Author | Lightnews

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

To be abundantly clear, I’m not criticising local Canberra news outlets for not covering Queanbeyan-Palerang enough. It’s not their patch. Local news in Canberra is resource strapped too, so it’s good to see ANY effort by Canberra outlets covering news in nearby towns. But these towns deserve more

1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Side note. Perhaps (?) there is a place for local governments supporting the funding of independent local media- in a similar way to the ABC. Ie, funding without the expectation of favourable treatment, various firewalls to ensure independence. Totally spitballing here…

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Keeping local governments accountable is fast becoming an endangered skill. And local governments obviously have more resources to employ people than media companies. We need to support early career journos in being brave enough to ask difficult questions of powerful people and institutions

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

💯

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Ngl, Queanbeyan has a special place in my heart they deserve fearless and dedicated local news.

2

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Local Canberra news, Canberra Times, Region, local ABC etc will cover Queanbeyan stories here and there (and it’s usually QBN centric), and big stories in the broader LGA, but there’s no dedicated local media regularly covering the the region.

2 1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

I should note, when I worked at News Corp I covered QPRC stories here and there. Frankly I’d describe Queanbeyan-Palerang as a news desert. The Queanbeyan Age (ACM) was essentially shuttered in 2020 (though the website still exists but just shares news from other ACM mastheads).

1 1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

And also curious if other local councils in NSW or Australia are hiring “cadet journalists” or “journalists” in this way.

TLDR, great PR gig, not a journalism gig, QPRC wyd? /rant over.

1 2

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

I’m curious if QPRC is working with any universities, if these bachelor degrees are journalism degrees (or if they are broader media degrees) and if these degrees are explicitly journalism degrees, what uni is ok’ing PR work as practical journalism experience?

1 3

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

The other thing, this Cadetship comes with the council paying for a bachelors degree. Again, if this was for PR, awesome. The role description- which includes writing media releases- describes PR work. Nothing wrong with doing PR, just call it PR y’know.

2 3

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

But ultimately early career journos need jobs, so teaching those skills becomes secondary to that. Anyway, what’s going to happen when a cadet journalist, hired directly by a local council has a story about a controversy regarding that council? I guess they’ll only do fluff and puff pieces.

1 2

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Keeping local governments accountable is fast becoming an endangered skill. And local governments obviously have more resources to employ people than media companies. We need to support early career journos in being brave enough to ask difficult questions of powerful people and institutions

1 3

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 1d

Mini rant. I got a notification that the QPRC (local council) is hiring a “cadet journalist”. Uhh…
Don’t get me wrong, this would be a great gig for a PR student. But we really can’t have local governments hiring cadet journos. And it’s a really sad state of affairs to see this happening

1 3

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 3d

Hi Internet this was my Halloween costume. I call it bad tax return.

Person in black dress, dark brown lipstick and gothic eye shadow with a piece of paper pinned on the dress saying “estimated tax amount of $10,537.15 owing to the ATO (Australian tax office)”

2

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 4d

Maeve O’Meara does not get enough credit for being a y2k style icon. PinkPantheress would kill for her 2000’s Food Safari wardrobe imo.

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 4d

Don’t talk to me about “naarmcore” unless you know this man.

1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 7d

Another day, another Kirk’s creaming soda dupe

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 13d

Curtis sliwa founded the guardian angels, a vigilante group. Um, deciding to singlehandedly stop crime in NYC like Batman without asking for permission,that’s peak Aries.
Also he got shot five times by the mob in the back of a cab in 1992.

a man wearing a red hat and a white shirt is talking and saying `` i will not move '' .

ALT: a man wearing a red hat and a white shirt is talking and saying `` i will not move '' .

media.tenor.com

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 13d

I also like making fun of Libras. Snoop Dogg is a Libra too. Mamdani admitting he purchased cannabis tracks for being a Libra IMO. Yes also he’s very justice oriented, Chani Nicholas wrote a thing about it, but also pot. Libra

a man in a suit and tie stands next to a man in a red and white shirt that says emirates

ALT: a man in a suit and tie stands next to a man in a red and white shirt that says emirates

media.tenor.com

1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 13d

* I am a Sagittarius, most of my planets are in Sagittarius I will make fun of all Sagittariuses. If I’m going down I’m taking Cuomo and Taylor Swift down with me. It’s been a bad time for Sagitterrorists lately, we all need to sit down and be quiet.

a cartoon of a man standing in front of a bathroom sink .

Alt: Bojack horseman standing in front of a sink.

media.tenor.com

1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 13d

If astrology isn’t real explain why Zorhan Mamdani is libra, why is Curtis Sliwa an Aries and why is Cuomo a Sagittarius*🧐

1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 15d

The eventual louvre heist podcast is going to slap

1 1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 15d

Can confirm murders are tragic, senseless, certainly not entertaining and committed by people who are not nice and usually not that bright. I don’t get the true crime obsession with murders.

BUT HEISTS THO thats where I’m at. Also white collar crime. Deeply entertaining

1 1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 15d

Also contract boi spring is over, welcome to Criminal Law and Procedure spring-early summer.

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 15d

Crime is bad, don’t do crime etc, but the louvre heist is giving me Wes Anderson-esque whimsy that I didn’t know I needed.

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 15d

Crime is bad, don’t do crime etc, but the louvre heist is giving me Wes Anderson-esque whimsy that I didn’t know I needed.

1 1

Julia Kanapathippillai @allegedlyjulia.bsky.social · 18d

🎶It’s murder on the T4🎶