Singing praises of student news
by Jessica Marshallsay
The Warbler, UniSA’s online student newspaper, is written and produced entirely by journalism students.
Catherine Graue, chief of staff and a fourth year journalism and international studies student, said she was drawn to working on The Warbler for the hands-on experience.
"I wanted to not only improve my skills in interviewing and writing but I also wanted to improve my skills communicating with students.
"As a journalist, seeing my work come together and be on the Internet for the whole world to see is great," she said.
Head of the School of Communication, Professor Kerry Green, said The Warbler gives students real experience.
"The students are subject to the laws of defamation and the laws of courts, which they usually aren’t in their studies," he said, adding that the experience is an excellent opportunity for students to build their portfolios.
The Warbler was given a new home recently with the opening of a newsroom at the Magill campus.
It was first used during the World Police and Fire Games in March this year, which involved some of The Warbler’s staff.
"The newsroom was the centre for a concentrated burst of activity for journalism, film and video students, who produced a daily news bulletin for the games," Prof Green said.
The Warbler staff are now using the newsroom for meetings, writing articles, and producing the articles online.
Undergraduate journalism program director, Kathryn Bowd said there are plans to expand The Warbler.
"There are going to be a lot of opportunities to expand it further, such as streaming audio and video. We see it as being a real flagship for the School of Communication," she said.
There are also plans to extend The Warbler to involve other students.
"I hope that The Warbler will be able to replicate the real array of functions you would find in a news publication, including a newsroom, an advertising department, a distribution department and an executive management section," Prof Green said.