This Week's Media Movements 

Nick O’Malley appointed as the national environment and climate editor for SMH/The Age
Nick is a senior writer and a former US correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. 

Miki Perkins moves from social affairs editor to Victorian environment reporter for The Age
Miki spent five years in the role of social affairs editor for the newspaper.

• Amy Collett will become group content director for Hit WA in Perth
• Dan Cole will be Triple M’s North West content director, overseeing Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome, Geraldton, Triple M WA and Kalgoorlie
• Jarred O’Brien will commence as group content director for Triple M South West, covering Bunbury, Albany, Esperance, Northam & Merredin, Narrogin & Katanning

Gerard Henderson is no longer a panellist on the ABC's Insider
The conservative commentator on the ABC’s top-rating Sunday morning political show will make way for new conservative voices.

Debbie Carr will join NME Australia as a contributing writer 
The triple j ‘super user’ and content producer is also a freelancer who compiles music interviews for Pilerats.

Ninah Kopel has joined The Feed on SBS as a researcher
Ninah formerly worked with 2SER and ABC Audio Studios.

Eddie McGuire and Bruce McAvaney will host the AFL State of Origin for Bushfire Relief
The Fox Footy and Seven commentary hosts will unite for the first time in 30 years for the match broadcast on both networks at 7.30pm on Friday, 28th February. 

Rex Hunt will call 3AW’s coverage of the State of Origin for Bushfire Relief
The footy legend, who played 202 VFL matches from 1968 to 1978, will bring his inimitable style to the special coverage alongside Shane McInnes, Matthew Lloyd and Brad Hardie. 

Nine Radio’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics podcast Ready Set Tokyo returns for a second season
Fronted by 3AW’s Shane McInnes and 2GB’s Natalie Peters, the new season is set to feature guests such as John Coates, Kieren Perkins, Kevan Gosper, Andrew Gaze, Sally Pearson and Steve Hooker.

Editor's Pick: Press Release of the Week

Sydney flies the flag for international pride

Image: City Of Sydney

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Media Spotlight

Tania Safi, Reporter and Producer at SBS

Tania Safi has been a journalist at SBS Sydney since July 2019 and has specialised in documentary journalism for over a decade. She is passionate about educating and entertaining audiences through accessible and innovative video. Tania has also shared her knowledge about digital video at MadFest London; Women in Film at Riverside Sydney; as a consultant on media initiatives at the United Nations 8th Global Forum 2018; and across high schools and colleges all across the globe. Connect with her here.

What does a day in the life of a reporter/producer in your field look like?
I've been producing, directing, shooting and editing journalism and documentary videos for over 10 years. From SBS to my own series on change makers in the MENA region, Shway Shway, I've shot across Lebanon, India, the US, Canada, Australia and more. My pre-production involves researching the history of the person or place I'm featuring, but once I'm there and with a camera in hand, anything can happen. I was most recently living in settlements across Lebanon, for example, talking to those fleeing persecution and the people/groups that try to provide sanitary products, health and education to those most vulnerable.
 
Tell us about your experience as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ and media community?
Being a queer Arab woman, it's unavoidable to have some stories to tell that I haven’t seen or heard elsewhere, which makes for great motivation as a producer-director. My first production was actually an animation that I hand drew while living in a war zone, and my identity inexplicably came through in the piece. It won first place in a UN film festival in New York. Since then I've produced, shot and hosted LGBTQIA+ documentaries and stories for BuzzFeed, SBS and Shway Shway, consulted world leaders at the UN headquarters, had a film premiere at Mardi Gras Film Festival, hosted talks at MadFest in London and have been featured on podcasts like Queer Arabs and GurlsTalk. I believe inclusive and accessible film and digital video help shape our world into a more understanding, represented and cohesive space.

What is one of your favourite or most important stories you've worked on (regarding the LGBTQIA+)?
I was recently living in Lebanon working on my series Shway Shway. I ended up producing and directing two documentaries about LGBTQIA+ life there, one that was recently in Queer Screen. One film touched on a volunteer-run space in the heart of Beirut that is open all day, every day to LGBTQIA+ people to make or exhibit their art. They also offer housing and work to trans and gender diverse people and provide legal advice to those persecuted. The other film followed two transgender best friends and their plight navigating life through Lebanon. They were equally brilliant to work on and the impact it made on the wider LGBTQIA+ Arabic community was enormous. It was the first time a lot of audiences had seen or heard about life in Lebanon in a way that didn’t feed stereotypes or focus purely on the challenges, so giving back to my community like that was a breath of fresh air for me.

What do you look for in a press release?
Honestly I get so many, it’s difficult to get through them all. Naturally I lean toward things that interest me, but I really value learning new things, too.

How can the coverage of Mardi Gras be more inclusive or progressive?
I think all coverage of anything media related should always be as accessible and progressive as possible, from captioning titles to ensuring that media is fair and honest. I think Mardi Gras has come a far way itself, but still has a lot of leg work to go to ensure their events are more inclusive of First Nation’s panellists and artists, as well as LGBTQIA+ people of colour - and naturally as the celebrations progress, then so too does the coverage.