“We are very excited by this. Thanks to the Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) Cultural Fund, a journalism student from Molong whose parents are on a drought affected farm can have the same overseas work opportunity as a city student with well-connected parents. That is fantastic.”
Mr Chris McGillion, course coordinator for undergraduate journalism and a senior lecturer in Print Journalism at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Communication School, talking about the new overseas internship scholarship program worth $30 000.
“It is a fabulous fillip for our students. CAL came to us because of the regard with which the CSU journalism program is held. It is recognition of the value that CSU journalism degrees hold in the community, as well as being of obvious material benefit for our students.”
Through the Cultural Fund, CAL provides support for research, education and cultural development to authors, journalists, visual artists, surveyors, photographers and newspaper, magazine and book publishers.
Mr McGillion says the scholarships will provide funding for CSU journalism students to do internships in, for example, Washington DC. “We have an agreement with a newspaper chain there. That would take the maximum of $10 000 scholarship funding.
“But a student could go to New Zealand or South East Asia, and those internships might cost less, so the number of students who can benefit from this $30 000 could be anywhere from six to eight.
“We get a number of students every year who express an interest in doing their internships overseas. Obviously with media becoming a global industry, we like to encourage that.”
Adam Gartrell is a journalist with Australian Associated Press and a Bachelor of Arts (Communication - Journalism) graduate (2005). In 2004, he travelled to East Timor for his overseas internship to work with documentary filmmaker Max Stahl, whose images of the 1991 Dili massacre in East Timor moved the world into taking action against Indonesia.
“It was a very valuable experience. As well as doing the filmmaking, I also did some freelance writing for different publications, and I have to say what I produced from East Timor were instrumental in me getting me employment after University.
“I absolutely wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to the current Communication students. As an internship experience, it gives you a real insight into the international nature of today’s media and you can’t go past this,” said Adam.
Some of the funding for Adam’s internship came from CSU’s School of Communication. Mr McGillion explains that it was a one-off program devised by Professor Tom Watson, the Head of School. “That really got me thinking. It was interesting initiative. That’s exactly what we want to encourage. While studying here at CSU, we can send you to Washington DC.”
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