25 March 2025
Annabel Francis (2017) is a Multimedia Producer and Journalist at Channel Nine, with a passion for storytelling and investigative reporting. Her work has taken her across major newsrooms and credits Pembroke for fostering her curiosity and resilience, encouraging her to step outside her comfort zone. Annabel values the opportunity to give people a voice, especially in challenging stories, and embraces the fast-paced nature of journalism.
How did your time at Pembroke shape the professional you are today?
Pembroke played a pivotal role in shaping me into a well-rounded individual. This has been instrumental in helping me navigate stressful days and performing to the best of my ability in my profession.
In high school, I was encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities and enjoyed netball, water polo, rowing, and mock trials. Having interests and commitments outside of school helped me gain time management skills as I had to also make time for study, friends and family. It also forced me to collaborate with people outside of my immediate friendship group who had different interests to me.
At Pembroke, I was never afraid of trying something new because there was never an emphasis placed on being ‘good enough’ or ‘perfect’ but rather on having a go and trying your best. This attitude has helped me step out of my comfort zone at work when pitching original story ideas and interviewing influential, powerful people.
How did your schooling at Pembroke contribute to your career path, especially in Journalism and Multimedia roles? Was a teacher or class that helped push you in this direction?
My senior years at Pembroke contributed to my career path because I actively chose and trailed subjects, I was interested in. I particularly enjoyed humanities subjects such as legal studies, business, and health because they helped hone my research, writing, and public speaking skills, which I use to this day.
Classroom debates often took place, which gave me the confidence to ask questions and voice my opinion freely in a comfortable environment. These discussions encouraged me to be curious about everyday life and the decisions made, which is essential as a journalist and is often how my best ideas come about.
Mr John Barker, Ms Karen Earle, and Ms Monaghan were the teachers I went to for guidance. They made me feel like any career path was possible if I worked hard enough.
Throughout your career, you've had the opportunity to work across a few major news organisations, covering huge stories. Which story or event stood out to you?
A story that I am most proud of is my feature on the safety of rideshare services such as Uber - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-11/rideshare-services-uber-indecent-behaviour-complaint-adelaide-
This is a story that I pitched to the newsroom and spent months working on because I experienced many setbacks, but felt it was important that people’s stories were told and big companies like Uber were held accountable. The article received over 50 thousand views and encouraged many people to speak out about their experiences.
What key skills do you believe have been the most beneficial for you in media, and how did you develop them?
My communication, inquisitive attitude, and writing skills have aided me the most in my career. I believe I developed these skills by reading lots (fiction and nonfiction), staying up to date with current affairs, trying new things and communicating with a wide variety of people to gain different perspectives on topics and events.
You spent 6 months working for ABC as a Rural Reporter, what were the challenges with this role?
This was a very challenging but rewarding role. Both my parents grew up on farms, so I’ve always known a little about the challenges farmers and regional communities face. However, this role opened my eyes to a whole new world as I learnt and reported on topics I had never heard of before such as biosecurity concerns, farm crime, chemical spray drift and the dog fence. I am grateful that people took the time and effort to explain these important topics to me and I am now able to relay that knowledge with my friends, family and people in the media industry. I also never pretended to know about a topic and would always ask questions and seek advice from professionals in the field.
Do you have a story in history that you would have loved to report on?
A story in history that I would have loved to report on is the ‘Me Too movement.’ Journalists played such a pivotal role in this campaign against sexual violence, and it is an example of the positive role the media can play in society.
What’s your favourite way to unwind after a busy week?
I love taking my dog for a walk or having dinner with friends.
What are your 4 favourite movies or TV shows?
The Talented Mr Ripley, Catch Me If You Can, Gossip Girl and Normal People
If you could have dinner with anyone in your industry, who would it be, and why?
Leigh Sales – she is someone I look up to as a journalist because she is always well researched, asks good questions and holds people and organisations accountable.
What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received, and who gave it to you?
The best advice I have been given is ‘Don’t ask, don’t get.’ This is important to remember in a competitive environment because you often must ask for opportunities and experience even if you’re nervous, they won’t always come to you. Court reporter at the ABC Evelyn Leckie gave me this advice.
