My Work at 4ZZZ
I started working at 4ZZZ in 2020 as an intern and became the host and producer of Tuesday Brisbane Line, 4ZZZ's flagship news and current affairs program. In 2022 I also became the Zedlines editor, managing the short-form news department and producing hourly bulletins every day. Below are the stories and projects I have worked on.
The other week, workers from UQ, QUT, Griffith University, JCU and CQU joined forces in King George Square as a part of their continuing strike action after initial negotiations failed to yield a positive result. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O'Brien spoke to representatives from the National Tertiary Education Union about the impacts that this has on the university sector.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/university-workers-pressure-employers-joint-strike-action
On 28 September, the Brisbane City Council announced plans to redesign Mary Street with wider footpaths as Cross River Rail and a variety of green bridges are set to transform the city. The plans have sparked criticism from cyclist groups who say segregated cycle lanes would keep pedestrians and cyclists safer. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O’Brien investigates.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/mary-street-path-widening-impacts-cyclists
Last week, the largest weapons expo in the southern hemisphere took place right here in Brisbane, with representatives and vendors from around the world in attendance. This Land Forces Expo has been held here in Brisbane for the last few years and has attracted a significant presence by anti-war protestors. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O'Brien investigates the significance of these protests and the actions taken on day one of the expo.
Originally aired on The Wire: https://www.thewire.org.au/story/protests-against-weapons-exhibition-in-brisbane/
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/protesters-disrupt-land-forces-expo-2022​
Yesterday The Uluru Statement launched their History is Calling campaign to support the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, informing the Australian public on how voting “Yes” for a First Nations Voice will change history. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O’Brien spoke to Bridget Cama, a Wiradjuri First Nations and Pasifika Fijian woman and co-chair of the Uluru Youth Dialogue about the campaign and the impacts it will have going forward.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/uluru-statements-history-calling-campaign​
​Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is moving forward on his promise to set up an indigenous voice to parliament, organising a working group as well as consulting with various communities and experts. An important aspect of this is consulting with legal experts on the wording of the change and its interpretation. The Indigenous Law Centre at the University of New South Wales will be travelling to test the draft amendment and referendum question, released by Prime Minister Albanese back in July at the 2022 Garma Festival. 4ZZZ Journalist Samuel O'Brien spoke with UNSW Professor Gabrielle Appleby, Director of the Judiciary Project at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, and a pro bono constitutional adviser to the Regional Dialogues and First Nations Constitutional Convention at Uluru about the consultation process and the referendum.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/constitution-consultation-process-indigenous-voice-parliament
Queensland Rail is back in headlines as a variety of new initiatives are rolled out to improve trips and connectivity across the network. 4ZZZ Journalist Samuel O'Brien spoke to a variety of experts and stakeholders about the new programs including cross river rail and smart ticketing.​
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/upgrades-track-queensland-rail
Janine Rees ran in the seat of Ryan during the 2022 federal election with the Australian Progressives party. The party is new, having run only in a few elections before this most recent one; however it has high hopes for expansion around the country. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O’Brien spoke to Australian progressives interim Queensland president Edward Carroll during the election campaign about how the party works, what it stands for and their plans for the future.​
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/who-are-australian-progressives
The Australian Federal Election for 2022 has wrapped up but who are the winners and losers? 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O'Brien along with the 4ZZZ Newsroom run through the events on election day in Brisbane as well as the significant changes in seats around the country.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/election-2022-wrap
As Australians venture around the country and beyond with the easing of restrictions, local events have become crucial to attract lucrative tourists. In the Northern Territory this has taken an indigenous spin, with the highly successful Parrtjima headlining the recent busy Easter season. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O’Brien visited the red centre and spoke to the organisers of the festival about its importance to communities and the Northern Territory’s economic recovery. We would like to advise to our indigenous listeners that this story references people who have died.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/parrtjimas-journey-shine-light-indigenous-art​
4ZZZ Breaks the Election
As the Zedlines editor at 4ZZZ, I was involved in the organisation, production and editorial of the 2022 federal election coverage. This involved producing a daily podcast (below), organising and executing interviews and a six hour live broadcast on election night.​
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The interviews I conducted are linked here
Max Chandler-Mather - Greens for Griffith
Janine Rees - Progressives for Ryan
Stephen Bates - Greens for Brisbane
Russia is currently invading Ukraine with the hopes to regain control of the once soviet-bloc state. Conflicts in the north of the country are raising concerns in the international community especially around the nuclear reactors in Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia. The renewed threat of Russia deploying nuclear weapons has also led some to wonder what other powers will do once threatened. 4ZZZ Journalist Samuel O'Brien spoke to Nobel Peace Prize winner Associate Professor Tilman Ruff from the University of Melbourne about these threats and the possibilities for these to eventuate.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/nuclear-impacts-russias-invasion-ukraine​
Stroke is the leading cause for disability in Australia and conversations around these disabilities can be confronting to those who are diagnosed and their support systems. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O'Brien spoke to PHD candidate Bonnie Cheng about her research.​
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/improving-poststroke-recovery
With the ever-changing status of restrictions, there is one thing that has kept constant. Film. Over the past 12 months Australian films have increased in share by more than double since 2019, prompting questions about what Australia and South East Queensland's filmmaking scene may look like in the future. 4ZZZ journalist Samuel O'Brien investigates.
Listen here: https://4zzz.org.au/news/brisbane-filmmaking-what-will-future-look
The Zedlines program involves writing, producing and announcing a news bulletin each hour between 8am and 11am, keeping an eye on current events, press releases and recent developments. I worked on this program from February to May on 2020 and have come back as the editor since February 2022.​
Zedlines bulletins can be found at www.4zzz.org.au/news