Applications close at 11:59pm, 11 March.
The Walkley Foundation and McKinnon have announced From Bottom Line to Headlines: Public Finance for Journalists. It’s an exclusive workshop for journalists who want to sharpen their understanding of how state and federal government budgets are made, how spending decisions take shape, and the financial and economic dimensions of policies and government services.
A list of top-level insiders from journalism, politics and public administration will be announced as speakers in the coming weeks for the workshop in Canberra on Monday, 13 April. A select cohort of around 15 journalists will be chosen by application through a process managed by the Walkley Foundation.
The intensive one-day, in-person workshop is designed to give the chosen journalists the context, confidence and practical insight to better interrogate public spending and turn it into clear, accessible journalism in the public interest.
The program is targeted at experienced journalists from non-business reporting specialties. That includes reporters moving into more complex policy coverage, as well as skilled reporters who have never worked on a public finance or economics desk but regularly grapple with the consequences of budget decisions, government policy and service delivery.
Across the day, participants will discover and explore how budgets work in practice, how governments frame fiscal choices, and how journalists can better question, test and explain those choices. This is aimed at providing stronger scrutiny, clearer storytelling and reporting that helps audiences understand how decisions are made in their name.
The cost of the program itself, including travel to Canberra and accommodation, will be funded by McKinnon and administered by The Walkley Foundation. McKinnon is supporting this program with the ultimate aim of improving the awareness, understanding and engagement of the public in government policy and spending.
Applicants will be asked to submit examples of recent work, a short statement outlining their interest in the program, and a brief pitch for a story engaging with government spending or budget decisions. Successful applicants will be expected to apply the learning in their reporting following the workshop and support McKinnon in evaluating the training program’s effectiveness.
