How to produce award-winning slow journalism with Dr Caroline Graham

In this episode of The Craft podcast, our host Rachel Westbury, Senior Editor at Shorthand, welcomes Dr Caroline Graham, Lecturer in Digital Journalism at The University of Queensland.

Caroline is the co-author of bestselling Australian novel, Larrimah. She’s also the co-author and co-producer of the Walkley Award-winning investigative true crime podcast series Lost in Larrimah.

Caroline shares some insights into her work as an investigative journalist, and talks about the importance of close observation, collaboration, and empathy in journalism. 

She explains “We live in really divisive times, and I believe that stories are important. They’re a way to slip inside, for a little while, the lives of people who are different to you. I hope that the process of doing that makes us kind and more empathic.” 

Listen as Rachel and Caroline discuss the emergence of slow journalism, the democratisation of storytelling, and how to overcome the challenges of longform story production.

Guest at a glance:

• Name: Dr Caroline Graham
• What she does: Caroline is a Lecturer in Digital Journalism at The University of Queensland.
• Company: The University of Queensland
• Noteworthy: Caroline is the co-author of the Australian bestseller Larrimah (Allen & Unwin, 2021), which was shortlisted for an Indie Book Award and has been optioned by NBC Universal and Matchbox Pictures for potential development into a scripted TV series. She’s also the co-author and co-producer of the investigative true crime podcast series Lost in Larrimah (The Australian, 2018), which won a Walkley Award, an NT Media Award and was a finalist in the Quills Awards and the Australian Podcasting Awards.
• Where to find Caroline: Research Profile | Twitter | LinkedIn 

Links from this episode: 

• Larrimah novel
• Lost in Larrimah podcast
• The Last Sound, Invisibilia — podcast by NPR
• Shorthand Awards
• Dr Caroline Graham Research Profile
• Dr Caroline Graham Twitter
• Rachel Westbury on LinkedIn
• Shorthan