Academy student a News Champion at national forum
Young people from across Australia have had their voices heard at a national forum exploring democracy and the media at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) in Canberra. Finn Randell, Year 7 Student at the Central West Leadership Academy in Dubbo was one selected from the Nationwide Candidate Pool.
Held during National Media Literacy Week, the two-day News Media Literacy Forum saw twenty-one students aged 10-17 come together to discuss the future of news media and train to be News Champions, equipped to lead discussions and engage with news in their local communities. The students also developed questions to contribute to a national news poll for young Australians to be completed in early 2020.
Finn Randell said, "The experience was transformative. It really opened my eyes to the wider news world and informed me on how to become media literate. Fake news can impact the world as it informs our thoughts and we act on presumptions and ideas based on incorrect information. We all need to do our part in stopping the spread of fake news and know how to tell the difference between fake and reliable sources. "
Principal Mandi Randell said, "It was an honour for Finn to be chosen to represent Australian Youth and he did an amazing job representing our region at the national forum. Engaged Citizenship is a key value of the Academy and Finn has embodied this in his journey as not only a young news producer through his podcast 'Pieces of Wisdom' but also his role in youth advocacy at this forum."
Finn was further interviewed on ABC Sydney's Forum show as a member of a panel interview for 30 minutes.
Catch his interviews online:
The forum was part of the Advancing the Media Literacy of Young Australians research project, led by Dr Tanya Notley from Western Sydney University and Associate Professor Michael Dezuanni from Queensland University of Technology.
Co-organiser Dr Tanya Notley from Western Sydney University’s Institute for Culture and Society and School of Humanities and Communication Arts said: “The forum focused on how young people can improve the quality and diversity of news in Australia.”
“It builds on our research which has found that young people have very low levels of trust in news media, while they are also largely ignored by news media organisations.”
Co-organiser Associate Professor Michael Dezuanni from Queensland University of Technology said: “It is critical that young people are engaged in ongoing national discussions about the future of news media including issues relating to how news should be funded and regulated.”
Co-organiser MJ Logan from the Museum of Australian Democracy said: “Young people have voices that need to be heard. One way we can ensure they are heard is by supporting their engagement with news media.”
Developed in partnership with MoAD, Western Sydney University, Queensland University of Technology, ABC Education and Google Australia, data from the forum will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at MoAD. The exhibition, Truth, Power and a Free Press, will explore why journalists do the work they do, examining the ongoing battle for truth and representation in the media. It opens on 15 November 2019.