Zhaoxi Zheng
School of Social Science, the University of Queensland
I was fortunate to receive funding from the TASA Postgraduate Sub-committee to attend two sessions of The Conversation Pitching & Writing Masterclass (‘the Masterclass’), hosted online by The Conversation. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from award-winning journalists at a leading news outlet to learn about writing and publishing for non-academic audiences.
Aimed to better support academics’ ability to communicate and disseminate findings and outcomes with non-academic audiences, the Masterclass provided detailed information, from an overview of the media publishing industry to the specific techniques of writing. Despite being hosted by The Conversation, the content of the workshop was widely applicable and relevant to those who wish to work and publish with news media in general.
The masterclass was very structured and organised. Before the first session, each participant was asked to write a draft pitch for their media outlet of choice and outline our aims and expectations of the Masterclass. With the draft pitch and aims in mind, a senior editor walked us through basic principles of writing for non-academic audiences, including key audience demographics, mainstream reporting genres, and conceptualisation techniques, with real-world examples demonstrating how to put these principles into practice.
In group break-out rooms, each participant received individual and tailored feedback as we go through our draft pith by each line. The process was highly collaborative as we received thoughts and comments from both the editor and our peer participants. Constructive feedback offered by the editor supported my understanding and effectively shifted my mindset from traditional academic writing to writing for a non-academic audience.
This informative session sets out a solid foundation for our following up session a week later. Having worked out a second draft of our pitch with the target audience in mind, the second session delved into the specific writing techniques utilised in news media writing and editing. In addition, we also discussed the desired timeframe of pitching, writing, and publishing in order to maximise the impact and readership of the research work. In the second half of the session, we re-attended the second draft of the pitch. Aligning with the overarching theme of the session, the editors also made recommendations in regard to the pitching and publishing timeline for each individual pitch.
The Masterclass is a great opportunity for academics to attend, especially for those who have not yet engaged with the news media as a research outlet. The comprehensive recommendations it provides are useful for both early career and senior academics who seek to reach a broad range of non-academic audiences, including the general public, politicians, and industry. This opportunity has enabled me to shift my mindset in regard to writing for research impact and possible venues for delivering my findings.