There’s no shortage of women in key roles at Canberra Daily, which has been serving the Canberra community in print since 2009 and online since 2020. We have a strong commitment to supporting our community and reporting on all kinds of issues that matter, sharing local news and stories about the people, organisations, places and happenings that make Canberra special. After all, not all news is bad news.

What are your organisation’s key strengths?

Julie: “Our people – our publisher, journalists, photographers, sales executives, graphic designers, and admin, operations, marketing, and distribution team members – everyone plays an important role in making the magic happen every week in print, and every day online. Our non-adversarial, objective and honest approach to journalism. The strong support we continue to provide to local charities, not-for-profits and community and arts organisations through our free public service announcements and partnerships.”

Tell us about your career path. What led you to where you are now?

Jessica: “After beginning a career in an unrelated field, I decided to go to uni and study something that I was passionate about. I have always been drawn to storytelling, meeting new people and knowing what is going on around the world, journalism combines them perfectly.”

What inspired you to start/join Canberra Daily?

Julie: “Recognising a gap in the Canberra market for a good-looking glossy publication with a focus on supporting our community and letting people know what’s happening, combined with attractive lifestyle sections, real estate and more, CW was launched as a free weekly magazine in March 2009. In March 2020 as the pandemic hit, we ‘pivoted’ our brochure website into a news and lifestyle content site where you’ll find extended versions of stories published in the magazine plus lots of additional articles and photos.”

Samantha: “The opportunity to become a part of something that provides readers with great local news and lifestyle information. I have always enjoyed reading Canberra Daily and picked up the magazine every week, so when a position became available to work for the organisation, I was excited about being able to help produce this product and work with a local family business.” 

Phoebe: “Moving from Sydney to Canberra, I thought joining a company that had such a connection with the community was a great way to learn about my new home. I also hadn’t worked in the magazine industry before, and I was excited to dive headfirst into a new challenge and build upon my skills in a new environment.”

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Tania: “The most rewarding part of my job is working with the team to achieve successful business outcome.  Experience as a former business owner gives me a rounded overview of the challenges involved in running a business.”

Anja: “The most rewarding part of working for CW is our focus on stories that come from the heart of the community. It’s humbling when you get to speak to a celebrity or nationally recognised figure, but if I can genuinely and positively share the story of the incredible and ordinary, everyday Canberrans we walk past on the street, then I can go home happy with my work.”

Abbey: “Having the opportunity to give people a voice and a platform to share their stories in the hope of enacting community action or change.”

Jessica: “I love that I get to meet such a diverse range of people and feel honoured that they trust me enough to help them share their story.”

Shannay: “The most rewarding part of my job is that I get to help small businesses build brand awareness around our local community through our wide range of advertising options; hearing the positive feedback from my clients is very rewarding.”

Phoebe: “The rewarding and challenging parts of being a designer are one in the same; when you’ve come up with a solution for a challenging design problem, it’s incredibly rewarding. I had many satisfying lightbulb moments working on this WiB feature.”

What do you consider to be your key strengths?

Bianca: “My loyalty to the business and our team.”

Julie: “Always showing up, a strong work ethic, attention to detail, not letting ‘perfect be the enemy of the good’, and care – for the people I work with, the people we write about, our advertisers, our readers, and our community.”

Shannay: “My versatility! I started this job over a year ago and have moved between different roles to suit the business, I like to know how it all works so that I can step in and step up when necessary.”

Abbey: “My strong work ethic (thanks Dad), my curiosity, and my stubbornness – when I want something, I’m going to do everything I can to achieve it.”

Anja: “I deeply enjoy teasing out the ‘human element’ in the stories I write, whether that’s editorial or advertorial. There is something lovely and human about local and family-owned businesses, and I love showcasing their heart through the articles I write.”

Pick up your free copy of Canberra Daily from stands across the ACT and the Queanbeyan region – out every Thursday – or read extra content on the canberradaily.com.au website. Call the CW office on 6175 8800 to speak with our advertising executives about our affordable, effective packages, or to share news tips with the editorial team.