Catie McLeod’s path to becoming a consumer affairs reporter at The Guardian kicked off not in a major newsroom, but in the regional New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga, as a reporter at Australian Community Media. McLeod reflects on her career and what she wishes she could tell her younger self when starting out.
On the eve of the 2020 COVID lockdowns, Catie McLeod, now 29-years-old, was sitting bright eyed in a classroom, enrolled in RMIT’s Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
The year was 2019, and McLeod had organised three internships at ABC News Breakfast, The Age, and 7:30, determined to be a reporter.
“I remember in uni there was a big emphasis on getting a cadetship at the ABC. One student in our cohort did get it which is amazing. But there were a few of us who went for a screen test. I was so nervous I didn’t finish the writing test in time, so I obviously didn’t get it.”
“I remember being so sad, but then it actually turned out that I’m glad I didn’t. Because now I love what I do a lot and I think it’s really well suited to me. I wish I hadn’t been so hard on myself at the time.”
A Regional Leap
After missing out on the cadetship at the ABC and spending some time overseas, McLeod signed up for what she called an adventure in Wagga Wagga, with Australian Community Media, where she worked for nearly a year and a half. It was a move that would prove formative in shaping the journalist she is today.
McLeod’s time in regional media coincided with Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns, which she attributes to being able to settle in and make lasting friendships, “It really forced me to make the most of being there.”
From exclusive investigative reporting to writing quirky in-depth features, McLeod loves that her regional media roots gave her a variety of reporting experiences.
McLeod warmly recalls how her stint at The Daily Advertiser exposed her to life outside of a metropolitan city. From reporting on an elderly couple growing a giant zucchini in their garden, to a local man who had a rodeo and took all of his miniature ponies to the shows every year.
”Writing local stories was so amazing because it meant so much to people, it was really rewarding to be able to do that.”
Moving into the City
After her time in regional media, McLeod moved to News Corp’s newswire service in Sydney, and eventually into the Canberra press gallery. McLeod credits this stint as valuable in developing her ability to work in a high-pressure environment. Of the world of political reporting, she reflects, “It didn’t really suit my personality”.
“Federal politics is a very strange world… kind of intense,” said said.
McLeod said many of her colleagues started in different environments—from tabloid newsrooms to regional papers—and have built successful careers by staying curious and flexible.
“Some of my most talented colleagues came from places like The Daily Mail or News Corp,” she said. “There’s no ‘wrong’ starting point.”
“The public has a perception that journalism is really exclusive and hard to break into, and sometimes it is,” she said. “But if you’re good at what you do, you can jump around between places.”
Now based in Melbourne, McLeod covers consumer affairs for The Guardian’s business desk—a shift she embraced for the opportunity to tell people-centred stories in a new domain. “I hadn’t done any business reporting before, but I like that you still get to focus on people.”
To those entering the industry McLeod is quick to offer reassurance, conceding to her Mum was right that it would all work out, “I used to worry so much back then.”
