Covering the Pacific from Carlton

As a seasoned journalist, media consultant, editor and mentor, Carlton local Sue Ahearn has worn many hats throughout her career in the media.

From humble beginnings in community news, she came to ABC Melbourne as a journalist and worked her way up to eventually become the editor of ABC International and news editor of Radio Australia.

Ms Ahearn said that growing up on a farm in New Zealand made her fascinated about the world around her which naturally led her to journalism.

“I was always curious about things and how they worked, so reading was my big thing and I read the newspaper from a young age,” Ms Ahearn said.

Although she occupied one of the highest positions in journalism, Ms Ahearn learned the tools of the trade from her work as a young reporter.

To teach the importance of detail, her first journalism gig involved covering weddings for the local paper.

“If you got the wrong description of the bride’s dress or the mother-in-law’s dress, they used to ring up and abuse you,” Ms Ahearn said.  “So I learned a lot about wedding dresses.”

After moving to Australia in her 20s for the job opportunities, Ms Ahearn got a gig at ABC Melbourne before moving up the ranks to become editor of ABC International.

During this time, she fell in love with the Pacific region and recognised there was a major gap in the coverage surrounding it.

“It’s a constant frustration that there’s so little published about our nearest neighbours,” Ms Ahearn said.

Since the ABC International’s service was downsized, this gap has become even wider, resulting in a media desert where entire regions have little to no coverage.

To remedy this and combat misinformation, three years ago Ms Ahearn started the Pacific Newsroom – an aggregated site which draws content from many sources.

“There’s some original content but we mainly take articles from Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Solomon Islands and also get information from bloggers, academics and activists,” Ms Ahearn said.

At time of writing, one of the main issues the Pacific Newsroom was covering was the COVID outbreak in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

“Lots of people are surprised this has happened but if you’ve been following PNG you’d know there’s a complete breakdown of their health services and 2000 women die every year in childbirth, so no wonder their hospitals can’t cope,” Ms Ahearn said.   

In her spare time, Ms Ahearn is also a committee member for Women in the Media – an initiative which provides mentoring programs and networking events for women working in the media.

“Journalism is one of the best careers for women. You amass this knowledge about so many different things. You can have a flexible work schedule. You get to go to places and meet people. You learn so much from it,” Ms Ahearn said.

“But it’s important for women to be able to discuss issues they may be having, whether it’s being the only woman in the newsroom, career steps, pay, or for general advice.”

Currently, Ms Ahearn and her team are lobbying for re-vitalisation of Radio Australia and a collaborative effort from all the media to ensure there is reliable, trustworthy news about the Pacific.

“There are 14 Pacific countries and each one is different,” Ms Ahearn said.  “They all have stories that need to be told.”

To join the Pacific Newsroom, visit www.facebook.com/groups/Pacificnewsroom/ •