We sat down with NITV Cross-Platform Journalist Phoebe McIlwraith to reflect on her experience as the 2025 SBS Indigenous Journalism Cadet.
After joining SBS as the Indigenous Journalism Cadet in 2025, Phoebe McIlwraith has gone on to become a Cross-Platform Journalist with NITV. In this article, she reflects on her experience in the 12-month cadetship program and how it helped shape her journalism career.
The SBS Journalism Cadetship offers journalism graduates a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment. Throughout the year, cadets will gain hands-on experience in SBS’s cross-platform newsroom in Sydney, as well as placements in Melbourne and Canberra. Cadets will work across a variety of SBS programs including Dateline, Insight, NITV News and current affairs, and SBS multilingual programs, ensuring a comprehensive development experience.
Can you describe a typical day during your cadetship?
“Typical” isn’t quite the word I would use to describe the cadetship! Cycling between different teams every few weeks across TV, audio, digital and current affairs means that you’re jumping into a new team, style, pace and format but some core things remain the same. I would show up and participate in the morning editorial briefing, which is either 9am or 10am depending on the team, then move into shadowing one of my new colleagues, training in a new software or gathering ideas to pitch a story for my rotation.
What has been the most memorable experience or story you’ve worked on during your cadetship?
My favourite rotation was my deployment to the Canberra bureau during the final sitting week of Parliament – working with the amazing team in the press gallery, asking questions at the National Press Club, filing a lead news story from Canberra for NITV, attending briefings at the Australian Federal Police and running through the halls to get to surprise announcements in the Prime Minister’s courtyard. It came near the end of my cadetship, so I felt a bit more capable going into it and had a bit more confidence to take that step back to soak the experience in.
How has the cadetship helped you develop your skills and knowledge in journalism?
The way I see it, we can learn the jargon and the elements of a story all we want but you’ll only get good if you give it a go. After three years as a freelancer and contract worker in media, I’m used to learning on the fly, but a cadetship means others around you know you’re learning, provide feedback and you get to feel like you’re learning what an industry standard looks like. As someone who never thought they would work in television, I’ve been able to learn completely new approaches to interviewing, working with camera crew and producers, and how to use images to support my storytelling. I have also developed new networks of story gathering, finding talent, and accessing experts.
If you could go back to the beginning of your cadetship, what advice would you give yourself to make the most of the experience
Slow down! It’s always tempting to want to jump into it and race to get as good as possible, there’s 12 whole months and no need to rush. You don’t need to be the perfect journalist, that doesn’t exist, but what does exist are great learners – and that is what makes a good journalist. Keep up positive self-talk, it can feel hectic putting yourself out there into something new week after week and it’s good to recognise when you need a boost. Make time to talk to your co-workers, stay connected to friends and family – they can give your brain a needed break and sometimes that chance to relax can help crack a mental roadblock in a story.
" You don’t need to be the perfect journalist, that doesn’t exist, but what does exist are great learners – and that is what makes a good journalist."
Applications for our 2027 SBS Journalism Cadetship and our Indigenous Journalism Cadetship are now open! Applications close on Sunday 13th September.
The SBS Journalism Cadetship is dedicated to the memory of late SBS News Journalist, Bridget Munro.
About Bridget Munro
Bridget Munro, a talented, beloved and highly respected senior news producer at SBS, made a significant contribution to the field of journalism and the SBS community. The dedication of the cadetship in her memory honours her work and commitment to nurturing journalistic talent.
Aged just 34, Bridget Munro passed away suddenly from a short illness in November 2023, leaving behind her husband and two young daughters.
Bridget also left behind a powerful legacy. In the space of a decade, Bridget made a significant contribution to the industry through guiding, coaching and mentoring the next generation of journalists. The role of a daily news producer in a busy newsroom is not often celebrated; it is a role that requires a passion for news, a cool head under pressure and a commitment to make on-air colleagues shine. Bridget had all these qualities and more – other people’s success meant as much to Bridget as it did her own.