Behind the Byline: Meet Jessica McLaughlin, our Crime and 'What's on' reporter

A Queenslander at heart, she leapt from the sandy shores of the Gold Coast to the paddocks of regional NSW, kickstarting her career as a truth-teller, a conversation-starter and a woman of words in Wagga.

Primarily covering the important crime and breaking news rounds, Jessica is a frequent presence at crime scenes and police press conferences.

If you have a story for Jessica, get in touch at jessica.mclaughlin@dailyadvertiser.com.au.

My phone, a snack and a jacket.

It was almost a last-minute decision. I swapped from nursing to journalism, but I always liked asking questions and I need to know what is happening around me, otherwise I feel left out. It's a curiosity thing, I think.

This is a job that lets me do that, and print journalism in particular allows me to be creative with words - my teachers in school always used to say I was verbose, so now that's being put to good use.

Anything based around someone's experiences with mental health or the loss of a family member is tough. It's hard to know the right things to say to comfort them, and in the end, something like a tribute is written for the family, not for clicks or subscriptions, so I want to do that justice.

I like to be organised and write lists so I can tick things off and have a structured day. I'm definitely a visual learner, so being able to physically cross something off brings a little bit of relief to clear the mind before moving on to the next task.

For me, because I am not a local, it would have to be the one about the Gump family at the zoo. Having a whole family (of donkeys) named after that film is a bit of a weird concept, but I love it!

Lost Lanes is great with all the food and music, but in general, Wagga has so many food and drink-focused festivals which is always a win in my books.

We are learning as we go along, we do not know everything, but that is why we ask the questions. There is a personality and someone with emotions behind the story, and in the end, we are just doing our best.

I cover incidents related to emergency services, mostly focusing on crime. Also, What's On, which includes all the upcoming arts and entertainment events.

Crime and police reporting has always been my 'end goal' round, so to be able to finally get that opportunity is great. It is tough, there's some harsh things to swallow, but it's meaningful.

Well, I have been able to experience a lot of different avenues and rounds. It's interesting to see how much more seriously people take you compared to when I was in university. It's also amazing how quickly things become second nature - instead of having a list of questions ready and rehearsed for an interview like I did in the first weeks on the job, it just comes to me naturally now.

It all happened so quickly. Packing up my whole life was a big job, but my partner is in Wagga, it's a great workplace, so it was not too bad.

It is surprising how quickly you adjust to new situations.