My entire career as a journalist has involved close-but-no-cigar moments with the ABC, starting right back in 2001, when I was third choice in their yearly internship intake (they only took the first two). Ive applied for jobs in their online section (third again for two positions) and on-air as a journo/newsreader (including a heartbreaking attempt in early 2012 when I told I was one of two potential choices for breakfast newsreader, but then the person making the call was moved on, and the position retracted completely for budgetary reasons). The one time in my life I actually *worked* for the ABC was in early 2007, for less than a fortnight. I had returned from 6 months O/S and had picked up some casual work. Unfortunately less than a month before I began the whole place had been up and moved out of Toowong due to the breast cancer cluster. At the time I felt totally out of place, and felt bad for even being paid, because I completed my assigned tasks quickly and spent a lot of time looking for things to do but trying not to nag people. In hindsight, I can see how stressed everyone was as they attempted to keep the news going despite a crazy makeshift situation. But at the time I just felt like I was intruding, so when 4BC offered 6 weeks of casual work I fled back to a place I knew well. In the end I somehow wound up with my wonderful job at Brisbane Times. The only work Ill likely ever do for Aunty is the occasional talking head appearance (unpaid of course). My point with all this rambling is that I dont think I wouldve tried so often with the freaking ABC if it hadnt represented some sort of ideal, a standard, that most journalists aspire to. I have more reasons than most to be really pissed off at Aunty - and yet its still the TV news I watch most, and pretty much the only local radio station I listen to. Unlike my crass, hastily-cobbled-together style, the ABC staff I know are the sort of upright nerds who love things like storytelling and accuracy and fairness and research and shit. Now a bunch of them are going to get the sack, and that really sucks. Cause while its pretty devastating to almost have a job at the ABC then told its been cut, it probably cant compare to what its like to actually have a job at the ABC then be told itll be all over by Christmas.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 02:01:22 +0000
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