Telum Media spoke with Selina Ross, Communities Reporter at ABC Hobart, about the types of stories she focuses on and how she elevates local voices while maintaining appeal to a national audience.

What does a typical day look like for your current role?
I have a few different kinds of typical days. On days when I am a social reporter in our newsroom, I'll be scripting and presenting reels for Instagram, working with our social media producer on how we want to present the story. On other days in my community reporting role, I'll be working on my own exclusive stories, either out shooting interviews and overlay or in the newsroom scripting the stories for different platforms and working with producers, editors, and graphic artists to bring together the finished products, which will run on TV news bulletins, the ABC News website, social media platforms, and radio news bulletins. From time to time, I get swung onto daily news where I'll be turning around a story that day, covering it for multiple platforms, or doing live crosses for the ABC News Channel. I also sometimes present the 7pm TV news bulletin in Tasmania.

What would your ideal story or interview pitch be?
My ideal story or interview elevates a voice that's not typically heard in the mainstream media and that attracts an audience who may usually be disengaged from the news. My role focusses on telling the stories of people from outer suburban areas and those from diverse backgrounds, including socio-economic, culturally, and linguistically diverse people living with disabilities. After more than a decade as a general news reporter, I love now having this defined purpose in my work.

How does reporting on local communities differ from covering national or metro news?
I report on local people and issues, but because I work for a national network, I'm constantly looking at ways a local story can appeal to a national audience. Often, that's through solutions-based journalism, where reporting how one small community is tackling an issue can help other communities around the country address similar problems. Strong, authentic case studies can also help a story resonate with people, even if they're far removed from the issue being covered. 

What do you enjoy the most, and what advice would you offer young journalists who are currently based in local newsrooms?
I love the variety that my job offers, and that's what's kept me with the ABC for 17 years. I'm constantly being exposed to new people / topics and gaining more insight into my home state, and I love being able to share these stories with a national audience. My best advice is to be open to change. This industry is constantly evolving, and the more you embrace it, the more interesting and sustainable your career will be.

Is there a particularly memorable or impactful story you've covered in your career?
Late last year, I interviewed a mother who'd lost her son in the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy. She was so open and vulnerable in her interview, and her grief was so heartbreaking that we were both teary by the end of it. It's a story that has deeply impacted the Tasmanian community, and I felt very privileged that she was so generous in talking with me and sharing her story.

Headshot credit: Luke Bowden, ABC News.