Luncheon Meeting Thursday 11th April, 2013

What is the role of the media in shaping public policy and opinion on issues vital to the survival of Australia’s rural industries? Was it legitimate for an ABC Four Corners program to reset the public agenda in relation to the export of live cattle from this country?

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2012 Telstra Rural Media Award Winners Announced

ABC journalist, Michael Sexton, and The Advertiser photographer, Tait Schmaal, have taken home the major prizes at the 2012 Telstra Rural Media Awards today.

Michael Sexton came through from the television section of the journalism awards and in a long and distinguished career, this is his first major Rural Media South Australia (RMSA) Telstra award.

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Food shortage investigation sends Staight to the top

An investigative report into Australia’s role in the global food shortage has won a South Australian television journalist international recognition.

ABC Landline’s Kerry Staight has won two significant awards at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress in Sweden.

Staight’s story “The Future of Food” has won her the IFAJ-YARA Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting.

The report also won the television category of the IFAJ Star Prize for Broadcasting.

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Mentoring Award for Country Journalists An initiative designed to foster excellence in regional journalism has been announced by the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society (RA&HS) & Rural Media South Australia (RMSA). Jointly funded by the two organisations and supported by media mentor partners the Stock Journal, Channel Seven, ABC Rural and The Advertiser, the award encourages greater reporting on SA Country Shows and aims to elevate the importance of regional communities and rural issues for all South Australians. The winner will be mentored while compiling stories about locals competing at the Royal Adelaide Show for publication/broadcast by their regional media employer. They will receive $1,000.00 to cover expenses and a tailored two-day education program during the 2013 Royal Adelaide Show. Full story Brochure

2012 / 2013 RMSA Committee (L-R) IFAJ Aust Rep and RMSA VP Leigh Radford (ABC Rural), Deanna Lush (Rural Press), President and Life Member Ian Doyle, Karen Holthouse (RA&HS), Secretary / Treasurer and Life Member Bob Snewin, interMEDIA editor and Life Member Dale Manson and ACAJ SA Delegate Ian Turner (Superior Selections). Absent Kay Matthias (Rural Financial Counselling Service SA Inc).

Rural Media Awards Announced

South Australia’s rural journalists and photographers were recognised today with the announcement of the Telstra Rural Media Awards.

ABC journalist Kerry Staight and Advertiser photographer Tricia Watkinson were this year’s Telstra Rural Journalist and Photographer of the Year award winners.

Prize money and trophies exceeding $5,000 were presented to the category and overall award winners by Mark Bolton, Area General Manager, Telstra.

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SA finalists celebrated in prestigious national rural broadcasting award

Three local journalists are in the running to win the Rabobank Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting and represent Australia in a prestigious international competition for excellence in reporting on issues related to agriculture.

South Australian finalists in the Australian competition were celebrated today in Adelaide at a gathering of Rural Media South Australia, the State’s press club for people interested in rural issues.

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Fire photo a national winner for Mark

Two South Australians have been honoured in a prestigious national award program celebrating rural Australia, announced in Sydney today.

The Advertiser’s Mark Brake has won the category for nature and landscape photography in the Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography, and will now represent Australia in a major international competition. Tait Schmaal, from the same newspaper, was awarded a highly commended in the category for photos relating to farm production.

The prestigious award is organized by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), the umbrella body for Australia’s five rural press clubs, including Rural Media South Australia (RMSA).

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RMSA member wins international award

In a major coup for Australian rural broadcasting, local journalist Kerry Staight from ABC Landline has won the inaugural IFAJ Star Prize for Agricultural Broadcasting, announced this week in Belgium.

Her international success against finalists from five continents was celebrated on Friday at a Rural Media South Australia lunch featuring Kerry O'Brien, from the ABC's 7.30 Report.

Rabobank State manager James Robinson was also on hand to present her with a certificate commemorating her win in the television category of the Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting, sponsored by Rabobank. He presented an encouragement award to RMSA president Ian Doyle who contested the national online video category.

Kerry Staight was named overall winner at the international level after taking out the television category of the IFAJ awards with a story about succession planning on family farms.

Former South Australian ABC rural reporter, Sarina Locke, now based in Canberra, won the radio category with a documentary about her visit to West Timor, following in the footsteps of her mother who worked there 15 years ago on an Australian-funded program to control exotic animal diseases.

The winning entries are available online at www.acaj.org.au

More details about the awards are available at www.ifaj.org

RMSA Honours Bob Snewin with Honorary Life Membership

Honorary Life Membership recipient, Bob Snewin (middle) with fellow RMSA Hon Life Members, Ian Doyle (left) and Bruce Mitchell (right)

Rural Media South Australia recently honoured its long serving Secretary/Treasurer, Bob Snewin with Honorary Life Membership of the organisation.  Bob joins Jim McCarter, Bruce Mitchell and Ian Doyle as only the fourth person in RMSA’s forty year history to receive this honour.

Bob Snewin’s initial involvement with RMSA was over twenty years ago while he was State Manager of the Australian Dairy Corporation.  He realised the invaluable role RMSA could play in influencing community attitudes toward the primary industry sector and in enhancing the flow of high level information back to people working in rural areas.

In a record for RMSA, Bob Snewin has served in the role of Secretary/Treasurer for well over a decade, including providing expert advice on the overall governance of the organisation.  He continues in this role.

Australian journalists urged to enter new award - Sustainable agriculture and food production shortages key themes

At a time when the Australian media are reporting extensively on the impact of floods and drought on farming and food production, a new international award has been launched to honour excellence in journalism related to these issues.

Members of Australia’s five rural press clubs are eligible to enter through their affiliation with the IFAJ’s national counterpart, the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists.

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IFAJ Newsletter, January 2011
Experience new world agriculture (in Canada)

We are pleased to announce that we are officially open for business!

On January 15, we launched the registration process for the upcoming Canadian IFAJ congress. You can now register by visiting our website at www.ifaj2011.com.

In this newsletter we aim to give you all of the details on how to register for the upcoming event which begins on September 14, 2011.
We know that travelling to foreign countries can sometimes be confusing so we’re eager to try and make your trip as easy as possible.

We look forward to hosting you soon!

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Expanded rural media awards
search for best in the bush

Three major national awards for journalists and photographers covering rural issues have been announced today by the Australian Council for Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ).

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RMSA honours Jon Lamb

Having spent a lifetime in the media, veteran journalist Jon Lamb was honoured by Rural Media South Australia at its 22 October function.

He was inducted as the RMSA's second Rural Media Icon.

Win IFAJ Canada Congress registration

The Alltech Young Leaders in Rural Journalism Award is being offered by Alltech in conjunction with the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) and rural media clubs around Australia.

Download the brochure

Tait Schmaal was highly commended for his goat photograph in the Production category of the Award. Tait took the photograph for the Adelaide Advertiser.

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