Fri, 3 Mar 2023
The Australian Associated Press (AAP) has announced the two recruits who will staff its new Indigenous Affairs desk, an initiative supported by the Snow Foundation.
Former Koori Mail Editor, Rudi Maxwell has taken on the Senior Reporter role while Eelemarni Close-Brown will work alongside her as a Junior Reporter.
Eelemarni says she is very excited by the opportunity to work at AAP while she completes a journalism degree at Notre Dame University in Sydney.
“I’m looking forward to working with Rudi, telling stories that amplify the voices and communities of Indigenous Australia,” she says.
“For me this opportunity represents having a seat at the table that not many young Indigenous people have in the Australian media landscape.
“I hope that the work we do encourages more young and motivated Indigenous writers to pursue a career with the AAP and journalism in general.”
Rudi echoed Eelmarni’s sentiment and said spoke to the opportunities
“I’m so excited about working with Eelemarni to craft stories for the Indigenous Affairs desk,” she says.
“We’re aiming to create a broad range of interesting and original stories that reflect the diversity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait community.
“While the referendum on the voice to Parliament is clearly a once-in-a-generation event that will be a focal point, we’re also aiming to tell stories that go beyond what the politicians say and provide an opportunity for community members to give their opinion.”
AAP has been providing Australia with factual, unbiased news for close to 90 years. When it faced closure in 2020, it was saved by philanthropic supporters and is now an independent, not-for-profit organisation with DGR status.
AAP would welcome philanthropic support from other partners for the Indigenous desk.
