03 | ALUMNI
BEHIND THE NEWS Interviewing politicians and celebrities is all in a day’s work for SBS World News Australia newsreader, and University of Newcastle graduate Janice Petersen, Bachelor of Arts (Communications) 1999. But Janice says it is stories such as that of Malalai Joya, the ‘bravest woman in Afghanistan’ that truly resonate and inspire.
Janice interviewed Malalai – Afghanistan’s youngest MP – when she was on a recent trip to Australia. Malalai has dedicated her life to improving the lives of Afghans and eradicating the warlords and drug industry which is crippling her country. “Interviewing her was a reality check. Here was a woman of about the same vintage as me who was on a mission. She’s been attacked, ostracised, expelled and reinstated into parliament. People like that who have vision and are fearless warriors for the greater good are inspiring,” said Janice. Hailing from Woy Woy on the Central Coast, Janice’s career trajectory is the stuff communications undergraduates dream of. After missing out on a photography cadetship with a major newspaper organisation, she turned her attention to writing rather than photography. A casual position rolling autocue at SBS was exactly the entry point she needed. Working in a busy newsroom, with on-air presenters such as Mary Kostakidis and Indira Naidoo as inspiration, Janice learned a lot
about broadcast journalism. She was also in a position to ‘pester’ the producers into giving her the odd story to write every now and then. A cadetship with the ABC in 2000 saw her move into news reading. She returned to SBS in 2006 as a sports presenter and eventually made her way to her current role. Using her own university experience as an example, Janice tells of ‘extra-curricular’ activities in which she was involved, such as writing for campus newspaper, Opus. Janice’s work with Opus taught her a lot about deadlines, arranging interviews and writing up a story. “It’s all the things you do in your own time – even if you don’t get paid for them – that make a difference to your future success once you leave university.” Proving the diverse nature of her work, Janice recalls another recent interview. “I was lucky enough to sit in on one of Geoffrey Rush’s rehearsals for Diary of a Madman at the Belvoir St Theatre. It’s those times when you
really shouldn’t be paid for doing this job. The interview was a blast and he was incredibly charming. “He talked about finding the script for the film on his doorstep like a lost orphan, and of how he grew to love it. I prodded him to perform any tongue twisters he’d picked up for his role as an elocution teacher. He did and was gobsmackingly good. But then he put me on the spot to perform it. I managed to get something like “pickled thistle picker” out then failed miserably. Made for great TV, albeit at my expense.” Now mum to ten-month-old daughter, Odessa, Janice says, “I feel blessed that I have been able to land this gig, and have now been able to work it into my family life. I feel like I have a nice family-work balance, I guess I just hope it keeps on keeping on.”