The Yarn

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been covering how ordinary Australians feel about the political candidates competing for their votes. We’ve been focussing on the constituency of Chisholm, one of the most marginal of all electorates.  

This week, we’re flipping our focus to the election media coverage itself. 

We’re bringing you a live panel discussion with some of the country’s top editors about how the coverage has unfolded and how the public is responding. 

You’ll hear from Gay Alcorn of The Age, Lenore Taylor of The Guardian, Tom Zaunmayr of The National Indigenous Times, James Campbell of News Corp, and Misha Ketchell of The Conversation.  

The panel is moderated by Associated Professor Andrew Dodd, the director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism. 

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The electorate of Chisholm is not only the most marginal seat in Victoria, it’s also one of the most diverse. Almost half its residents were born overseas and almost one in six have Chinese ancestry. 

The week, we’ll hear from reporters Jenny Cai and Caitlyn Duan about two of those residents and the concerns they’ll be taking to the ballot box later this month.  

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.

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This week, we’re zeroing in on one of the most heated battlegrounds in this month’s election: the electorate of Chisholm in Victoria.   

We’ll hear from reporters Meghan Dansie and Sean Ruse about two very different Chisholm voters and the issues they’re most passionate about. One is a teenager voting in her first ever federal election, the second has been voting for over a decade, but began questioning his political beliefs during the pandemic.

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.

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Ahead of Australia’s general election on May 21, 2022, we’re launching a new miniseries about a key battleground in Victoria. It's called Chisholm, and it's one of the most marginal electorates in the country.

In today's episode, we're joined by reporter Petra Stock who explains why Chisholm's is so important. 

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.

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As concerts halls cleared out and people cancelled their holidays, COVID dried up revenue streams for most leisure industries. 

In today’s episode of generation COVID, our journalists investigate how workers got creative in their efforts to move their jobs from the stage and streets to their bedrooms. 

Reporting by Chenyang Han, Christopher M. Harley, Jade Murray, and Zhixin Zhang

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne.

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During the world's longest lockdown, Melbournians yearned for their lives to return to normal. Now that restrictions have eased, some are finding that things aren't quite as normal as they'd hoped. 

From the way we’re getting married, to how the most vulnerable people have slipped through the cracks, it's becoming clear that things may never go back to the way they were before. 

In our first episode of Generation Covid, four reporters look into our our post-lockdown society. 

Reporting by Meghan Dansie, Sasha Gattermayr, Ann Khorany, and Nick Doyle.

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, at the University of Melbourne.

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If there’s one thing humans love, it’s doing things en masse.

From fashion to collecting data, building algorithms, and social contact, we always seem to demand more. Sometimes, finding the balance is difficult. And we don't always get it right. This week on Swarm our journalists investigate the dark side of swarm behaviour.

Reporting by Yue Jiang, Maya Pilbrow, and Julie Barman. 

These stories have been produced as part of an upcoming exhibition with the Science Gallery Melbourne. They were developed together with mentors from All The Best.

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, at the University of Melbourne.

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Have you ever looked at a group of ants carrying food back to the colony, and wondered how they know how to work together so well? Or pondered how storks know how to migrate from Europe to North-Africa for the winter? Well, there’s a word for it: Stigmergy. 

From the behaviour of insects to, jellyfish blooms and mice plagues, our reporters investigate what drives animals to band together, and how our changing environment may be affecting them. Reporting by Angus Thompson, Amalyah Hart, and Matthew Hall. 

These stories have been produced as part of an upcoming exhibition with the Science Galley Melbourne. They were developed together with mentors from All The Best.

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, at The University of Melbourne.

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We all desperately want to be a part of something greater than ourselves. Instinct tells us when we band together, we can achieve amazing things. But our desire to belong can drive us – and our environment – to strange places. 

In part one of our new series Swarm, we present three stories about the lengths we go to for connection, and the hidden price we sometimes pay. Reporting by Julie Fenwick, Nyima Lhamo Wangchuk, and Josh Nevett. 

These stories have been produced as part of an upcoming exhibition with the Science Gallery Melbourne. They were developed together with mentors from All The Best.

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, at The University of Melbourne

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What if the Murray River could sing? Well, it turns out that it can.  

In this special edition of The Yarn, a co-production with ABC Radio National, outgoing 2021 Citizen graduate cadet Jordyn Beazley reports on what the river song tells about the history and health of this vital waterway, its ecology, and its troubled future.  

This audio feature was developed for Radio National’s Science Friction program, where it was originally produced and presented by Natasha Mitchell. It was supported by a fellowship grant awarded by the Science Journalists Association of Australia. 

The Yarn is produced at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, at the University of Melbourne. 

Original audio and other great Science Friction episodes can be found here: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sciencefriction/murray-river-sound-sonification/13647928

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