2016 Young Rural & Regional Journalist Professional Development Award Recipient (Sept 2016)

Recipient of the 2016 Young Rural & Regional Journalist Professional Development Award was Loxton based journalist Stephanie Thompson, a senior journalist with the Taylor Group’s Loxton News.

Convened by Rural Media SA and the RA&HS Education Foundation, the award provided Stephanie with a unique opportunity to undertake two days of professional development partnering ABC Radio Rural Department reporters at the 2016 Royal Adelaide Show.

RMSA President, Ian Doyle; Award recipient, Stephanie Thompson; RA&HS President, Rob Hunt; ABC Rural’s Deb O’Callaghan

Stephanie’s employer, Managing Director of the Taylor family’s Murray Pioneer Group, Ben Taylor said his company was very pleased that one of its regionally based journalists could access this professional development opportunity. He was confident that her exposure to the broader media world was of great benefit to Stephanie’s substantive role at the Loxton News.

Although employed as a journalist at the Loxton News, Stephanie had been acting in the role of editor for some time due to that paper’s usual editor being temporarily seconded to higher duties at one of the Taylor Group’s other regional newspapers.

In addressing the RMSA Royal Show Breakfast, Stephanie admitted the two day professional development opportunity held a few surprises for her. In particular, working beside the ABC Radio rural team involved abiding by strict program deadlines on a daily, or even hourly basis. This compared with her past experience of having a single deadline each week while working for the regional print publication.

Stephanie was the fourth recipient of the Young Rural & Regional Journalist Professional Development Award. Recipients were offered the choice of partnering experienced journalists from either the Stock Journal, Channel 7 television, the Advertiser or ABC Rural Radio. As part of the award, the recipients were also provided with a bursary to cover costs associated with accommodation and travel to Adelaide. The regional employer was also provided with funds to engage someone to undertake the duties of the young journalist while they were away receiving professional development at the Royal Adelaide Show.

Award recipient, Stephanie Thompson & RMSA President, Ian Doyle enjoying a joke during her address to the Show Breakfast