UQ journalism and public relations students honed their skills over the Summer break by participating in a live press conference originating in Samoa.
Using the Internet, students enrolled in the introductory reporting and public relations writing subjects interacted with three Samoan global warming and environmental experts.
Taking part in the conference were the chief climate change policy officer for the Samoan Government, Annie Rasmussen, Samoan journalist and Pacific Islands News Association board member Cherelle Jackson, and Vicky Lepou, a lecturer in journalism at the National University of Samoa.
Both Ms Rasmussen and Ms Jackson attended the Poznan global warming conference in Poland in December.
The project was a collaboration between the Journalism Department of the National University of Samoa and UQ’s School of Journalism and Communication.
The press conference was staged near the Samoan capital of Apia using a wireless connection and Skype audio and video conferencing software.
UQ journalism lecturer Dr Mark Hayes co-ordinated the conference from Samoa along with colleague Dr Aparna Hebbani in Brisbane.
“I was going to Samoa to see Vicky because we’re collaborating on a research project into Samoan journalism, building on work I’ve done in Tuvalu,” Dr Hayes said.
“With the Summer Semester happening back home, I suggested we do a final press conference event from Samoa.”
Ms Lepou told the UQ students it was important they were able to accurately report on how global warming was impacting some of Australia’s closest neighbours.
“This is a very important issue as the very existence of our Pacific people are at stake,” Ms Jackson added.
“The use of Skype as the avenue to communicate and broadcast our views from an isolated island, directly into UQ was nothing short of amazing. It was ground breaking, and it only reaffirms the strength of new media and the emergence of convergence journalism.”
Dr Hebbani said her PR class has assisted in planning the conference, picking up important skills along the way.
“The students produced materials as part of this event such as a media kit, media alert and a short clip composed of beautiful pictures of Samoa, followed by pictures of how climate change has affected the country’s ecology,” she said.
The conference forms part of a school focus on adapting new and convergent technologies in journalistic practice.
Media: Dr Hayes (07 3366 9430, mahayes@uqconnect.net) or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)
.jpg)
