mentor to me the last few years. There’s a stereotype in the industry that journalism lecturers are just academics who talk about journalism theory but have little to offer in practical experience. Richard breaks this stereotype; he’s a highly experienced journalist with a practical approach to teaching and I know a lot of students appreciate his classes. Our conversation touches on Richard’s approach to teaching student’s journalism; his experience growing up on Māori tribal lands in New Zealand before being scouted for an elite rugby college; his experience working part-time for The Age in Melbourne while working as a dockhand at the port; meeting some of the most talented journalists he’s come across while working in India and travelling the country; his experience covering a civil war in Nepal what it’s like being shot at; his mental health journey as he comes to process the experiences he’s been through; the time he was thrown in prison in South Korea for a story he published; why he teaches his students social justice storytelling; why he worries about the future of Australian journalism; and how his upbringing informed his approach to journalism and his sense of belonging in the elite of academia today. For a full episode transcript and links to Richard's work visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

13. 

    3 May 2024

    Episode #4: Andrew McMillen “Magazine writing is a weird job.”

    Andrew McMillen is the national music writer for The Australian newspaper and the author of Talking Smack: Honest Conversations about Drugs. Andrew has been a particular inspiration for me over the last few years. I met him while attending Christmas drinks for The Australian’s Brisbane bureau in 2021, back when I worked as an intern on another podcast, Shandee’s Story. I remember being very, very nervous that night meeting some of my journalistic heroes, which include Andrew. His podcast from 2017, Penmanship, about Australian writing culture, featured several interviews with journalists which I found particularly inspiring for this podcast. I reached out to Andrew in February seeking his advice on producing Bylines and I asked him if he’d be willing to be interviewed. He said yes, and we met in March in an unused office on the bottom level of News Corps Bowen Hills base in Brisbane. A note on the office: the once busy bottom level is now completely deserted and contains rows on rows of empty desks. It’s a relevant image of the state of Australian journalism today and its changing business models. Fortunately, my chat with Andrew was far more positive. Andrew writes news and features stories on the Australian music industry, including longform pieces for The Weekend Australian magazine. Our conversation touches on Andrew’s massive feature on former federal politician and Midnight Oil Frontman Peter Garret; the ‘weird’ experience of feature writing for a living; why he understands why some musicians don’t like talking about their songs; Andrew’s writing processes and the lessons he’s learned about writing; his early love of stories and music; how Andrew got his start in journalism by writing reviews on local concerts in exchange for free tickets; his years as a freelancer and what it takes to thrive in that field; and why Andrew still finds his job endlessly fascinating today. Andrew's website: ⁠http://andrewmcmillen.com (http://andrewmcmillen.com/) Andrew's podcast, Penmanship: https://penmanshippodcast.com (https://penmanshippodcast.com) Andrew's profile: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/andrew-mcmillen (https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/andrew-mcmillen) For a full episode transcript and links to Andrew’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

14. 

    26 Apr 2024

    Episode #3: Caroline Graham “We were listening to an audio book about how to make a podcast as we drove down…and it was not helpful.”

    Caroline Graham is a university lecturer, Walkley-award winning investigative journalist, author, and true-crime podcaster. Caroline taught me journalism at the University of Queensland a few years back; she teaches subjects in investigative, data, and broadcast journalism. Caroline, or ‘Caro’ as her students affectionately call her, is a popular lecturer for good reason: her courses are practical and full of nuggets of journalistic wisdom, and her bubbly approach gives students a great starting point for their careers. Her 2018 podcast, Lost in Larrimah, which she co-produced with longtime journalist friend Kylie Stevenson, explored the disappearance of Northern Territory man Paddy Moriarty from the town of Larrimah, population 11. Graham produced an ABC Landline documentary in 2022 called Outback Musical, which we discuss in the episode, along with an investigative series with Stevenson in 2023 for The Australian newspaper about the crisis in Northern Territory education, particularly in remote Aboriginal communities. Our conversation touches on Caroline’s enviable job as a university lecturer with time to conduct longform investigative journalism; her approach to teaching students journalism; her early love of writing and stories and growing up among the cane fields of central Queensland; her first gig writing at The Daily Mercury in Mackay; her work as a freelancer; why she loves human interest journalism; how journalism has shaped her own fiction writing; how she became involved in investigating the disappearance of a man in a tiny town in the middle of Australia; why she’s drawn to remote and strange places like the Northern Territory; why true crime podcasts must get the ethics right; why she thinks writing is a beautiful way to spend a life; and the experience of co-producing a true crime podcast in six-week deadline with no prior experience. For a full episode transcript and links to Caroline’s work visit our website: ⁠⁠http://bylinespodcast.com⁠ (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: ⁠isaacirons14@gmail.com⁠ (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6⁠ (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

15. 

