First Nations Media News February 2022

Welcome to 2022 and I hope that you have had a well-earned break over the Christmas and New Year’s period.

As you would be aware 2021 proved to be a trying time with the Covid-19 Pandemic impacting our lives in many ways but it was great to see so many of you and your organisations continue to get the important message out to our communities to be safe and adhere to the restrictions put in place by governments and health professionals. 2022 looks to be just as challenging. FNMA will continue to work with the relevant health authorities and members to help keep First Nations people safe.

As I reflect over 2021, it was great to see FNMA grow as the national peak body and welcome new staff to the organisation. It was good to note that most of them are First Nations professionals whose skills and experience will be utilised to our full advantage. You will meet them on the phone and in person as we grow from strength to strength.

2022 is going to be a very busy and exciting year for FNMA with more opportunities for partnerships with external stakeholders and funding. The FNMA News Initiative continues this year and we'll be inviting a new cohort of journalists to join the team of reporters soon. IndigiTUBE will expand its platform in new ways to showcase First Nations producers' work. InDigiMOB is getting to more communities in the NT, SA and WA. The important Archiving Project is now well underway protecting the media content First Nations people have produced over the years. Our operations team in Alice Springs coordinates and supports these activities for the benefit of our members, and of course our Member Services Officer, Stephanie Stone is always there to call for assistance with a really broad range of issues anytime.

The FNMA office will move to a new site in Todd Mall in June/July, giving FNMA a modern shop front that will contribute to the branding of the peak body, being more visible in the town centre and a safe culturally appropriate place for out-of-town visitors to come to. The new office is a co-tenancy with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) who will occupy one space and FNMA the other. We look forward to welcoming you there!

CONVERGE and the First Nations Media Awards will definitely go ahead in April but with the uncertainty of the pandemic, both will be online events, as will our AGM held at the same time. I will be regularly updating you with information in our newsletters throughout the year.

I would also like to thank the many of you have made my transition as the CEO to First Nations Media Australia a smooth one. It’s with your support and help that I have settled in well and I look forward to having a long and successful tenure here and building great relationships with you and your broadcasters, communities and organisations. If you would like to contact me to discuss anything, especially how we can create partnerships and assist you with your projects, my door, email and phone is always open and I look forward to hearing from you.

- Dennis Stokes, FNMA Chief Executive Officer

With some support from the Commonwealth Department of Health, FNMA members are producing targeted content that resonates with local communities; leading by example and drawing on trusted voices to help address any community concerns. Vaccination rates continue to rise in many areas of the country with people getting their second and third jabs now, but there are still some regions with lower protection levels. FNMA is proud of our members who are having the conversations that matter to keep our communities safe. View just a sample of vaccine-related content here.

Speaking of the COVID-19 response, First Nations Media Australia partnered with the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism to undertake a study of First Nations media during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on three case studies, PAW Media in Yuendumu, 3KND in Melbourne and Wilcannia River Radio, the study explores the role First Nations media undertook in keeping communities safe as the pandemic began to unfold.
FNMA is grateful to the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas for providing funding support for this research. Read the report here.

First Nations Media Australia have extended the nominations for the 2021 First Nations Media Awards until 25 February 2022.

COVID-19 is still a huge focus across the sector with vaccinations, the easing of borders, and restrictions being lifted, plus we are getting close to Christmas, which means office closures. Because this is such a busy time of the year, we want to give everyone that extra opportunity to recognise the incredible people in our sector, and the work being done within media organisations to support the delivery of the amazing content being produced all year round.

If you have any questions or get stuck with the nomination process at any point, contact jenni@firstnationsmedia.org.au or call 08 8952 6465.

Nominations close on 25 February 2022

FNMA, in partnership with AIATSIS and supported by the NT Government, will open a new engagement and digitisation centre in Alice Springs this year. Located in the Todd Mall, it will have around 1700 square metres for exhibitions and preservation work, providing culturally appropriate digitisation and storage capacity along with training in archiving skills for local staff. We're currently co-designing the community space with AIATSIS and moving into the fit-out phase soon. Literally, watch this space!

As we move into this exciting new space for archiving, we're looking for someone to lead the project in Alice Springs. The Archiving Manager will manage the establishment of the digitisation facility and several projects aimed at building archiving capacity, tools and skills within the First Nations media and community organisations. The role will lead a small team to support the preservation and maintenance of 40+ years of media content (including cultural recordings) to ensure community access for future generations. Applications are now open. Read more.

The Infrastructure Audit project is nearing completion with the finalising of the report expected this month. The Infrastructure Audit team (Wayne Bynder and Kirstyn Lindsay) first developed Smartsheets to record the information before sending out a request for our member stations to send in their equipment audits, once received, they were placed into the Smartsheets. The team also held two Zoom forums to provide information to members as well as to get a sense of what members were feeling about this project. The equipment lists are of benefit to the stations as it provides each station with a detailed summary of the equipment they have within their stations. Any of our members that may have missed out, still can participate as these equipment audits belong to our members to keep and develop as you add new assets. Results from the Infrastructure Audit will be presented to the Board and then released publicly shortly after.

inDigiMOB has reached the first reporting milestone of our new Telstra Funding Agreement. We have been facilitating workshops with 4 new communities in South Australia and Western Australia.The inDigiMOB core team have been more active in the delivery of both online and face-to-face workshops over this time and more members of the team are improving their skills at frontline training delivery, as well as engaging with partner organisations to organise and coordinate digital activities.
Check out the updates on our website or our Facebook page (@indigimob).

We are still looking for some new recruits based in WA, SA or NT. If you know someone that might be interested, get them to check out the full details on the FNMA website here.

The Australian Government is seeking information about how people get their news, particularly from those living in regional and remote communities. This information will contribute to a Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia's regional newspapers, but the survey includes options to provide feedback on radio and television news services too. It's a quick one, taking only about 5 minutes. You are encouraged to let Government know where you're getting your news information here. And feel free to share it with your families!

The National NAIDOC Committee invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to submit their artwork for the National NAIDOC poster competition. This competition represents a significant opportunity for talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists aged 13 years and over to have their work recognised nationally and internationally as part of the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and achievements during NAIDOC Week. Entries close on 14 March 2022. Read more.

Nominations are also open for the NAIDOC Awards. Do you know someone who has empowered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their communities and beyond? Who has promoted Indigenous issues in the wider community? Or who has shown excellence in their chosen field? Nominate them here.

Untapped is a breakthrough talent development program for undiscovered and historically excluded Australian screenwriters and directors.
The program, which includes masterclasses from visionary filmmakers who are boldly breaking down industry barriers and mentorship from internationally successful and high-profile production companies. This nine-month program is designed to give emerging Australian screenwriters and directors the education and access needed to fast track their careers and their projects.
Applications must be submitted by March 1 2022. For further information on how to apply, please go to the AiF website here.

The Australian Government has launched its JobTrainer packages to support trainees with free or low-fee courses. Fortunately for the media sector, many of our RTOs are able to offer subsidised courses through state government supports. However, JobTrainer could be a viable option for longer term traineeships of up to three-years, such as cadet journalists. Employers can access wage subsidies up to 50% through the program, pairing wage supports with relevant training courses in your state. Applications close on 31 March 2022. Read more.