Solutions Journalism offers new pathways to inclusive journalism, and provides journalists with a methodology to work in collaboration with communities to find stories about what's being done to solve problems they face, and how effective these responses are.

In this fourth of our 8-part series we will explore how a solutions approach can be particularly useful when covering communities whose lived experience may be different to your own as a reporter.

Watching the sessions live or on replay will be a requirement for a new Walkley Foundation Solutions Journalism Grant to be launched later this year.

DATE: Wednesday, 1 May 2024
TIME: 10am-11.30am Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne time
VENUE: Virtual
TICKETS: Free, registration essential

By the end of this session, participants will:

Be able to develop approaches for maintaining journalistic independence and balance during solutions story projects (avoid extractive, seeing ‘the other’’ etc)
Understand how to apply a solutions approach to covering specific topics and communities:
- Regional, rural and remote communities
- Indigenous communities
- Diverse communities - religion, ethnicity, gender
Understand how solutions approaches can avoid reinforcing stereotypes, biases and sensationalism.
Understand how intersecting forms of discrimination contribute to social inequities.
Understand the limitations and potential biases of data in regard to marginalized communities.
Be able to use images that accurately depict the diversity of the community being covered

TRAINER: Corinne Podger is Senior Manager for Programs and Education at the Walkley Foundation for Journalism. Corinne has worked in the media sector for more than 30 years as an journalist, educator, lecturer, and author and provided training consultancy to support learning outcomes and professional development for reporters in more than 60 countries on behalf of organisations such as WAN-IFRA, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, and Thomson Reuters Foundation. She is accredited trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network, and for the BBC and Reuters.

SPEAKER: Luke Pearson is the founder and CEO of IndigenousX. He is a Gamilaroi man living in NSW.

SPEAKER: Sandeep Varma is the founder and CEO of SAARI Collective, a media startup for South Asian Australians. He is also the Chair of the Board of 100 Story Building, a creative literacy organisation for young people.

All registrants will receive links to the recording for this session, and be notified of future session dates and times as they are confirmed.

Full list of 2024 sessions:

Learn the fundamentals of solutions journalism - 20 November 2023
Making the business case for solutions journalism - 21 February 2024
Using solutions journalism to strengthen audience and community relationships - 20 March 2024
Using solutions journalism to cover diverse communities - 1 May 2024
Building solutions journalism into newsroom practice - 22 May 2024
Delivering and measuring the impact of solutions stories - 19 June 2024
Introduction to the Walkley Foundation Solutions Journalism Grant - 17 July 2024
Meeting with successful grantees - October 2023

Support the Walkley Public Fund

This program is made possible with the support of The Walkley Public Fund. Donations to the Public Fund are tax-deductible, and help support Foundation professional development programs including grants, scholarships and fellowships, and training. Learn more and donate here.

Further information:

Corinne Podger, Senior Manager for Programs and Education, Walkley Foundation - corinne.podger@walkleys.com.