Publishing Workshops

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OUR PASSION IS HELPING COMMUNITIES PUBLISH THEIR OWN NEWSPAPERS.

John B Fairfax, the former owner of the Rural Press Group, once told me over a media presentation lunch that ‘The day rural communities started publishing their own local newspapers was the day that he would go out of business.’

We were both speakers at an event hosted by Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. He spoke on the role of Rural Press in country NSW, while I spoke about the emergence of community owned newspapers in rural and remote communities that were filling the gap for local news and information that was not being covered by the Rural Press papers.

While contracted by the NSW Government to help outback and remote communities set up their Community Technology Centres, I would spend my weekends running workshops in how to publish their own local newspapers using this technology.

In November, 2011, John Fairfax severed his ties with the media empire that bore his name by selling his 9.7 per cent stake in Fairfax Media for $193 million. Since then Rural Press has closed its papers in Warren and Cobar where community newspapers thrive and this trend will continue while Rural Press starves these communities of local news and content.  – Marje Prior

On The Stone Community Newspaper Workshops

We can develop a workshop tailored to your publishing needs to cover the following topics and provide ‘hands on’ training.

These workshops include:

  • principles of journalism
  • establishing editorial values
  • how to write a story
  • graphic design
  • software training in InDesign and Photoshop
  • production management using local and online printers
  • online publishing tools
  • marketing and advertising strategies 

What some of our communities say

“The publishing workshop was extremely informative, easy to follow and self-motivating. It was one of the most rewarding courses any of the team has ever attended. The information and knowledge gained will help in the production of a more professional newspaper right here in our town. Marje, you are to be thanked for providing the inspiration, encouragement, knowledge and hope needed to take Corner Talk to a much more professional level.” – The Corner Talk Team, Tibooburra, NSW.

“You will be pleased to know the last edition of the Balranald Bulletin completely sold out within a few days and received many favourable and encouraging comments. The instigation of a number of your ideas and suggestions definitely made a difference.”  – Jan Lawler, chairperson, Balranald Bulletin, Balranald, NSW.

“Marje Prior ran workshops which gave people strategic advice on how to change community attitudes by using the media at all levels. Mental health in Victoria as a whole can only benefit by having people on the ground who are confident in dealing proactively with the media.” – Nicole Little, Coordinator, Mental Health Week, Vic.