University of Newcastle journalism student Daneie Geddes has been named as winner of the 2023 Brian White Scholarship.
The scholarship is an annual radio news cadetship for the scholarship finalist who best exemplifies a passion for and talent in radio news and current affairs reporting and includes a four-week paid placement in Australia’s commercial radio newsrooms.
The scholarship, supported by the radio industry body Commercial Radio & Audio, is named in honour of Brian White, the country’s first radio news cadet and the pioneer of the news/talk format in Australia.
Geddes said being named the recipient of the 2023 Brian White Scholarship is an honour and a life-changing opportunity
“It not only offers financial support to help me transition from my studies into the commercial radio industry but also opens doors to networking and mentorship with industry leaders. It is a incredible chance to gain handson industry experience from the very best in the field," Geddes said.
Geddes was revealed as the winner after a nationwide search, which resulted in five finalists meeting at the Sydney SCA Rooftop to participate in a radio news masterclass.
The other 2023 scholarship finalists were Caitlin Cefai (Monash University), Claudia Goundar (University of Melbourne), Gareth Thomson (AFTRS) and Ebony Weston (Swinburne University of Technology).
Students and judges at the Brian White Scholarship workshop, with CEO of CRA (L-R) Ebony Weston, Gareth Thomson, Fiona Ellis-Jones (ARN), Erin Maher (Nine Radio), Ford Ennals (CRA), Michelle Stephenson (NOVA), Amy Goggins (SCA), Daneie Geddes (scholarship recipient), Caitlin Cefai, Claudia Goundar.
The journalism masterclass was led by leaders in news reporting from the major commercial radio networks and provided the finalists a window into the excitement and demands of a career in radio news and current affairs.
Michelle Stephenson, NOVA national audio news editor who has been a judge for the Brian White Scholarship since its inception in 2017, said radio news reporting is a career like no other.
"A good journalist needs to get at the root of a story, quickly and accurately, telling it in a way that resonates with your audience,” Stephenson said.
“We’ve got to be people’s eyes and ears, telling the story in human terms, delivering content that’s fair, impartial and balanced,” Fiona Ellis-Jones, ARN head of news and information, said at the masterclass.
“Radio needs great journalists to break stories that matter to their audience while giving them a window into the world. SCA has over 50 journalists providing 2,400 local news updates a week,” Amy Goggins, SCA Sydney news editor, told the finalists.
“As a talk/radio network, Nine Radio keeps the community informed of what's going on in their city, state, country and the world every hour, 24 hours a day. If you love news and current affairs, there’s no better career than being a radio journalist,” Erin Maher, 2GB Radio senior newsreader and editor, sad.
The high calibre of the finalists was noted by the judges and by Ford Ennals, CEO of CRA who launched the masterclass.
“Australians feel safe knowing radio news remains a trusted source of information. Commercial radio broadcast more than 42,000 hours of Australian news in 2022, with hundreds of journalists covering the stories that matter to commercial radio listeners, from emergency announcements and breaking news to sporting team results," Ennals said.
“I want to congratulate Daneie for her achievement. The quality of all the finalists for the Brian White Scholarship this year reassures me that the future of radio news journalism in Australia is in safe hands."
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