Becoming media-savvy with ECU Corporate Relations
Friday, 21 July 2023
-
Alexis Donkin, Sam Jeremic and Tori Pree from ECU Corporate Relations.
Over June and July, the ECU Corporate Relations team held media training sessions for staff with outstanding results.
Academics and researchers from across ECU’s School of Science, Engineering, Education, Nursing and Midwifery, Business and Law and Arts and Humanities engaged in informative and interactive training sessions, learning the ins and outs of local, national and international media.
One session was also attended by visiting scholar from The University of Melbourne, Associate Professor Wesley Imms, who is known globally for his research in primary school visual arts education.
The four media training sessions were held at Mount Lawley and Joondalup campuses, hosted by Corporate Relations Communication Coordinators - Alexis Donkin, Sam Jeremic and Tori Pree, who shared tips and tricks based on their extensive experience across digital, print and broadcast media.
Tori Pree, former ABC publicist with two decades of media experience delved into the most effective way of pitching research to The Conversation, a respected news website featuring articles written by academics.
Sam Jeremic, former West Australian journalist shared the inner workings of print and digital media, including the best approach of chatting with a journalist and how to put it into practice.
Alexis Donkin, former senior journalist, TV presenter and executive producer presented on broadcast media, giving industry tips on how to approach TV and radio interviews with confidence.
This year’s media training also saw attendees get in front of a news camera and quizzed over their research, without any rehearsal or preparation.
The results were valuable experience and first-hand practice at what it’s like to be interviewed on TV.
Behind the lens were some of Perth’s most experienced camera operators, including former ABC and Channel 7 Senior Camera Operator, Jon Kerr and Will Storey, who also works for the Ten Network.
The Corporate Relations team is foremost responsible for enhancing and improving the external and internal reputation, perception of the University through the proactive management of public relations through media management and corporate communications.
In particular, Corporate Relations is responsible for guiding ECU academics and researchers through the complex workings of the media landscape and to showcase the diverse and exciting research outputs from ECU across various media platforms.
In 2022, ECU media activities and campaigns reached 17,248 mentions with a reach of 39.91 billion views. These numbers are continuing to climb in 2023.
With an ever-increasing profile in both Australian and international media coverage, ECU research continues to be disseminated across national and international media platforms. This year ECU research has also featured prominently in both 7 and 9 News networks, locally and nationally.
For more information on the Corporate Relations team or how we can help you, email pr@ecu.edu.au.