Student journalists learn about Aboriginal communities and culture in Western Australia

Non-Aboriginal journalists seldom get to meet and talk with Aboriginal people about their life and beliefs, and this often results in narrow and misinformed reporting. This paper reports on a new initiative between the Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health (CUCRH) and the journalism program at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia to help journalism students achieve a better understanding of Aboriginal communities and culture, and, consequently, a more informed approach to their reporting of Aboriginal issues. In July 2008, eight final-year ECU journalism students spent a month with Aboriginal communities in two Western Australian towns. The placement was offered again in July 2010.