Nassim is an award-winning journalist at ABC News. She began working at The Age in 2003 covering courts, state politics and urban affairs before becoming its economics correspondent. She wrote for Fairfax Media’s BRW magazine, The Australian Financial Review and was the deputy business editor for both The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Jessica has 20 years combined experience in media and communications incorporating radio, TV and digital -- internationally and domestically -- with both the public broadcaster and commercial networks. Presently working with Network Ten as Producer and Fact Checker on the award-winning daily news/current affairs program, The Project, the scope of her news and current affairs experience however, includes a specialisation in Islam/West relations (MA ANU 2013) and communications consulting in the private sector.
In early 2022 Jessica was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies (Monash) and is currently undertaking a Doctor of Law – Juris Doctor (ANU 2024).
Prior to her current role with NetworkTen, she has worked with ABC KTVXNews4 Utah, Arabian Radio Network (Dubai), Dubai Media Incorporated, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Zena is a journalist, filmmaker and documentary producer who fell in love with storytelling after spending time in the Middle East and learning about her heritage. She is a fluent Arabic speaker and has worked as a journalist at the ABC, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) and as a TV reporter and producer at Network 10 and The Project.
Dr Usha Rodrigues is a former journalist and senior academic in journalism at Deakin University. She researches, teaches, writes and commentates on issues on contemporary media practices, globalisation of the media and cultural diversity in India and Australia, and has co-authored three books on the subject as well as several peer-reviewed journal articles.
Tito is an award-winning Indonesian journalist, writer and lecturer. After moving to Australia, he worked at the ABC before switching to journalism research and training. Since then, he has worked for the Asia Pacific News Centre, Australia Indonesia Centre, La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. He now teaches data journalism and journalism technologies at RMIT University.
Straddling multiple cultures of his native Malaysia, enriched by his 30 years resident in Melbourne, K.C. lives and works diversity in his personal and professional life. Drawing from his experience as editor of a bimonthly business magazine in Malaysia and as editor of a news daily, K.C. brings managerial and additional line perspectives as a former journalist at The Age to his role in MDA Victoria. A student of politics and culture from Monash University, K.C. is writing freelance out of Melbourne for The Malaysian Insight portal.
Alana Schetzer is a journalist, academic and strategic communications specialist. She worked at Fairfax Media for nine years, including five years as a news reporter and sports columnist at The Age. She also worked at the ABC and Reuters, teaches at the University of Melbourne, and has been published extensively as a freelance journalist throughout Australia and internationally. Alana co-founded Women in Media and was awarded a Dart Centre Asia Pacific Fellowship in 2017. She was a three-term federal officer for the Media, Entertainment, and Art Alliance and was a trustee of the Media Safety and Solidarity Trust. She currently specialises in Middle East policy.
Achol Arok is a recent journalism graduate from La Trobe University. She has been casually assisting ABC’s Melbourne newsroom while freelancing since graduation. She intends to work in all avenues of journalism, but specifically television and radio. Achol is passionate about being an advocate for diversity in Australia’s media, intending to be a representative for different communities in mainstream media.
