Journalist's Unusual Day: Breaking Major News While on Maternity Leave
It was a typical Monday morning for Cassie Zervos, a journalist on maternity leave, dressed in an oversized hoodie with her hair in a messy bun and holding her four-month-old baby. The day, March 30, began like any other during her leave, as she hurriedly cleaned the house and prepared for a mum's and bubs gym class. Suddenly, her Apple Watch started vibrating with urgent messages.
The Shocking Alert That Changed Everything
First came a WhatsApp message, followed by a Signal notification. The content immediately grabbed her attention, leaving her in disbelief. Messages like "DF found," "We got him," "Hunt over. Shot dead," and "DF DEAD!" flashed on her screen. With her heart pounding, she walked over to her husband, who was working from home, and shared the news: "I think they've found Dezi Freeman hiding in a containership. The SOGGIES have shot him dead."
After quickly notifying the 7NEWS Melbourne team, Cassie made the critical decision to break the news exclusively on Twitter and 7NEWS.com.au, aware that such a significant development wouldn't remain secret for long. The newsroom soon flooded her with requests, including a cross into The Morning Show.
From Baby Care to Breaking News Coverage
Covered in baby spew, Cassie hastily changed into whatever clothing was nearby, shooed her husband out, and FaceTimed into morning television from their living room. She became the first journalist to report the biggest development in 216 days of what has been described as Australia's biggest manhunt.
However, the story wasn't over yet. After getting off air, her husband, a former assistant editor and chief of staff at the Herald Sun, questioned her certainty: "You're definitely sure it's him?" She was confident, and soon after, Victoria Police sent an email to all media confirming the information that 7NEWS had just broken to the world on television and online.
The Rush to the Crime Scene
Her husband then handed her the baby, Lucy, and urged her to finish the story. In between organizing a camera crew and calling her mum for childcare help, Cassie found herself in a crew car, breast pump in hand, heading to the crime scene 4.5 hours from Melbourne. The drive to Thologolong was filled with countless radio interviews, FaceTime crosses, and text messages as she gathered as much information as possible.
Upon arrival, she and her cameraman, Sam Freeman (unrelated to Dezi), hit the ground running. Despite poor signal at the rural property, Sam found a spot amidst the media frenzy, and from there, it was game on. They didn't stop until 10pm that night after a special bulletin hosted by Michael Usher ended.
A Full Circle Moment
Afterwards, Cassie and Sam reflected on the intense day, acknowledging how incredibly rewarding it was for both of them. This wasn't their first major coverage together; they were the initial crew to race to Porepunkah when news broke in August last year that three police officers had been shot, two killed. At that time, Cassie was heavily pregnant with her daughter, Lucy, making this a full circle moment after a 216-day manhunt for justice.
