Writing Podcast Episode 590: Jamelle Wells on going bush for ‘The Outback Court Reporter’.

Meet Jamelle Wells, author of The Outback Court Reporter. Both a newsreader and senior court reporter for ABC, Jamelle reveals the intricate and sometimes unexpected dynamics witnessed during her time covering diverse cases in city and rural courts. She chats about the cultural differences, compelling cases, struggles of court reporting, and the importance of accuracy and fairness. Jamelle also reflects on the writing process of her latest book, sharing personal experiences that intertwined her journey.

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.  

02:18 Writing tip: Understanding the first draft
07:11 Weekly competition: WIN The Tipping Point by Dinuka McKenzie
09:04 Word of the week: Inglenook
09:43 Course highlight: Creative nonfiction
11:15 Writer in residence: Jamelle Wells
25:31 Personal journey through the regional health system
26:58 The fight for justice in regional health
27:44 The link between health and the court system
27:55 Curating experiences for the book
30:33 The dark side of country towns
32:20 The unexpected defamation case against the CWA
35:54 The role of tip-offs in court reporting
39:58 The challenges and rewards of court reporting
42:22 The importance of accuracy and fairness in court reporting
48:50 The future of court reporting
52:55 Fun fact: The use of antimetaboles

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Jamelle Wells

Jamelle Wells is an ABC television and radio newsreader and the senior court reporter for New South Wales. Over almost two decades she has covered some of Australia’s highest profile cases including the criminal trials of schoolteacher Chris Dawson, the inquiries into the convictions of Kathleen Folbigg for killing her four children, the criminal trials of former Labor Ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald, the murder trials Keli Lane and Gordon Wood, Australia’s longest running terrorism trial, the Sydney Siege inquest, and inquest into the disappearance of William Tyrrell.

Jamelle is a television and radio commentator on courts and legal affairs for programs including Australian Story for ABC Television. Her first ABC book about her career covering city courts, The Court Reporter (2018) was longlisted for the prestigious Ned Kelly Australian Crime Writing Award and the Davitt Australian Women Writers Award.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Non-fiction.

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

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