The Walkley Foundation is committed to fostering excellence in journalism. As the peak professional body representing Australian journalists, the Foundation presents a year-long program of events designed to support excellence and innovation in the Australian news media.
Walkley Media Talks 2013 - Upcoming events
Walkley Media Talks is a free public event series bringing leading Australian and international journalists together with members of the public to discuss and debate hot topics, journalism and media issues.
NSW
Stop the boats – or stop the hype?
Some politicians, journalists and media commentators would have us believe that Australia is being over-run by “illegal arrivals”, placing our own livelihoods at risk – but how much of what they tell us is true? Is Australia doing more than its fair share to help refugees – or not nearly enough? What role do journalists play in shaping the public debate about asylum seekers and perpetuating or counteracting popular myths? What do journalists find when they go to the source countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Malaysia – to uncover the human stories behind the headlines? As hundreds of boatloads of people continue to arrive on Australian shores and the government argues about “solutions”, is the situation spiralling out of control?
In this special Walkleys Media Talk for World Refugee Day on June 20, join ABC Stateline host and Walkley Documentary Award judging chair Quentin Dempster as he leads our panel of speakers through a challenging and thought-provoking conversation. The talk includes an exclusive free screening of Jessie Taylor’s award-winning 52-minute documentary Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.
Steve Pennells is a five-time Walkley Award-winner and chief writer with The West Australian newspaper. He began his journalism career at The Esperance Express and Kalgoorlie Miner before joining The West, becoming its state political editor. After a stint with the Nine Network and four years freelancing in Europe, he returned to The West as chief writer – a roving brief which has taken him to war zones and disaster areas including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, China, Europe, the US and South-East Asia. Pennells won the 2012 Gold Walkley Award, the highest honour in Australian journalism. He has won the UN Media Peace Prize four times.
Sydney-based author, producer, director and writer Robin de Crespigny has won the Queensland Literary Award and the 25th Human Rights Award for Literature for her first book, The People Smuggler. A former directing lecturer at the Australian Film, Television & Radio School, she spent three years working with Ali Al Jenabi – an Iraqi refugee who became a people smuggler to get his family to safety – to write his story. She also received the 2012 Alex Buzo Prize for Shortlisted Authors at the Nib Waverly Library Award for Literature. Robin was also short-listed for a Walkley Book Award and long-listed for the Stella Award.
Jessie Taylor is a Melbourne-based barrister, senior vice-president of Liberty Victoria and author of the report Behind Australian Doors: Examining the Conditions of Detention of Asylum Seekers in Indonesia. In 2007, she co-wrote and produced the film about mandatory detention and the Baxter Detention Centre We Will Be Remembered For This. In 2011, she then co-wrote and produced Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (http://deepblueseafilm.com/) an examination of the circumstances that lead someone to become a “boat person”. The documentary has since won critical acclaim around the world, including at the European Independent Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Awards.
THIS EVENT IS FREE, BUT BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL
VENUE: Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of NSW
TIME/DATE: 6.00pm, June 20, 2013 (please note earlier start time)
TO RSVP: Phone (02) 9273 1414 or visit sl.nsw.gov.au/events/events_talks/index.html
FOR INTERVIEWS: Contact Walkley Foundation for Journalism program and communications manager Flip Prior on (02) 9333 0956 or flip.prior@walkleys.com
QLD
Puppies, kittens and boobs: Ratings v responsibility
Often what the audience says it wants and the reality of audience trends are very different things. Commercial media organisations need to make money to survive, forcing them to rely on advertising, which in turn is dependent on audience numbers. If a story about dancing cats is the most popular article of the week, why shouldn’t a media organisation respond to that demand and increase the number of stories about dancing cats? How can commercial media organisations survive if they prioritise significant stories that don’t attract high audience numbers?
Join host News Talk 4BC content director Anthony Frangi for this illuminating discussion with Madonna King (freelance columnist) Francis Whiting (The Courier-Mail) and Chris Walker (The Project, Channel Ten).
