User:Fergo101
Saffron Howden is an Australian journalist, editor, media literacy advocate, and editorial trainer. She is best known as the co-founder and former editor of Crinkling News, Australia’s first national weekly newspaper for children, and for her work promoting media literacy among young people and in regional newsrooms.
Career
[edit]Saffron Howden earned a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) from the University of Technology Sydney. In 2004, she began her journalism career with a cadetship at Australian Associated Press in Sydney, before joining the federal parliamentary press gallery in Canberra.[1]
She went on to work as a journalist for the Daily Telegraph and the Northern Star in Lismore, New South Wales. She later joined the Sydney Morning Herald, where she reported for six years on rounds including crime, rural affairs, and Indigenous issues.[2]
Crinkling News
[edit]In 2016, Howden co-founded and became editor of Crinkling News, a weekly national newspaper designed to bring news and current affairs to children in an age-appropriate format.[3] The publication also launched junior journalism programs and was a platform for promoting media literacy among young Australians.
She co-designed a national media literacy action plan with young people and led the development of MediaMe, Australia’s first national conference and research project focused on young people and media literacy. For her work with Crinkling News, Howden was recognised with a Kennedy Award, a NSW Children's Week award, and was a finalist in the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.[4]
Media Training and Advocacy
[edit]In 2019, Howden was appointed the first Australia and New Zealand Teaching Fellow for the Google News Initiative. In this role, she trained hundreds of regional and rural journalists in digital newsgathering, verification, and storytelling.[5]
She also served as the national editorial trainer at Australian Community Media (ACM), mentoring cadet and early-career reporters across regional Australia and delivering newsroom training to over 500 editorial staff.
Publications
[edit]Howden is the co-author of the book Kid Reporter: The Secret to Breaking News, published in 2021 by NewSouth Books. The book is a practical guide that introduces children to journalism and media literacy.[6]
Professional Roles
[edit]Saffron Howden has served on the media literacy advisory board for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and the advisory board of the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University. She has judged the Walkley Awards, the Rural Press Club of Victoria Awards, and the Ossie Awards. As of 2025, she is a member of the Walkley Judging Board.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Young and Regional". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Howden, Saffron (7 May 2012). "We go to sleep with poverty ... and it's still there when we wake". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Crinkling News launches national newspaper for kids". The Guardian. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Past Winners and Finalists – Women's Agenda Leadership Awards". Women’s Agenda. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "Google names new Teaching Fellows for News Initiative". Google Blog. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Howden, Saffron (2021). Kid Reporter: The Secret to Breaking News. NewSouth Books. ISBN 9781742237340.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Walkley Judging Board 2025". Walkley Foundation. Retrieved 18 May 2025.