    19 Apr 2024

    Episode #2: Kate Kyriacou “I think people need to know…what other people are capable of.”

    Kate Kyriacou is the crime and courts editor for The Courier-Mail and the author of The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe’s Killer. I met Kate last year at a journalism bootcamp hosted for first-year journalism students at the University of Queensland. I was familiar with her work before then - her book on the police covert operation that caught Daniel Morcombe’s killer, The Sting, is a masterclass in investigative journalism. Crime is her bread and butter; her most recent investigation examines cults in Queensland and New South Wales explores the fine line between lifestyle choice and group coercive control. Our conversation touches on her investigation into these cults and their members; why journalists shouldn’t talk about their sources; what a day as a crime and courts editor for a metro newspaper involves; her love of English and writing; her experience as a crime reporter in Mildura doing death knocks; why she thinks good crime reporting is important; the story that still affects her to this day; how she manages her emotions reporting on such horrific events; the police operation that caught Daniel’s Morcombe’s killer; how she ‘de-stresses’ through competitive surf boating; and why she still stays in the crime beat two decades after starting journalism. For a full episode transcript and links to Kate’s work visit our website: ⁠http://bylinespodcast.com (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Tips or improvements? Email me: isaacirons14@gmail.com (mailto:isaacirons14@gmail.com) Follow my Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: ⁠http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6 (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox)

16. 

    11 Apr 2024

    Episode #1: Alison Sandy “I remember the mayor ringing me up once and saying that you’ve bitten the hand that feeds you…I quoted him.”

    Alison Sandy is the Freedom of Information editor for the Seven Network and the executive producer for The Lady Vanishes and Shot in the Dark true crime podcasts. I first heard of Alison when she spoke via Zoom at the University of Queensland in 2021 as part of a Walkley Masterclass series on journalism. Her presentation was about Freedom of Information, the laws that enable citizens and journalists to request access to public information which public institutions are legally required to provide. Alison is an expert in the subject – as FOI editor for Seven, she lodges hundreds of applications a year across Australia, navigating the complexities of the different state and federal legislation, and sometimes going to tribunal hearings to fight for access to information. Alison is also heavily involved in true crime podcasting, which led me to reach out to her in April. I’ve helped write and produce a true crime podcast myself, Shandee’s Story, and I was keen to speak with her about the power in these podcasts to create renewed interest in unsolved cases. As Alison tells me in the interview: “I love the podcast format … I don’t think you can a story justice in any other medium as well.” Our conversation touches on Alison’s national role as FOI editor for Seven; her love of history; the power of true-crime podcasting; why the inquest won’t be the end of Marion Barter’s case; who police should investigate further in relation to Marion’s disappearance; the time Alison found herself recording a sensational speech by an unsuspecting former liberal senator Amanda Vanstone which went on to make front-page news; the time police raided her newsroom for confidential information she had received; and Alison’s experience working as a young journalist in the Victorian town of Portland where her eagerness and commitment to journalism rubbed some people the wrong way. The inquest findings into Marion Barter's disappearance were released a week after my conversation with Alison. Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan found that Marion Barter was dead, that she had died soon after she vanished nearly three decades ago, and that Ric Blum was involved in draining her bank account at the time and was deliberating withholding information. She referred the case to NSW homicide police for further investigation but did not recommend charges of perjury against Blum. The book version of The Lady Vanishes will be released later this year (a current May release date) by HarperCollins. For a full episode transcript and links to Alison’s work visit our website: ⁠https://bylinespodcast.com (http://bylinespodcast.com/) Sound production by Jonathan Koster: https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds (https://www.instagram.com/djjonnysounds/Inbox) Tips or improvements? Email me: isaacirons14@gmail.com Follow my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/bylines_podcast/) Subscribe to the weekly podcast newsletter for a behind-the-scenes post about each episode: http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6 (http://eepurl.com/iLgLy6)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings