Army - The Soldiers' Newspaper

Army’s new magazine is ‘Incoming’

Look in the centre of the hardcopy edition of Army newspaper this fortnight (click here for .pdf) and you’ll find the new Army magazine, Incoming.

The quarterly magazine replaces Army magazine which ceased publication at the beginning of this year, after 51 issues since its first edition in 1989.

I ncoming has been specifically designed as a quarterly newspaper magazine insert, which have become standard sections in all major Australian and international newspapers over the past decade.

With a bright new and consistent layout and design, Incoming will showcase the best writing and photography of the Army today.

David Sibley, editor of the Army newspaper, said Incoming will add extra value to Army newspaper and be a stand-alone section that all units should aspire to as a place to showcase their capabilities and unqiue character.

“I have designed the magazine to be photo-rich because the Army and the ADF are fortunate to have many highly talented photographers,” he said.

“I have challenged my reporters to think outside the square when writing for Incoming – to come up with lively, descriptive and challenging feature writing which draws the reader in through the power of words.”

The concept of Incoming was agreed to by CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy earlier this year after it became apparent that Army magazine was struggling with its market and concept as a publication published in the cut-throat civilian magazine market.

Advertising had significantly dropped over the past five years and the magazine had struggled to find suitable content which would appeal to non-Army readers without comprising necessary security and operational constraints.

“The problem with Army magazine was that its mission was not defined – was it a recruiting magazine aimed at non-Army readers or was it for soldiers?

“It became clear over the past year that if the Army was to have a magazine, it should be one for soldiers which contained content about them without comprising activities which, for necessary reasons, cannot always be reported on.

“The old Army magazine only had a print run of one magazine between four soldiers – not every soldier received a copy.

“By being a newspaper magazine insert, every soldier, whether ARA or ARes, will be able to have their own copy of Incoming every three months inside Army newspaper.”

The first edition of Incoming contains a look back at Gulf War II through the lenses of military photographers from the ADF and the US and British armed forces.

Other features look at the training of snipers and military working dogs plus a competition to give away 22 copies of Brig George Mansford’s book, The Mad Galahs, in the book review pages.

By Cpl Alisha Welch
THE Army newspaper is always looking for keen, enthusiastic soldiers to come to the newspaper as military reporters, so if you feel you have what it takes, read on!

You should be a fully-qualified corporal or have subject one under your belt. After contacting the Editor, David Sibley, and submitting evidence of your work, you will undergo an assessment period of four weeks at the newspaper’s base in Canberra, where you will be trained in various aspects of news writing.

You must have a flair for writing, be interested in photography and be willing to work long hours and be deployed around Australia and the world.

If deemed suitable for employment as ECN 342 Reporter, you may be offered a posting to Canberra providing you are willing to corps transfer to the Australian Army Public Relations Service (AAPRS). You will also receive Pay Group 5.

From there you will be further trained in news writing, as well as feature writing, page layout and interviewing skills.

If you are interested and would like the opportunity to travel regularly, contact the editor on (02) 6266 7612 or via e-mail at armynews@defencenews.gov.au