In September of last year, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Australian Student Journalism Conference (affectionately termed StuJoCon). It was three fantastic days of meeting other enthusiastic student journalists, pretending to care about Stupol and watching amazing panel discussions and workshops from current journos at the University of Sydney. While there were many things that I enjoyed and appreciated about the chance for a conglomerate of neurotic and over-stimulated uni students to get together, months later, I have continued to think about one particular panel conversation.
On the afternoon of the second day, we were treated to a Q & A panel with three now eminently successful former student journalists: Investigate journalist and activist Wendy Bacon, public law expert and former Native Title Tribunal member Pat Lane and Woroni’s very own (and former ANUSA president) Cam Wilson, now an Associate Editor at Crikey News. Over the session, the three panellists spoke fondly of their time involved in student journalism, reflecting on experiences, challenges they had overcome, and advice for budding student journalists of today. Indeed, it was with great humour that I heard about Honi Soit’s coverage of Tony Abbott’s time as SRC president at USyd. These little easter eggs served as a reminder that despite its seemingly farcical nature, those involved in student politics and its adjacent arenas can and will ingratiate themselves (in an equally farcical manner) into this country’s systems of power.
Not only were these stories fascinating, but it was wonderful to see that the genuine passion for getting to the heart of issues that impact people’s lives had not dwindled. However, I couldn’t help but absorb the potent nostalgia for a bygone era. Dare I say, an era where young adults didn’t have to worry about LinkedIn profiles, Australia’s reverse burden of proof for defamation actions or whether their critique of minute policy changes on campus would result in a cold call from university staff.
Pat and Wendy spoke of crucial activist movements of the 70s and early 80s, such as abortion rights and anti-censorship campaigns. Covers featuring nudity and obscenity caused polarising responses across the University of Sydney campus, as one would expect at the time. However, throughout their reflections, I noted a crucial difference. These debates were ones of reciprocality. Outrage was not a screaming into the void of ANU Confessions. Instead, those in passionate defence of prudishness or whatever the issue was at hand wrote in and were published. No submission, no matter how backward, offensive or ridiculous, went ignored.
It appears that in a modern environment of enthusiastic self-censorship, we have lost the aspect of student journalism that exists as a conversation. The front cover of Honi Soit’s Issue 21 of 1982 tells a tale as old as time in its cynical depiction of Student Union Governance. Despite its continued relevance, such direct criticism is rare for fear of poking the bear that is the 20 people who actually care about Student Politics. However, this reticence to cause anger indirectly ensures that those 20 people remain the only ones who care and are enabled to manage nearly $4 million with no genuine public accountability.
It is, of course, neglectful to ignore the fact that times have changed. Today, students must consider their digital footprint and how this impacts employment opportunities. Additionally, particularly persistent advocates face the risk of defamation or other retaliatory legal actions from far more powerful parties. It is also prudent to be weary of provocation for provocation’s sake. There is no value in creating chaos without a genuine goal of change in a targeted area.
Additionally, the work of these activist movements means it can be harder to be subversive. Woroni’s 2022 sex magazine entitled “Cum As You Are” hardly appears as controversial in comparison to similarly themed anti-censorship media in the 1970s. However, this serves to emphasise the role of student media in destigmatising emerging movements and its continuing role in identifying new areas that should be put into the spotlight.
The future has to acknowledge the new world in which we operate, but this does not diminish the scope for boundary-pushing and its crucial role in achieving progress. As we saw in 2024, the ANU campus is an environment ripe for generating change, and student media outlets play an invaluable role in allowing a diverse student body to offer their perspectives.
I walked away from that afternoon somewhat disheartened—feeling as though Woroni had been missing some of that spark of defiance in our desire to appear as a professional, polished media outlet for ANU students. In a time where students cannot even put up posters in certain areas without appropriate pre-approval, collectives are gutted overnight, and student well-being is seen as an impediment to financial stability, push-back is not just appropriate but necessary.
As Woroni seeks to offer greater advocacy on behalf of the student population, I propose that this cannot occur without your participation. Tell us what you love, hate or find boring. Send us a letter to the editor, respond to an article you feel strongly about, whatever it is we want to hear it. Our job is to publish and platform student voices, not aid in their extinction.
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.