Media Conference 2 - The Fantastical Frances Whiting

Frances Whiting is an author and established Courier Mail/Sunday Mail journalist. 

She began her life journey by studying a degree in Business and Journalism at QUT. Interestingly, her career then took a left turn and she became a primary school teacher at a poor school in East London. She describes this as being one of her most memorable experiences; the parents of students were mostly criminals, however they respected Frances and the way she refused to give up on her students. 

Frances eventually trekked back to Australia where she landed a job with a small newspaper, The Sunshine Coast Extra. Her journalistic career skyrocketed after being offered a job at the Brisbane Sunday Mail; she was invited to write a one-off column about the Ekka - that one-off turned into a weekly column that was 16 years strong. 

In her time she has been lucky enough to meet and interview some incredible people - Steve Irwin, Bill Clinton, even One Direction (girly squeal!)!. Frances has covered many stories, but there are some she holds especially close to her heart; like the story of Sophie Delezio. For those of you who haven't heard of her, Sophie is a heroic little battler. She was the victim of a car that crashed into her daycare; she lost her right hand and her left leg was terribly burned. Four years later, after making a full recovery from this tragedy, Sophie was hit by a car. These moments stopped Australia and captured the hearts of all. Frances covered these stories as they developed, and has an incredible amount of respect for Sophie and her family. They have always kept in touch since. 

So listen up, budding journalists! Frances has some very useful tips for you all. 

1. Find your own voice. Find your own way of doing things. Find something you are passionate and enthusiastic about, and you will succeed. 
2.  Make use of all social media platforms in order to get your voice heard. Be sure to get the basics right first – write well, know names and always research background information.
3. Be sure to build relationships with everyone you encounter in your professional ventures, starting in university - contacts are everything in this industry. 

You can keep up with Frances and her fantastical adventures by following her on Twitter - @FrancesWhiting.