Okay, I know – it’s been a while. What can I say, rather than contributing to my own blog I’ve been spending the past four weeks completely immersed in the creations of seven other incredible bloggers: the Express Media Electioneerers.
I’ve mostly been on the sidelines, attending to all the nitty gritty details (resizing images, responding to questions, proofreading, etc) whilst these seven immensely talented bloggers go to town covering the lead up to the federal election that was and in its wake as our nation struggles to decide who it wants to be in charge. It’s been an incredible rewarding role and I’m not sure how I’m going to cope without the constant stream of emails from my new friends, continually filled with exciting policy debates and wisely constructed opinion pieces.
What I’ve loved most about working with these guys and girls is just how they went from students to bloggers to skilled political journalists in their own right, ‘penning’ articles catering to a previously attention deprived and politically disinterested youth. A community was developed and lessons learned along the way.
Electioneerers, I applaud you.
Here’s just a taste of the sharp, witty and incredible poignant work that was created for Electioneering. After you’re done with this excerpt from Zach Kitschke, head on over to Electioneering to see just how capable young journalists are.
Blogger v. journalist: my election night escapades
My first press pack experience it was! And I learnt you have to be quick. With my SLR and Zoom audio recorder in tow, I was just a tad too late on the scene. While I made it over just before he started to speak, I actually couldn’t see or hear Australia’s most popular Greenie. Clambering on a chair, then onto a table, I managed to spot Brown in the centre of it all. As I stepped back to ground floor my phone started to buzz. Although I could now see the back of Brown’s head, I had unwittingly become the photo bomber in Bob Brown’s ‘Greenslide’ speech. My pocket buzzed as the messages came through – “move left!” and “get a bloody hair cut”. Feeling a little out of place I pretended to be doing something. A few photos there, a nod here…you get the picture. Bob Brown left after a while and the flash crowd again subsided.
By this stage it was becoming increasingly apparent the government had ‘hung’ itself (Hmm, I know). Joel and I put a few pieces up online as we heard from our bloggers in Melbourne in Sydney. They were also reporting a lack of anything much at their end. “Not much to see; big room with a TV” informed Fraser at the Melbourne Gillard event. “Hmm yes I’m here, but it’s a large amount of nothing”, messaged Sophie from Abbott’s do.
Within the first few hours of trying desperately to navigate the back streets of Tokyo, when armed with sensible shoes, European features and a digital camera, it becomes strikingly clear that it’s impossible to ignore that painfully embarrassing label we all desperately try to avoid when abroad: the tourist.
