Sinead O’Donnell is one of Ireland’s rising stars in news journalism and currently working as a reporter with UTV Ireland.
This week, she took a few minutes out of her hectic schedule to talk to us about broadcasting, Barack Obama and her love for Weetabix!
Tell us a little about what you do…
I’m a reporter with Ireland Live News on UTV Ireland, the country’s newest television channel. As a reporter, I meet a wide variety of people every day, from politicians to actors, healthcare professionals to victims of crime – no two days are the same.
How did you get to your current position?
It was a long, adventurous journey that began 14 years ago when I was just 16 years old. I began volunteering at my local community radio station in Castlebar when I was in Transition Year and slowly went from tea-maker extraordinaire to presenting my own cheesy celeb gossip music show on a Saturday morning called The Scoop. At 16, this was a really cool name!
I also worked as a researcher on a current affairs programme during the week and gradually progressed to reporting from local council meetings and events and interviewing politicians and people on issues affecting the local community. One of the first people I interviewed was PJ Mara, political advisor to the former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. I wrote an article based on the interview for the Western People newspaper and got my first pay cheque but, more importantly, got bitten by the media bug.
I then went on to study Media at NUI Maynooth and while doing my degree, I got a job as a freelance reporter/broadcast journalist with KFM. After I completed a Masters in Journalism at NUI Galway, I came across an advertisement for a reporter position with Ocean FM in Sligo. I was interning with TV3 at the time but knew I needed to get a lot more experience before I could even dream of working in a national television station. The experience I gained in local radio, both KFM and Ocean FM was second to none and reading and preparing death notices makes you appreciate how accuracy plays a vital role in journalism. No one will ever let you forget the time you mispronounced that village in Donegal!
In 2008, I was hired at Head of News and Sport for new station i105-107 (now known as iRadio) and just before the 2011 General Election, I moved to Dublin and began working as a freelance journalist with Newstalk and Today FM. A few years later, I began freelancing with TV3 and then last October, I was appointed as reporter/video journalist with UTV Ireland.
What is your typical working day?
There really is no such thing as a typical day in a newsroom. If you’re a general reporter like I am, you could be covering a story on absolutely any topic or issue, so you really have to remain fully up-to-speed on current affairs and know a little bit about everything. News happens 24/7 so my job has always entailed working a variety of shifts.
A lot of the first part of my work day is spent researching the story, gathering information, putting in calls, chasing interviews and filming. Once everything is gathered, I then go back to the UTV Ireland newsroom to begin editing all the footage, scripting my story and putting my news report together. Sometimes, I may have to edit at the scene or prepare for a live interview.
I recently started presenting the news for the station’s breakfast programme GMB with Ireland Live Updates. This involves an early start, as I arrive at headquarters at 4am. Every minute counts at that time of the morning so I have all my clothes picked out and ironed the night before and I’ve mastered boiling a kettle, making a cup of tea and eating three Weetabix in three minutes flat. I also produce the Ireland Live breakfast bulletins, which are broadcast at 6am, 7am and 8am, so the time flies in the morning.
Why did you choose your current career?
I believe everyone has a story to tell and I’m really interested in people. Every day, I get to meet so many different groups and organisations, all with fascinating stories to tell and that’s what makes the job so enjoyable. I think journalism is all about capturing peoples’ histories and documenting them for future generations. I’m also naturally very curious (some might say nosey!) and so journalism suited me.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your career?
News is 24/7 and is constantly changing – therefore, at times, it can be very difficult to switch off and have some downtime. You could get a call from someone about a story day or night and it cannot be ignored. Even when I go on holidays abroad, I always feel compelled to go online and check what is happening in the news back home. But luckily I love my job, so I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What are the most rewarding aspects?
I really love when someone comes to me with a problem and through my work I’m able to help them, be it raising awareness about an important issue or helping get services/facilities improved for certain groups or individuals. It’s lovely to get emails or phone calls after the news report or documentary has been broadcast and the people you interview are happy with how their story was told – that for me is what gives me the most satisfaction from my job.
Does your job involve a lot of travel?
UTV Ireland has regional reporters all over the country so the majority of the time, I’m covering stories in the east of the country. However, if I’m doing an investigative piece then I get to travel to wherever I need to go to get the story.
What is the best piece of advice that you’ve been given?
If in doubt, check it out and if you’re still in doubt, leave it out. No one wants to end up in the High Court. I think it was my editor in Ocean FM who said that to me once and it’s always stuck with me. Accuracy and attention to detail is everything with this job.
What has been the one ‘pinch me’ moment of your career so far?
Reporting at historic occasions is always special. In January 2009, I travelled to the US to report at the inauguration of President Barack Obama and I also made a documentary on the journey. That was an incredible event to witness and experience.
Back home, in the 2011 Presidential election, I was anchoring news bulletins live for Newstalk on the evening Michael D Higgins was elected and that was also an exciting memorable occasion. Throughout the years, I’ve met different actors/musicians through my work and they can be ‘pinch me’ moments. Interviewing Adam Sandler was most definitely one of those moments.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about what you do?
There are a lot of people who assume if you work in media, you get all the perks. I wish that was the case but unfortunately, it’s not. My mind is drifting back to the time I was queuing in miserable weather to get tickets for One Direction for my niece! Some people also think when TV journalists do live reports outside courts, or wherever it may be, that we have an autocue that we read from with all the details. Again not so, I’m afraid! We have to remember every last detail and, particularly in complex legal cases, that can be challenging.
