Anthea Batsakis
Deputy Energy and Environment Editor - The Conversation
Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) & Graduate Diploma of Journalism
November 2021
Anthea Batsakis is the Deputy Environment and Energy Editor at The Conversation, where she commissions experts to write articles that analyse news events, discuss new research, or that generally get people to care about the environment.
Articles in The Conversation are the result of a wonderfully collaborative process between academics and journalists, and Anthea usually edits and publishes one article each day. For example, she works on articles about governments’ climate and energy policies (or lack thereof), and will be doing a lot of work around the international climate change summit in Glasgow in October-November 2021..
On the other end of the spectrum, articles in Anthea’s series “Who Would Win?” imagine hypothetical battles between different animals, such as emu vs cassowary or scorpion vs tarantula (go read them, they’re silly and interesting and you’ll learn a lot!).
What are the best parts about your job? What are the hardest parts?
Best parts — every day is different. One day I could be learning about fascinating new research, and the next I could be phoning an energy company for their responses to an expert’s arguments. The office culture is also fantastic, everyone is so friendly and supportive.
Hardest parts — it can get pretty stressful with tight deadlines, so much news and a small team. There are two of us covering the environment and energy section, and approximately one billion academics. We have to be really picky about what we cover and, sadly, that means letting down a lot of people with great ideas who want to write for us.
Another thing is I get extremely jealous every time I talk to an expert who’s out in the field. This is also a best part. It’s so inspiring to hear about their various adventures (“sorry I can’t talk for long I’m climbing a mountain/chasing a snake/diving in the reef”), but I also get a hell of a lot of FOMO while under lockdown in Melbourne.
Wondering what a day in the life of a science journalist might be like?
Check out Anthea’s video to find out!
Anthea Batsakis (second from the right) with her The Conversation colleagues at the Melbourne school strike for climate.
Why did you choose this career pathway? What are the benefits/negatives?
Science journalism combines two of my favourite things: science and writing. That said, a big misconception is that you need to be a good writer to be a reporter. But the main reason I chose this career is because journalism is a great leveller. Good journalism holds powerful people to account, and can make a difference to communities by spreading awareness about an issue or telling new stories.
A benefit of journalism compared to other career options is that it’s fast paced, and you get to talk to different people everyday. I’ve met the Prime Minister in Canberra after five champagnes, a man who crossed the Simpson Desert on foot, and the CEO of Luna Park who told me about ghosts. You’ll never be bored, that’s for sure.
A negative is that it can get tiring. Sometimes you have to work long hours, or after hours. The news doesn’t sleep, and journalists often quietly groan whenever there’s breaking news on a Friday afternoon.
Anthea working from home during COVID.
What are the major challenges in your field?
Getting a job. There are far more journalists than journalism jobs in Australia. In my experience, getting a job requires a lot—a LOT—of unpaid work. I did many unpaid internships, and put my hand up to write articles for free in other publications.
This is not possible for many people, and is a big reason journalists in Australia are predominately white and from middle-class backgrounds.
But don’t let that put you off! Journalism is evolving, and new types of jobs are emerging all the time, especially in science communication, which has never been so important.
How did you get to your current role?
I graduated in 2016 and I couldn’t land a job for about six months. I freelanced some science stories, and ate a lot of canned beans and rice.
Eventually, I got a contract job at the Herald Sun, working in their digital team. It was a lot of fun, despite the 6am starts as I took over from the overnight crew.
When the contract ended, I worked in communications at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and then as a commissioning editor at The Conversation. They popped me onto the politics and society section for a few months, before I applied to work in the environment and energy section when a position opened up
In my first two years studying a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne university, I was partying a lot, I failed subjects, I developed terrible anxiety and I switched my major three times. I settled on a major in environmental science because it was the only one that didn’t require prerequisites, and I dropped down to study part time.
I’ve always been broadly interested in Earth sciences, but was bored by the nitty gritty parts. I also missed writing, which I loved doing in high school. So while studying part time, I interned at Australian Geographic and 1 Million Women.
After graduation, I started a Graduate Diploma of Journalism at RMIT. I interned at Cosmos Magazine and regularly freelanced for them afterwards, interned at the Herald Sun, and at Crikey.
How well did your degree prepare you for your career path?
While I struggled in my earth science degree, I found it extremely worthwhile. A few subjects at uni required field work, from looking at rocks along the Great Ocean Road to glaciers in New Zealand. These brief experiences helped ignite my love for the Australian environment.
Studying Earth science also means I know how to read a scientific paper and generally understand scientific processes. This is really valuable, given my job now is to interrogate and fact check articles from experts.
On a more practical level, Melbourne University offered an internship subject, which is what helped me to take time for and afford my first internship at Australian Geographic in Sydney. I’m not sure if it’s still being offered as part of the science degree, but it did kickstart my career.