The second community forum organized by the Westender newspaper and the West End Community Association will focus on independent publishing and citizen journalism, and features a panel of independent publishers from across the ideological spectrum who will share their experiences and offer their guidance on how we all get our news.
According to Kerrod Trott, editor and publisher of the Westender, “The invisible hand of the market is clearly pointing away from monolithic mainstream media toward a blossoming of small, boutique news outlets that are springing up like weeds to cater to our insatiable appetite for trustworthy news and information.
“What does that mean for us locally?” Kerrod asks. “Can the old and new media work together? How can the new media survive without a viable business model? Are the old media destined to perish from the face of the earth like the dinosaurs after an extinction event, or can they evolve to suit the new circumstances?”
The forum is your chance to ask these and other questions, to speak to the publishers involved, and to perhaps learn a little more about the new media scene and how it impacts on our community.
Politics in The Pub
6.00 pm for 6.30 pm
Wednesday 1st April
The Loft
Upstairs at 100 Boundary St WEST END
More info: 0412 029 663
POLITICS IN THE PUB PANELISTS
Independent Australia
David Donovan is the creator and managing editor of Independent Australia.
Donovan, 43, has many years experience in the media and was formerly the media director and, later, vice chair of the Australian Republican Movement.
Since starting Independent Australia in June 2010, he has turned it into one of Australia’s most popular independent online news and opinion websites, giving it a strong focus on investigative journalism and breaking numerous important national stories.
No Fibs
Margo Kingston was a political journalist, until her retirement in late 2005 after five years’ writing and editing Australia’s first mainstream media blog, Webdiary, on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website.
She was Phillip Adams’ Canberra Babylon journo on Late Night Live for five years.
Margo is the author of Off the Rails: The Pauline Hanson Trip (1988) and Not Happy, John! Defending our Democracy (2004).
No Fibs is a new citizens journalism project in the tradition of one of the first, Webdiary. Margo detailed her history in citizen journalism and her vision for this site in Manifesto for @NoFibs
Verandah Magazine
Sitting on the verandah of her cottage in the hills behind Byron Bay is one of publisher and editor Candida Baker¹s favourite ways to find inspiration for her online arts, culture and lifestyle magazine. As a writer Candida has written numerous books, and she¹s worked in senior jobs in journalism for many years, including five years as editor of the Weekend Australian Magazine. Her passions include photography, art and natural horsemanship, and she sees Verandah Magazine as a natural extension of the rich and varied environment of the Northern Rivers.
Green Left Weekly
In these days of growing media concentration, Green Left Weekly is a proudly independent voice committed to human and civil rights, global peace and environmental sustainability, democracy and equality. By printing the news and ideas the mainstream media won’t, Green Left Weekly exposes the lies and distortions of the power brokers and helps us to better understand the world around us.
Green Left Weekly has volunteer correspondents based around Australia and bureaux in Europe, UK and Latin America. Margaret Gleeson of the Brisbane Activist Centre will speak on behalf of Green Left Weekly.
The West End Magazine
Danielle Hughes Brown is publisher and editor in chief of Queensland Magazines, which publishes The West End Magazine, Highlife Downs Living, and Indulge magazines, in print and online. She has worked in journalism, editing, publishing management, marketing and advertising for companies including Vogue Magazines, News Limited, Clemenger Advertising, Brisbane Arcade, UDIA and Tourism Queensland.
The Westender
Kerrod Trott became involved in community publishing in the 80s, while living on a Multiple Occupancy in the hills outside Lismore, NSW. On moving back to Brisbane, Kerrod commenced publishing the Westender in 1992 as a tabloid community newspaper. The Westender has had its up and downs over the years, but Kerrod has maintained his commitment to independent, community publishing notwithstanding, while never quite being able to give up his day job.
