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Find Jane Cadzow's story on Peter V'andys here
Find Tim Elliott's story on the Nambour lawn bowls bust-up here
[3:45] Katrina on her journalism background, which began as a paper delivery girl
[6:35] "I would say to any young journalist that they should really try to do a stint in state or federal politics … and on the business desk. Those two areas are so core."
[7:40] "To pull someone through a 5,000-word story, it's a craft. You have to write in such a way that there's structure, ebb and flow, and you're combining all the facts with analysis, observation and humour."
[9:10] Katrina talks about her stable of writers and her relationships with them
[12:10] Katrina on how story ideas come about at Good Weekend, and what makes a Good Weekend story
[17:33] Katrina dives into the October 2019 profile on Peter V'Landys by Jane Cadzow
[23:20] "Really key in a longform piece is observation. What's someone wearing? What cufflinks have they got on? How do they raise their eyebrows? Do they look nervous? What kind of shoes do they have? It's really important to get that texture and colour … it's as much about that as it is about what they say."
[33:05] Katrina talks about truthfulness and fairness in writing a profile
[37:20] Katrina explains the issues that can arise with a lag-time between sending something to print and the magazine coming out, particularly with such topical stories
[39:30] Katrina on the level of research on a subject that's required to produce a high-quality longform piece
[47:10] Katrina looks at Tim Elliott's story on the lawn bowls bust-up and begins by talking about the way it is "Australia writ large"
[50:20] How detail and scene setting puts the reader in the story, and why context matters
[58:10] "That's the skill of a really good journalist, to get people comfortable and get them to tell you things and to give you a sense of how they are [feeling]. Ask the right questions and you'll get more from them."
[1:00:40] Katrina on the importance of quality photographs to accompany the story
[1:03:10] Hypothetical: Katrina chooses who, dead or alive, she would choose to interview and write about
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