Kill Your Darlings is thrilled to announce the recipients of the KYD Copyright Agency Investigative Journalism Mentorships (CAIJM).
Three successful applicants aged thirty-five or under have been selected to produce a long-form investigative article ranging from 12,000-15,000 words. They are also awarded a mentorship with Gideon Haigh, renowned journalist and author, and a cash prize of $2500.
‘The standard of the submissions for this mentorship was refreshingly high,’ said Haigh. ‘Young journalists, I’m pleased to say, haven’t yet had the imagination and initiative bled out of them by their moribund industry. The three selected entrants are a nicely balanced trio, exploring economic, social and environmental issues from the vantages of South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland respectively. I’ll do my best to live up to them.’
The investigative articles will be published in extract form in future editions of Kill Your Darlings, as well as published in full as eShorts and retailed internationally, between late 2014 and mid 2015.
Below are details of the 2014 CAIJM recipients’ projects.
Daniel Burdon (27, QLD)
In 2011, the World Heritage Committee was alerted to several approvals of gas export facilities in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Daniel Burdon will investigate both sides of the battle that has pitted global gas and coal giants moving to exploit Queensland’s natural resources against an international environmental movement seeking to protect the reef from further decline.
Alexandra Potter (24, NSW)
Australia has always been a drinking nation; it’s part of our identity. So why has there been a sudden and fatal rise in the occurrence of alcohol-related attacks? Alexandra Potter’s investigation will begin with the culture and belief systems that lead young men to engage in physical violence, focusing on Newcastle where a new policy to combat drinking behaviour is currently being tested.
Royce Kurmelovs (23, SA)
Until 2013, the Holden factory in Elizabeth and its subsidiary industries employed around 50,000 people and drove the South Australian economy from the heart of the state’s northern suburbs. Adelaide-based Royce Kurmelovs will investigate the catastrophic effects Holden’s sudden closure will have on working-class communities in Adelaide’s north.
