Massey journalism students maintain winning form
massey-university
Tue Jun 15 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Massey journalism students maintain winning form
Tuesday, 15 June 2010, 2:14 pm
Press Release: Massey University
Massey journalism students maintain winning form at Qantas Media Awards
Massey journalism graduate Amanda Fisher has won this year’s Qantas Media Award for student journalism, the third time in the past four years a Massey student has taken out the prestigious prize.
Laura Jackson took out the award last year and Jenny Macintyre in 2007.
Two of the finalists this year were Massey graduates, with Michael Dickison also making it to the top four.
Five other recent Massey graduates also picked up awards at the ceremony.
Matt Calman won for best junior general news story, Tom Fitzsimons for best junior newspaper business feature and best junior arts and entertainment story, Bronwyn Torrie for best junior crime/justice story, Kirsty Johnston for best junior science/environmental story and Sean Gillespie for best junior politics feature.
The wins were announced at the awards gala dinner in Auckland on June 11.
Ms Fisher’s winning portfolio included a piece on the tragic death of an East Timorese boy, an investigation into a contaminated residential site, the proposed introduction of bus lanes into a pedestrian shopping mall, and the relocation of a New Zealand company’s manufacturing operations overseas.
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The judge said Ms Fisher’s portfolio was very strong.
"They were stories that many experienced journalists would have been proud of."
Ms Fisher said she was "elated" and "honoured" by her win.
The stories were published when Ms Fisher studied the Graduate Diploma of Journalism at Massey in 2009.
All the Massey lecturers had been very supportive during the course, she said.
"At undergraduate level you’re just one student in a class of 600, but on the journalism course the lecturers give you lots of one-to-one tutoring."
The lecturers emphasised the need for tenacity and to keep the big picture in mind when investigating stories, she said.
She also paid tribute to fellow finalist Michael Dickison.
"I was doubly honoured that he was a finalist.
"During the course Michael was a sounding board for many of my ideas."
As well as a certificate, Ms Fisher received $500 from the New Zealand Journalists’ Training Organisation for her win.
ENDS
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