Experience

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  Forbes Advisor

  • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

  • Lead Editor Australia

    • May 2022 - Present
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    — Commission freelance journalists with detailed briefs, including SEO keywords and H1s— Cover personal finance news items of the day, including RBA meetings, inflation figures and property market movements— Manage and liaise with the deputy editor on work flow for reviews, best-of guides and stories—Work in tandem with SEO team to optimise content for search— Conceive original news stories and ideas in response to news in the financial markets

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  Johanna Leggatt

  • Melbourne, Australia

  • Freelance Journalist and Writer

    • Oct 2014 - May 2022
    • Melbourne, Australia

    My freelance journalism and writing regularly appeared in some of the top print publications in Australia and overseas, including The Herald Sun Real Estate/Home Living, Australian Book Review, The Weekly Times, Executive Style, Sunday Life, News.com.au and The Guardian. During this time, I also contributed to a range of industry publications, including Melbourne Law School News, Hardie Grant custom publications, and Metropole Property Blog, and worked with finance, property and professional services clients on all manner of copy—from tone-of-voice docs and content strategies to web copy, corporate reports, thought leadership or opinion pieces for newspapers, and ebooks.

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  News Corp

  • Melbourne, Australia

  • Sub-Editor and Section Editor (Melbourne)

    • Nov 2008 - Oct 2014
    • Melbourne, Australia

    I was a part-time sub-editor for The Sunday Herald Sun from November 2008 until September 2010, before assuming a full-time post as a section editor at The Herald and Weekly Times. Here I redesigned and edited the Country Living lifestyle lift-out, adding a fresh layout and a raft of new sections. I commissioned book reviews, edited columnists' copy, laid out pages in Indesign, spearheaded online campaigns, drove traffic to the website, and wrote features. I was also a regular contributor to the Herald Sun's travel pages.

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  Telegraph Media Group

  • London (two-year visa)

  • Online Sub Editor (London)

    • 2006 - 2008
    • London (two-year visa)

    I edited the online health section for the London's Daily Telegraph, which involved commissioning freelancers to write interesting health pieces, as well as monitoring web traffic and crafting stories to attract new readers to the site. I was responsible for ensuring the site was accurate, up to date, and remained relevant to the discerning Telegraph reader through a number of engaging series, such as an examination of common health myths, as well as a luxury health hub that reviewed the top spas in Britain.

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  Guardian News & Media

  • London (two-year visa)

  • Digital journalist and sub-editor

    • 2006 - 2008
    • London (two-year visa)

    In addition to overseeing the Telegraph's health section (see above), I also worked casually for The Guardian's news site as an online sub-editor during my time in London. This meant checking journalists' copy before it was published, writing catchy and succinct headlines, uploading content and galleries to the news site, and checking for both grammatical and factual errors.

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  Australian Associated Press (AAP)

  • Brisbane

  • Queensland Court reporter

    • 2003 - 2006
    • Brisbane

    I reported on the major crimes and court cases of Brisbane and regional Queensland, including the disappearances of schoolgirl Natasha Ryan and Daniel Morcombe.

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  Fairfax Media

  • Sydney

  • Sun-Herald News Journalist (Fairfax national traineeship)

    • 1999 - 2003
    • Sydney

    I cut my teeth at The Sun-Herald in Sydney, as part of Fairfax's annual traineeship graduate program. I was one of a handful of successful applicants from thousands of hopefuls. During my time at The Sun-Herald, I migrated through news, business, sport and features before taking on a full-time post as a general news reporter.

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  The Gold Coast Bulletin

  • The Gold Coast

  • John Burton Scholarship university cadet

    • 1996 - 1999
    • The Gold Coast

    Upon leaving high school, I was awarded the John Burton Cadetship Scholarship in journalism, which allowed me to study journalism on the job at The Gold Coast Bulletin, while also completing tertiary studies in communications at Bond University.