Reckoning with Investigative Journalism and Indigenous News

Presented by Dr David Nolan (News & Media Research Centre, UC)

Monday August 22, 2022
12.30pm - 1.30pm
Online (Zoom)

Abstract

This paper reflects on the role that investigative journalism has historically performed in Australia’s mediated Indigenous settler-relations.  While some investigative stories have played a significant, albeit exceptional, role in calling attention to historical injustices endured by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, others have played a central role in promoting and setting public agendas for policies that have worked to entrench and extend the violence of settler colonialism. In recent years, however, disruptions and developments in the Australian mediasphere have supported the rise of new players and projects, under the leadership of prominent Indigenous journalists.  Reflecting on both the history of investigative stories focused on Indigenous Australia and the impact of more recent trends, this chapter reflects on the contribution investigative journalism has made in both deepening and challenging the injustices faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Authors

David Nolan, Alanna Myers, Kerry McCallum & Jack Latimore

Biography

David Nolan is Associate Professor in Communication and Media at the University of Canberra, where he teaches and researches in journalism and media studies. His work has been published in numerous international journals, including Journalism; Media, Culture and Society; Journalism Studies; Journal of Intercultural Communication and Media International Australia.

Alanna Myers is an early career researcher focusing on journalism, environmental communication and settler-colonial studies, with a particular interest in place and place-making. Most recently, she has worked as Project Manager for the Amplifying Indigenous News project based at the University of Canberra, and she teaches in Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne.

Kerry McCallum is Director of the News & Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra. Her research specialises in the relationships between changing media and Australian social policy. She is the co-author of The Dynamics of News and Indigenous Policy in Australia (with Lisa Waller, Intellect, 2017).

Jack Latimore is the Indigenous affairs journalist at The Age. Previously Managing Editor – Digital at NITV, he is an experienced journalist and writer who has worked with The Guardian, IndigenousX, and the Koori Mail. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the News & Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra.