ABC REPORTERS SEARCH FOR STORIES IN THE WEST

Shannon Ryan, VU Senior Coordinator – Major Partnerships, with ABC journalists, Jessica Longbottom and Rachael Clayton

In July this year, Victoria University (VU) signed a yearlong partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The inaugural collaboration includes embedding journalists in the west of Melbourne to seek out stories that reflect the community.

Starting this week, Jessica Longbottom, Kristian Silva, Rachel Clayton, Margaret

Paul and Richard Willingham will be located at Wyndham Tech School(external link) (WTS) at VU’s Werribee Campus, as they source stories and meet with a variety of University staff, including Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker, Gail Bray, Wyndham Tech School Director and Shannon Ryan, Major Partnerships.

The WTS provides the ideal, centralised base where the visiting journalists can work in a contemporary, quiet environment, a stark comparison to their bustling Southbank newsroom. The new partnership will also provide opportunities for VU Screen Media students to take part in industry placements in ABC newsrooms.

The ABC’s new Five-Year Plan intends to transform from traditional broadcaster to the nation’s most trusted and valued digital content provider and build “on its rich heritage and generations of trust to continue connecting and uniting all Australians: it will be more accessible to Australians than ever before.” The ABC wants to be the true home of Australian conversations in our cities, our towns, our suburbs and our streets.

In September, VU and the ABC Asia Pacific Newsroom hosted an online Indian Community Event led and hosted by Chief of Staff, Mosiqi Acharya. VU’s Steve Berridge presented at the session and talked about the positive impact Indian students have made on VU and the wider community in the west. As COVID-19 began to significantly impact our everyday lives, some students made the decision to return to their home countries, however some students remained in Melbourne and attended the session, including Ajith John, Amanpriya Pal, Bhavika Patel and Himani Dave. VU looks forward to welcoming the return of international students in the near future.