Madonna King is an award-winning journalist and author, with a column in The Courier-Mail each Saturday. She was the voice of 612 ABC Brisbane’s current affairs radio for six years, before quitting last year to focus on speaking, facilitating conferences and moderating hypotheticals and debates. King’s fourth book, a biography of scientist Ian Frazer who developed the cervical cancer vaccine, will be released in August.
Francis Whiting is a respected journalist, author and senior feature writer for Q Weekend Magazine in The Courier Mail. Her work in Q Weekend has won numerous awards, while her syndicated column has been published for 17 years. Whiting has published two bestselling collections of her columns, Oh to Be a Marching Girl, and That’s a Home Run Together, with her debut novel Walking on Trampolines due out in October. Frances is the Queensland patron of Kids Help Line and a Make a Wish Foundation ambassador and regularly speaks for charities including Young Care, the MND Foundation and ACT for Kids.
Chris Walker is the managing editor of THE PROJECT, produced by Roving Enterprises and airing on Network Ten weeknights at 6.30pm. After completing an Arts/Law degree at Monash University, Chris quickly realised that being a lawyer wasn't for him and did a post-graduate in journalism at Deakin University. Chris has since worked extensively as a journalist in print and radio and as a television producer. He was part of the initial setup of The Project in 2009 and has been the managing editor for the past two years.
WHERE: The Edge Auditorium, Stanley Place, Cultural Centre, Southbank, Brisbane
WHEN: 6.00pm May 29, 2013
TO BOOK: visit http://wmtmay.eventbrite.com.au/#
Light refreshments will be served after the panel discussion, with the opportunity to network with speakers. This event is free to MEAA members (look out for the special code in members’ bulletins) and $10 for others, including a complimentary drink.
About Walkley Media Talks
Walkley Media Talks is a free public event series bringing leading Australian and international journalists together with members of the public to discuss and debate hot topics, journalism and media issues. Topics have included everything from the future of newspapers to Olympic Games coverage and definitions of the "public interest" to the perils of foreign correspondence and more.
Walkley Media Talks began in March 2012 with journalist David Marr discussing his book 'Panic' with fellow Gold Walkley winner, ABC journalist Marian Wilkinson.
This was followed by Gold Walkley alumni Kate McClymont and Richard Ackland discussing 'The Public Interest' with popular broadcaster and columnist Mike Carlton in April. Foreign correspondents Nick Bryant (BBC), Walkley Award winner Brian Thomson (SBS) and Gold Walkley-winning journalist Monica Attard shared their experiences covering world events at 'Foreign Correspondence' in May, followed by 'Going for Gold' featuring 2011 Gold Walkley winners Sarah Ferguson, Mark Davis and Liz Jackson discussing the demands of award-winning journalism in June.
July's 'Journalism at the Crossroads' edition of Walkley Media Talks featured Penny O'Donnell and David McKnight discussing their new report 'Journalism at the speed of bytes: Australian newspapers in the 21st century' with News Ltd's national tablet editor David Higgins.
A special Olympic edition of Walkley Media Talks in August featured ABC journalist Karen Barlow, veteran sports broadcaster Gordon Bray and The Australian cricket writer Mike Coward.
'Writing the Wrong' was in September, a discussion of crime writing by Geesche Jacobsen and Michael Duffy, author of 'Bad' and other popular true-crime crime novels, moderated by acclaimed former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Mal Brown.
The Australian photographer an Nikon-Walkley Award finalist Dan Himbrechts joined senior news photographers Mike Bowers and John Donegan to discuss photography and photojournalism for 'Walkley Media Talks - Shoot First, Ask Questions Later' in October.
The final Walkley Media Talks for 2012 was a special Stars and Stripes Edition featuring New York Times interactive editor Aron Pilhofer, Sydney Morning Herald politics and international editor Peter Hartcher and The Global Mail editor Lauren Martin discussing the US election.
