One talk in the ‘Curious’ series at Sydney’s Opera House yesterday embraced the theme ‘Live Journalism’ to showcase on stage four examples of different takes on the journalistic process.

With sound design from Mike Williams, host Annabel Crabb introduced the session in a beautifully crafted introduction, explaining, “in the modern world answers are always at hand for the terminally curious.”

“You get an answer within seconds because there’s so much knowledge, there’s so much intrigue.

“There’s so much wonder.

“There’s so much anxiety.

“There’s so many terrible things to enjoy ourselves with.

“So, before you know it, you are bingeing on food posts and making a viral pasta recipe from TikTok, while also watching a documentary about bird watching, whilst puzzling over connections, whilst also keeping track of the current state of functionality of escalators at the UN…

“A friend of mine told me she was so short of time at the moment, ‘I’ve started watching worthy documentaries that I know I need to watch at time and a half speed.’

So, tonight, instead of salami slicing your brilliant, curious minds into filaments of self-defeating thinness, we are going to show you stories being made up, formed live… live journalism and sound design on unfurled before your eyes and ears.”

The first speaker was international audio journalist Rachael Cusick, who demonstrated a piece of live produced journalism about the evolution of sharks, and, like all the participants, demonstrated exquisite wordcraft, as well as audio storytelling skills.

Based on her Radiolab report, she took a theatre full of audio journalism lovers back through the millennia to detail the evolution of sea monsters and link it to climate change and mythology.

“My mom died when I was six, and when that happened, the gravity in my universe got snuffed out. All the planets that seemed reliable, like they’ve been swirling around before time itself existed, dropped to the floor.

“As I stared down at them, rolling around on the hardwood, I realised just how fragile our world is, how at any moment, a switch in a far off room could get flicked, and life, as we know it, could halt.

“That’s why I go looking for stories that put me face to face with the very things that remind me just how vulnerable we all are, as if the closer I get to the things that destroy us, the further I get from being shattered again.”

Cusik, originally from America, is now based in Sydney and continues her work in audio journalism. Her live report was enhanced by audio clips, effects and music played in by Mike Williams.

Following Cusik, Richard Flanagan delivered a warning to journalists not to give up on facts and not to cave in to power and influence in a scathing assessment of environmental and political issues in Tasmania. His talk demonstrated another form of audio journalism, the editorial commentary monologue. No music or effects were used, just a clear logical proposition backed up by facts, quoting sources and stating his opinion on the matter he was addressing. ore details of his talk here.

The third speaker, science and technology journalist Ange Lavoipierre demonstrated the style of putting yourself in to the story you are reporting. In a deeply personal report, also using audio grabs, FX and music, Lavoipierre investigated a pyschic medium’s ‘magic’ powers to see into the soul and give advice from spirit guides beyond the grave. In an investigative style live report she recounted the journey she and her girlfriend had taken as their relationship matured and they both, separately, went to see the mystic for advice.

Describing her visit to the mystic, Lavoipierre creates the atmosphere with sfx and description:

“She’s gone with a traditional witch aesthetic. Morticia Adams meets the red woman from Game of Thrones. She leads me through her cosy but essentially non magical seeming house to a dark room out the back.

“I keep it toasty, like a little womb in here.

“It is like a womb, except that there is a full-borne witch inside it. We sit down at a table covered in lush fabric with several different fabrics on top.

“Where should we start today? What would you like to get out of the hour?

“We decide to begin with Korea. The problem is, we’re not in charge anymore.

“Yeah, they’re not gonna start with Korea, they’re wanting to launch right into the relationship stuff.

“They are where my witch gets her information, and they know all kinds of things about my life that aren’t exactly Googleable. About my mum, about the way I write, she even describes my backyard. They also seem to know a lot about my girlfriend…”

After the other speakers had demonstrated their three different forms of audio journalism, session host, political journalist, understated satirist and consummate interviewer Annabel Crabb demonstrated the art of the live interview.

Speaking to acclaimed musician Richard Tognetti she guided him to tell some entertaining stories, keep those stories brief and to the point, and time out to the shortened live deadline for the end of the session. There were laughs, serious points about art and culture and even enough time at the end for a brief performance on Tognietti’s 300 year old violin.

An inspirational evening of wordcraft, music and imagination that demonstrated the power of audio. There were no pictures and not a powerpoint presentation in sight.

The audience came in curious and went away inspired.

Steve Ahern is publisher of this audio trade journal and CEO of the training company AMT Pty Ltd.