News - Reporter/Presenter

USYD Update is news, life, culture, and comedy, by and for students, with new videos online every week during the semester.

We're the first and largest student video outlet in Australia, with over 200,000 views and an average reach of 10,000-20,000 students per week.

We're also proudly independent, with no editorial control from the university or political groups on campus.

If you're interested in telling substantive and engaging stories for a wide student audience, we'd love you to join USYD Update in 2017.

Our News team is looking for reporters who are well-informed about the world around them, want to tell important stories that haven't been heard by our audience, and are excited about coming up with new ways to talk to students.

We've covered stories from discrimination against minority groups on campus, to the university's degree overhaul, to why students cheat in exams. We've also explained topics like the NSW lockout laws and the same-sex marriage plebiscite, and interviewed key newsmakers like Anthony Albanese.

Going into our fifth season, our focus will be on developing stronger original investigative stories and always being fearless of the truth.

Why you should join Update

If you're part of the show, you'll:

– Create something new and exciting: We've already got the equipment and resources you need. We're also an all-student group that wants to try new things, so whatever your weird/crazy ideas are for creating amazing stuff and reaching a broad student audience, you'll get to do it here.
– Build skills and experience: You'll gain useful experience throughout your time with the show. You're also credited for everything that you make and all your work will help build a strong portfolio.
– Get exposure and stand out: students in our team have found great jobs in the media, law, and elsewhere, thanks to their work in Update (e.g. reporting for The Daily Telegraph, social media at Channel Nine, legal at 21st Century Fox, writer at Huffington Post, internships at the European Australian Business Council, and more).

Put it this way: there's (really) never been a more exciting time to be part of student media.

Commitment

We know you're studying and you probably have a job, so we've designed our team structure & production cycle to account for this. Most roles only require one regular meeting in our office on campus per week. We use Slack to discuss and organise most other tasks.

As a reporter/presenter on the News team, you'll need to come prepared with thorough pitches for stories at a weekly one hour pitch meeting.

If your story is approved (most reporters present 1-3 pieces per semester), you will also be required to:
– Work with your Segment Producer to write and develop the piece,
– Provide creative input and book times with your assigned camera crew,
– Provide creative input and organise meetings with your assigned video editor,
– Provide ideas to Marketing who will promote your piece on social media, and
– Get these tasks done within the production deadlines (~2 weeks from pitch to release).

It is important to recognise that Update is a commitment (i.e. all of Semester 2, 2017). With many members already a part of the team, we will be rehold a recruitment period before Semester 1, 2018 and we would encourage you to re-apply if you want to stay.  

Requirements

– You must be a currently enrolled student at The University of Sydney.
– You do not need an ACCESS card or any other student membership.
– You do not need any formal media experience or training, but those with experience are encouraged to mention this in the application form.

Questions?

If you have any questions, write to us on Facebook or Twitter, or send us an email at [email protected].

Applications close June 9th @ 5pm.