ABC journalist, Patricia Karvelas, has called for Indigenous Australians to be at the forefront of reporting on their own communities in the lead up to debates around the Voice to Parliament referendum.
The Greek Australian made the comments during her inaugural lecture as honorary professor at RMIT’S school of media and communication.
Karvelas said having been an Indigenous affairs reporter as a non-Aboriginal person for many years, she recognises the complexity of the position.
She now strongly believes “that we must have Aboriginal Australians in the driver’s seat of reporting on their own communities” and stressed that the media should report the referendum debate fairly and hear a range of views on the issue.
“We don’t need to hear about Indigenous Australia always and only through the prism of white Australia,” the journalist said.
“Our job will be having a conversation that involves all of Australia and centres the voices and lives of Indigenous Australians.”
Source: The Australian
