Building the next generation of journalists with the Kennedy Foundation

Twitter has always been at the heart of news, and news is at the heart of Twitter.

From breaking stories to the latest expert commentary, Twitter is the unrivalled place to find out what’s happening anywhere in the world. This is especially true here in Australia, where journalists have cemented Twitter as the place to break news, check facts and add context to their reporting. It’s hard to recall Australian political life before #AusPol which, for five consecutive years, has been the country’s most used hashtag.

Supporting journalists in their work is central to our continuing work at Twitter.

As part of this ongoing effort, we’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Kennedy Foundation, a news charity that seeks to support journalists and media professionals facing hardship. The foundation, named after veteran crime reporter Les Kennedy, seeks to promote strong camaraderie and support among news media professionals.

As part of our partnership, Twitter is working with @kennedyawards and sponsoring the Kennedy Award for 2018 Young Journalist of the Year, open to up-and-coming journalists aged 26 or under. The winner will be announced at the seventh annual Kennedy Awards on 10 August in Sydney and receive the Kennedy Foundation’s trademark Spirax notebook trophy as well as a $5,000 cash prize to go toward their journalistic efforts.

Twitter is also proud to sponsor The Les Kennedy Scholarship for Indigenous Journalism Students in 2018, which supports an Indigenous student from regional NSW studying journalism at the University of Technology Sydney. Students who win the scholarship will receive Twitter training and support as part of their studies.

Twitter has long been a platform for Indigenous voices to tell their story, with consistent work by organisations such as @IndigenousX to surface untold stories in the community and rapid growth of conversations around hashtags like #IndigenousDads, #IndigenousMums, and #ChangeTheDate across Twitter.

Twitter’s support of the Les Kennedy scholarship will go a small way to continue to build those voices among aspiring Indigenous journalists seeking to hone their craft.

Our partnership with the Kennedy Foundation is part of a number of efforts we have made to help news organisations and journalists use the platform to its fullest, including ongoing work with the Walkley Foundation, Press Council of Australia and the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom.

Twitter will continue to strengthen its tools and capabilities to help journalists gather, distribute and innovate in news. We’re proud to work with the Kennedy Foundation and look forward to seeing the next generation of journalists pick up steam.