Canberra – the epicentre of democracy, mint factories and bus lines. Within the nation’s capital territory is the Australian National University (ANU). A university home to the first independent student media and proud amplifier of multi-platform coverage, Woroni.
Woroni released its first publication in 1947 but became an official student publication in 1950. It has been a dedicated and evolving platform microphone for student culture both on and off campus dating back to student activism of the Vietnam War. Today, Woroni is a publication with creatives in print, radio, TV and multimedia arts, making it a steadfast pillar of ANU culture.
As such, turning the page to the third instalment of student media spotlight on Woroni was irresistible.
Woroni started off as a student newspaper attached to the Australian National University’s Student Association (ANUSA) until 2010 when they separated and became an independent student media publication — the first of its kind. In 2018, Woroni switched from a fortnightly newspaper to a monthly magazine and now produces six themed magazines across both semesters whilst maintaining steady online posts.
With a few strings pulled and a few friends nagged, I was able to connect with Woroni comrades on a late night last week to chat about all things student media. On Zoom I met with Matthew Box, editor-in-chief, Charlie Crawford, deputy editor-in-chief and Arabella Ritchie, TV editor.
We went on to discuss the name ‘Woroni” — a word originally stolen from the Wadi Wadi nation that translates to “mouthpiece.”
“Woroni has participated in recent consultation to continue to use the name whilst continuing to seek reconciliation,” Box said.
It seems Woroni does not evade history and instead keeps up with changing times vowing to maintain an appropriate “use of language” considerate to the lands they work and produce on. A motif across our conversation was ensuring Woroni was a safe and creative ‘mouthpiece” accessible to all.
When asked what drew the editors to the publication, Box calmly said, “I was interested in the mechanics of it all and into the structure of how it runs” proudly revealing the title of “Woroni bureaucrat.”
Crawford revealed that “Woroni played a big part of year one and year two of university. Especially in the midst of COVID.”
Crawford went on to say that “Woroni was telling a different side to what ANU was saying” and appreciated the student focussed lens.
In true digital age fashion, Ritchie “saw Woroni on Facebook” and applied from there, feeling inspired by creatives before her.
Some of the magazine’s best works come from “weekly wrap ups” — a chance to discuss the week’s key articles and any headline student happenings. Crawford had some recent Tik Tok success, interviewing ANU members during O-week and told Honi how excited they were for the future of video pieces.
At its core, Woroni “offers a chance for students to access a creative outlet that is open to anyone.”
Crawford said that “most of the submissions are personal essays which do the best” amidst the density of conventional news. This is a noticeable similarity to Farrago who’s best performing pieces are personal essays and discursive pieces.
Ritchie echoed with a comment on how “Woroni is able to raise student voices” and “give creatives a platform” like Woroni’s previous ‘Love Island’ produced in 2021.
Discussing Woroni’s publication evolution, Box described the change from fortnightly print cycle to magazine as “a shift towards an aesthetic focus rather than a newspaper’s traditional style.”
Jumping to the tired funding talk, Woroni’s circumstance is a little different than most. The publication is funded by ‘ANU Student Media Inc.” and the university itself — completely independent of ANUSA but are able to support and coordinate projects like the ‘Student collaborative publication fund’; a fund that assists with collectives like ANUSA women’s annual ‘bossy’ publication.
Despite their independent status, Box said “one doesn’t really expect student media to have a valid hourly rate.”
Interestingly, Woroni is able to avoid contentious relations and says difficulty is only at play “during ANUSA election season” and only felt by news editors at that. This was a notable difference in comparison to my conversations with Vertigo and Farrago – papers that battle with unstable institutional, fundings and student association relations all year round.
When discussing what’s next for Woroni, the editors eagerly told us of their next themed edition, Home, expected to be coming out in the next few weeks.
Chatting with Woroni was a refreshing insight into a unique publication independent of usual student body theatrics but dependent on ensuring students have access to a creative platform that is financially, editorially and aesthetically theirs.