A publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

The Citizen wins best student journalism publication

The Citizen has been named best student journalism publication for 2016, landing the Dr Charles Stuart Prize in this year’s Ossie awards.

 
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The Ossies are sponsored by the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia and honour the memory of journalist and war correspondent Osmar S White.

The Citizen’sBuffy Gorrilla also won the prize for the best audio story of more than 2 minutes, while Jack Latimore won the inaugural John Newfong Prize for reporting on Indigenous affairs.

The judges described The Citizen as “a first rate example of a news site of professional quality that showcases the outstanding work of students. It has an exciting feel to it and is easy to navigate with high-level content.”

Gorrilla won for her report Aquafaba: the egg substitute vegans have been waiting for’.  A version of the story also played on the Radio National program Blueprint For Living.  Liam Clark was highly commended in the same category for his report ‘The Asia-Pacific dreams up its own Eurovision’.

Gorrilla’s report, according to the Ossie judges, “stood out from the rest – particularly with her use of natural sound, story-telling and talent.”

Latimore, an emerging voice in Indigenous commentary, was recognised for his stories ‘Damage done to stolen generations at risk of being repeated’ and ‘Justice as elusive as ever 25 years after Deaths in Custody’. “There is a maturity about the storytelling and it hits the mark in terms of what Indigenous affairs reporting should be doing, which is ensuring that authorities and the governments are kept to account over the shocking social equity gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”

Maria Abbatangelo was also highly commended for her investigation into railway platforms gaps following the death of a teenager at Melbourne’s Heyington station.

A full list of this year’s Ossie winners can be found here.

Previous Citizen accolades

  • Winner of best local/community journalism category in the inaugural Our Watch awards (2015) for coverage of violence against women. Also, a finalist in the same category in 2016.
  • Highly commended in the information category of the 2013 Australian and New Zealand Internet Awards (sponsored by auDA and InternetNZ). The judges deemed The Citizen “a great source of publicly spirited journalism with a great presentation of information in a unique visual format”.
  • Highly commended in the Dr Charles Stuart Prizefor best student publication in the Journalism Education and Research Association (JERAA) awards (2013). According to the judges, “The Citizen’s reports show a great depth of research and talent. Stories were beautifully written, with the journalists also showing a strong understanding of the fundamental aspects of journalism, including depth, balance and a knowledge of what makes a great story.”  

Individual awards for Citizen reporters

Ossie Awards, sponsored by JERAA

2015

  • Krati Garg named winner of the Dart Centre forJournalism and Trauma Award for her story on the impact of trauma reporting on correspondents, both in the field and on return.
  • Daryl Holland, Elyas Khan, Keryn Reynolds, Andy Hazel, Ronelle Richards and Scott Tibballs awarded best investigative report for uncovering the influence of a Melbourne property developer on the Victorian branch of political party Family First.
  • Freddy Woodhouse named winner of the Mindframe Award for his report on how PTSD can put veterans’ families at risk.

2014

  • Derrick Kruscheawarded Best Print News Story for his report on new medical advice for treating jelly fish stings that was co-published by the Cairns Post.
  • Rose Iserawarded Best Broadcast News Story for a report on the likely impact on animals at Melbourne Zoo of drilling for the proposed East West tunnel.
  • Bec Zajachighly commended Best Broadcast News Story.
  • Bec Zajachighly commended in Best Use of Convergent Media for a series of reports on domestic violence.
  • Rose Iser, Chris Shearer, Michael Roddan and Bec Zajachighly commendedin the Sally A. White Prize for Investigative Journalism for their reporting on conditions inside the Manus Island detention centre, gleaned from thousands of leaked operational documents.

2013

  • Chris Shearer highly commended in Best Feature Article category for a story about buying drugs online via the “new” silk road.
  • Henry Belot highly commended in Best Feature Article (Online) category for his report on Indonesia’s social media “love affair” leading into the 2014 presidential election campaign.
  • Julie Milland highly commended for Best Online Story for her report on the mystery EV71 virus.
  • Clemmie Wetherall and Wes Mountain highly commended in Best Use of Convergent Media for their report on the push for a rail link between Doncaster and Melbourne.  

About The Citizen

THE CITIZEN is a publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism. It has several aims. Foremost, it is a teaching tool that showcases the work of the students in the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, giving them real-world experience in working for publication and to deadline. Find out more →

  • Editor: Jo Chandler
  • Reporter: Qiyun (Gwen) Liu
  • Audio & Video editor: Louisa Lim
  • Data editor: Craig Butt
  • Editor-In-Chief: Andrew Dodd
  • Business editor: Lucy Smy
Winner — BEST PUBLICATION 2016 Ossie Awards