What is a Public Service Media Algorithm, and Why Might We Need One?

Target group: ADM+S members (all), others welcome.
This event is optional.

Date: Wednesday 4 December 2024.
Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm light refreshments provided on site, 5.30pm – 6.30pm panel discussion.
Location: The Woodward Centre
Level 10, Melbourne Law School
185 Pelham Street
Carlton, VIC, 3053

Click here for Location Pin on Maps

A recording of this in-person only talk will be available for viewing on the ADM+S YouTube channel.

What is a Public Service Media Algorithm, and Why Might We Need One?

This is the opening panel for the ADM+S annual Hackathon: Recommender Systems for Public Service Media.

Please join us for a panel discussion of how automated recommendation systems might support the mission of public service media in Australia. Providing an alternative to commercial forms of content curation is one of the challenges faced by public service media in the digital era. The panel discussion will explore the role of automation in crafting a vision for the future of public service media.

Light refreshments will be made available in advance of the panel discussion from 4.30pm - 5.30pm, with the panel commencing at 5.30pm.

Panel members

Angela Ross, Research Lead, ABC News Strategy and Innovation

James Meese, Associate Professor, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University

Laura Gartry, Innovation Lead, ABC Digital and National News

Stuart Watt, Head of News Strategy and Innovation, ABC



Angela Ross
Angela Ross is the Research Lead for ABC News Strategy and Innovation. In this role Angela fosters research collaborations addressing news industry and societal challenges. She is a former 7pm TV news presenter and television, radio and digital journalist. Dr Ross earned her PhD in Media and Communications from the University of Tasmania in 2022.

James Meese
Assoc Prof James Meese is an Associate Investigator at the RMIT University node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S). He is co-leading a project that will explore how advances in telecommunications infrastructure will inform the future development of automated decision-making systems. He is also contributing to projects across the News and Media focus area. James is a Senior Lecturer at RMIT University and holds an early career research fellowship from the Australian Research Council to study the algorithmic distribution of news. James has also received research funding from the International Association of Privacy Professionals and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network. His two books are Authors, Users, Pirates: Subjectivity and Copyright Law (MIT Press) and Death and Digital Media (Routledge, co-authored).

Laura Gartry
Laura Gartry is an award-winning journalist and the Digital Lead for Long Form Audio at ABC News. In 2024, she completed the prestigious Reuters Journalism Fellowship, where she published the paper "Protecting public interest journalism while personalising the news", focusing on digital innovation and editorial algorithms. Before her current role, Laura was the digital producer for ABC’s flagship investigative program, Four Corners, where she specialised in long-form investigative storytelling. She commissioned many innovative digital formats such as photographic essays, animation, and bespoke video production. She has worked as a multi-platform reporter and video journalist for ABC News across QLD, WA and NSW, uncovering political conflicts of interest and church cover ups. She has also reported on breaking news, politics, courts, environmental issues, natural disasters, and royal visits.

Stuart Watt
Stuart Watt has been a journalist for more than 30 years, operating mostly at the intersection of journalism and technology. He was part of a small team that launched the ABC’s first news website back in 1997. More recently he has overseen ABC News output across television, radio, digital and third-party platforms. His current role is Head ABC News Strategy and Innovation.

Any questions can be directed to Manager, Research Training and Development Sally Storey.