3: Peter Lalor

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Read Peter's feature story for The Weekend Australian on Tim Paine here

[0:25] Peter talks about wanting to cover the Covid-19 story, and adapting to the quiet

[1:55] Peter begins discussing his feature on Tim Paine (see link above)

"I did the first interview on the Thursday thinking it wasn't due for two weeks, rang the editor and she said, 'Well you better hurry up – I need it by Wednesday'. So I pedaled very fast. No story has caused me that much stress for as long as I can remember."

[5:10] Pete on the differences when writing for different audiences

[8:20] Pete on the use of Sally Paine's anecdote as his lede

"That is an outstanding moment, and it's a moment that only two people witness and experience, so nobody else ever knows … and it sets up so many things."

[11:10] Pete on managing relationships with cricketers

[15:35] Pete on collecting details along the way, and being in the story

"You're privileged to see things and, like a bowerbird, you put them away and they give your pieces some credibility. You use them wisely; if you labour those points about being an eyewitness it becomes tedious. You only use them when they add to the story. It's not about placing you in the story – it's placing the reader in the story."

[22:20] Pete on working out who to interview for a feature piece and why, and writing for deadlines

[29:15] Pete discusses writing about place

[32:50] Pete talks about humanising the subject, writing descriptions, and showing up

[37:20] Pete on having some license to bring creativity into his news writing

"When I just started … writing a match report was to tell people what the scores were. Now everybody knows the scores instantly, everybody's seen it – you've got to bring something else. So you do get to write a little bit more, or bring some other skills to it."

[45:35] Pete on his journalism background

[50:40] Pete talks about writing the Phillip Hughes biography with Malcolm Knox

[55:45] Pete on writing features in comparison with writing books, and the issue of story length

[1:00:40] Pete on specialising within journalism, and the media outlook for young journalists 

"I've actively worked to stay on the road … I hate office jobs. I never want to be an editor; editors have to deal with journalists, and journalists are the worst people on earth."

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