Two small publishers have been awarded grants from the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas in the first stage of the Institute’s grants program to support quality journalism.
Schwartz Media, publisher of the The Saturday Paper, The Monthly and Quarterly Essay, has been awarded a grant to hire a new Features and Field producer for its new daily podcast “7 AM”.
The Terrier, a local news website in Warrnambool, Victoria, received a grant to support the appointment of an Indigenous cadet reporter and to explore new funding models for the website. The Terrier is run by former The Australian journalist Carol Altmann, who explained how she plans to use the grant in this post.
Institute Director Mark Ryan said “The Institute believes that the best way to champion quality journalism is to help journalists do more of it.
“Most of the grants announced today will create new positions or new projects for journalists. We also expect some of these initial projects will expand into more substantial initiatives.”
The Institute said that its approach to grants is informed by five principles: creating new opportunities for journalists to do more journalism; focusing on projects that will have the greatest impact; encouraging new investment in journalism; non-partisanship; and, respect for editorial independence.
“In addition to providing practical support for quality journalism, the first round of grants is also a learning process. It will help the Institute understand how to best support journalism. And for those in the profession, it will give a sense of the types of projects the Institute is keen to support,” said Ryan.
The Judith Neilson Institute said that the need for accurate, evidence-based journalism is stronger than ever, which is why it champions quality journalism and storytelling in Australia and around the world through grants, practical education programs and events with global opinion leaders that will enlighten, provoke and inspire.
This grants round is part of a number of initiatives that have been launched since the Institute was announced in November 2018.
Other grant recipients include:
- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation to fund a media literacy program across remote communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
- The Australian for a new series that will examine the complex implications of China’s transformation, both inside and outside of the country.
- The Australian Financial Review to re-open a South East Asia bureau in Jakarta that will provide deeper coverage of the major economic, trade, business and security issues in Indonesia and the region.
- The Guardian to fund the appointment of a Pacific editor, the establishment of a network of independent journalists and the commissioning of major investigations to expand reporting on Australia’s immediate neighbourhood.
- Ngaarda Media, a community radio station in Roebourne, Western Australia, to support news coverage.
- The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age to employ an Indigenous journalist and Indigenous trainee photographer to work with reporters in the newsroom on a series of news stories, features and multimedia projects.
For more information, visit the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas website.
