{"id":15309,"date":"2024-09-03T11:41:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T02:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?page_id=15309"},"modified":"2024-10-15T15:34:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T07:34:52","slug":"skys-the-limit-for-curtin-journalism-graduate-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curtin-commons\/blog-page\/skys-the-limit-for-curtin-journalism-graduate-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky\u2019s the limit for Curtin journalism graduate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

24\/07\/2023 by Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sky News reporter Danica De Giorgio scopes out the devastation of the northern rivers floods.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arriving in Lismore, two days after the NSW rural town was decimated by record-breaking floods, was a life-changing experience Sky News reporter Danica De Giorgio will never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe devastation was unprecedented,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life. It was like a war zone. Entire towns were under metres of water and there was mud and sludge everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResidents were living out of their cars and crying on the street, and there was a strong smell of sewage in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images of rising flood waters, decimated buildings and people waving on rooftops were splashed across every news outlet in the nation in March last year, when severe rainfall smashed the east coast of Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia\u2019s biggest natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy in 1974, the northern rivers floods were also the most expensive disaster in Australian history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flood waters took weeks to subside.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running on adrenalin and just two hours of sleep, Danica pushed her emotions aside to do what she does best \u2013 bring the news into people\u2019s living rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the time after a severe flooding incident there isn\u2019t much food or water around and you find yourself working around the clock and into the night,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, that\u2019s the least you’re concerned with. At the end of your shift, you can still go back to a home, these residents can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danica said while journalists came face to face with adversity and tragedy regularly, she felt incredibly privileged to share people\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s why I became a journalist in the first place. I love giving people a voice and letting them share their stories and experiences,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes these stories are incredibly heartbreaking, especially when it involves a child, but these are the stories that matter the most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over 10 years\u2019 industry experience under her belt, the Curtin journalism graduate has covered the nation\u2019s most significant breaking news events, including NSW\u2019s Black Summer bushfires, the arrest of the Claremont Serial Killer and the disappearance of William Tyrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Danica on the road reporting on bushfires.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of picking up a hairbrush and following in the footsteps of her hairdressing Mum, Danica says she was destined to pick up a microphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, I was initially very interested in the beauty industry, and I had thoughts of maybe becoming a beautician,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mum owned a hairdressing salon and I\u2019d go there every day after school and only leave with mum and dad in the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danica said it wasn\u2019t until she was about 13 that she started to take great interest in current affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery night at 6pm I\u2019d sit in front of the TV and watch the news,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Year 8, we had to put together a news story for our class assignment and I absolutely loved being the news reader. Afterwards my teacher came up to me and said I think this is your future career.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I got older, I realised I had a passion for telling people\u2019s stories and this led me to study journalism at Curtin. That\u2019s where it all started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danica said Curtin gave her the right foundations and provided the necessary skills to take on the tough and often cutthroat media industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May this year, Danica flew to London to cover the King\u2019s Coronation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On location in London covering the King\u2019s Coronation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCovering the Coronation of King Charles III was an event that hasn’t been seen in 70 years, and was an experience I\u2019ll never forget,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as we arrived there were flags everywhere and decorated shop fronts. There was a general excitement and buzz around London that you couldn’t help but get swept up in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe day itself was a day to remember, when the UK was at its best, and the nation came together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporting live over the next eight days was no small feat, but Danica said over the years she\u2019s learnt the art of mastering the nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Danica reporting Live from London.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether she\u2019s reporting on historic global events or covering one of the nation\u2019s most gripping cases such as the disappearance of three- year-old William Tyrell, Danica does it with professionalism and heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world of journalism is changing, and while there are a lot of things moving online, I think there will always be a need for current affairs and live reporting,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone remembers where they were when major news breaks. If you go back to when the Claremont Serial Killer was arrested or when news of Covid broke around the world, chances are you saw that unfold on TV or in the local paper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Danica behind the desk at Sky News, Sydney.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danica said moving to Sydney four and a half years ago to pursue a career for Sky News was a decision she didn\u2019t take lightly, and looking back now was the best decision she ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was quite young at the time, and I had never lived away from my family, so it was a little scary,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThankfully I had a wonderful group of people at Sky News who made me feel welcome and the second I arrived I made sure I immersed myself in Sydney life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I could give journalism students one piece of advice, I\u2019d tell them to always say yes. Accept the offers that come your way because you may never get the opportunity again.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJournalism is tough, I\u2019m not going to lie, it\u2019s hard work but it\u2019s also really rewarding. You\u2019ll experience things a lot of people will never get to experience in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where to from here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to get into more feature-length reporting, and one day who knows, maybe I\u2019ll get the chance to meet and interview my music hero Paul McCartney. That would be the dream,\u2019\u2019 Danica said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n

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