Empowering Indigenous researchers to have a voice

Media Release

Empowering Indigenous researchers to have a voice

A unique program empowering Indigenous researchers to engage in public discourse through the Australian media will begin on Monday with 11 scientists from around the nation converging on SBS’s NITV Studios in Sydney for two days of intensive training.

The Indigenous Media Mentoring Program (IMMP) is a hands-on course that follows in the footsteps of successful pilots in 2016 and 2017 when 19 researchers were involved in sessions led by Indigenous mentors and journalists.

“We are passionate about encouraging Indigenous scientists to have a bigger voice in the mainstream media” said Dr Susannah Eliott, facilitator of the workshop and CEO of the Australian Science Media Centre. “This latest cohort will receive mentoring from fellow Indigenous researchers, science journalists, media trainers and Indigenous journalists to give them the skills and confidence to engage with the media”.

Mentors this year include SBS science journalist, Rae Johnston, and former IMMP participants Dr Jason Sharples, a bushfire risk researcher from the University of New South Wales, and Dr Megan Williams, an Indigenous health expert from the University of Sydney. The mentors will share their media experiences and provide on-going guidance to the group well after the training is complete.

The program is facilitated by the Australian Science Media Centre with funding from CSL and ConocoPhillips together with significant in-kind support from National Indigenous Television, a division of SBS. Other collaborators include The Conversation and Uncanny Media.