Sensitive issues

Journalism is published writing. Your interactions with your editor are public, and your work is often seen by many people in a news operation before being published. The principles of journalism include a welcoming attitude toward any source that can make our work better, more accurate, more useful and more understandable. All of this is to say that your work in this class may be discussed and edited publicly (i.e., in front of the class), just as it would in a newsroom. Your instructors are veteran published journalists—and they will cheerfully tell you they have had their work subject to the same treatment!

Also: Due to the nature of journalism, some stories we read may make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy (e.g., descriptions of crimes including sexual assault, murder, child abuse, domestic violence, discussions of illnesses, death and dying). If you feel uncomfortable, it is important that you contact the unit coordinator or another member of the team as soon as possible to discuss this with them. You are not required to share confidential information with us if you do not wish to. If you attend the class but at any point you feel uncomfortable, you are free to leave. 

Publishing work in Salience & The Junction

Salience website showcases a selection of our best student assignments, such as audio­visual news stories, interviews, feature writing, creative nonfiction, commentary and other media­-related work. The Junction showcases university journalism from Australia, NZ and the Pacific. If you receive a D or HD for an assignment and it’s considered suitable for publishing, your unit coordinator may arrange for you to be contacted by the Salience Editor and The Junction campus editor, Pam Walker, who will guide you through the process for inclusion.

No rights are reserved, so you can still seek publication of your brilliance elsewhere. To ensure eligibility, please make sure that you secure consent from interviewees during the production process, using the templates provided by your unit coordinator. Also, you can only use music and samples from other media that you have the rights to ­ or that is Creative Commons licensed for modified use. We look forward to seeing your work made available to the public!