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- The Market Herald launches a Journalism Bursary to offer upcoming business and finance reporters paid experience, mentorship and professional development
- The bursary will build pathways for more diverse voices to create the business and finance stories that matter and need telling and hearing
- Journalism students and recent graduates will be eligible to apply for the paid two-month internships in our multi-platform newsroom in Perth
- The Market Herald has also partnered with Edith Cowan University to secure an intake of highly sought-after graduates from the Graduate Diploma of Broadcasting
The Market Herald is launching a Journalism Bursary to support early-career business and finance journalists. The program will offer paid internships in our multi-platform newsroom — home to the largest Australian streaming business television network.
By committing to offering a living wage to all those who complete the program we are breaking from the common industry practice of taking on interns on an unpaid basis, a norm that locks out aspiring journalists who are simply unable to gain experience without remuneration.
Over a two-month period, successful applicants of The Market Herald Journalism Bursary will rotate through departments in our Perth office, to train the various skills needed to operate as a versatile reporter in a rapidly evolving industry. Participants will also have the opportunity to work on a long-form piece of business or finance news.
Additionally, The Market Herald has partnered with Edith Cowan University in Perth to include an intake of journalists who specialise in radio and television reporting from the industry-respected Graduate Diploma of Broadcasting.
Andrea Burns, an award-winning journalist and Course Coordinator of ECU’s Graduate Diploma of Broadcasting, said: “Whether you’re investing for a living, keeping an eye on your superannuation balance or wanting to understand how the economy works, broadcasters who can interpret the markets and accurately translate the facts are critical .
“We incorporated business reporting into our course years ago because we identified it as growth area in our industry. Many of our graduates have been employed by The Market Herald. To now see that extend to both work placements during course-time and paid internships upon graduation is an extraordinary opportunity for Edith Cowan University’s Post-Graduate Broadcasting students — and one for which we are very grateful.”
Students and recent graduates from other tertiary institution will also be eligible to apply later this year.
The question of diversity in newsrooms
For a long time, as an industry, we have known the benefits of bringing more varied voices to the table and diversifying newsrooms: the breadth of stories it cultivates, the more nuanced storytelling it unlocks, and the greater engagement it generates.
“Modern audiences want to see and hear from people who look and sound like them — whatever their age, race, gender or social background. I’ve had many conversations with employers in recent years along this line. Increasingly, media bosses are looking to employ people from more diverse backgrounds, to reflect the society in which we’re living,” Ms Burns said.
Hampering efforts to mirror a broader cross-section of society, however, is the industry’s tendency to lean on unpaid internships or traineeships. Selection for entry-level or graduate positions is based heavily on a candidate’s portfolio, often built through these unpaid internships.
This creates barriers for people who simply can’t afford it and compounds challenges for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Ultimately, the practice locks out certain voices and contributes to the ‘middle-classing’ of the news media.
Within the context of an industry continually striving to evolve and become more representative, The Market Herald Journalism Bursary is our contribution to creating genuine pathways for aspiring journalists of all backgrounds.
