The Reporters’ Academy was proudly commissioned by Oceania Aquatics at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest. Building on a relationship established in 2011, we supported Pacific island swimmers by producing a variety of high-quality media content, from interviews to social media posts and podcasts.

For the first time at at major event (outside of the Pacific), we incorporated Oceania young reporters into our team to develop their journalism skills and help tell the stories of the Pacific island swimmers – creating a legacy of media talent within Oceania Aquatics. 

We were tasked with providing comprehensive media coverage of Pacific swimmers at the event, including daily race reports, interviews, and podcasts. Oceania Aquatics also requested that we mentor emerging young reporters from the region.

 Our team (Glyn, Sarah, Hope, Katy) and young reporters worked tirelessly to:

• • Interview swimmers immediately after races.
  • Write and distribute over 40 detailed reports to media outlets.
  • Produce six podcast episodes featuring insights and reflections.
  • Manage Oceania Aquatics’ Instagram, producing engaging posts and stories.
  • Mentor three young reporters, helping them refine their interviewing, reporting, and technical skills.

Feedback on our written articles:

“Whoever wrote Charlie’s story, it’s absolutely one of the best write ups for a Palau Athlete! The way it highlights his reaction time to the end of his race is truly remarkable. This kind of storytelling not only captures the essence of the moment but also inspires our athletes.”  Palau National Olympic Committee – Kenny Raklai, Olympic Solidarity Manager

Feedback from our colleagues in Oceania, regarding the quality of of reporting:

“Being home in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) I have loved listening to all the episodes. Very inspiring! We were able to watch the competition on TV also. The reporters did a magnificent job under the direction of Glyn. And our PNG media appreciated the reports of our swimmers. Thank you.” Liz Wells, PNG Swimming

All important feedback from young Oceania reporters;

“Working with the Reporters Academy was really fun. What I love about working with the team is that I was able to shadow most of the interviews and take in a lot of cool techniques. Not just that but I enjoyed listening and taking in advice and tips from the team.”

“What I liked most is how well they communicate amongst each other and had us involved no matter how busy they were.”

Our impact

The project reached a global audience and garnered significant engagement:

• • Over 1,000 visitors and 15,000 views on the Oceania Aquatics website.
  • New followers and interactions on social media.
  • Passing on skills to future journalistics of Oceania 
  • Positive feedback from media outlets, federations, and athletes, highlighting the inspiring storytelling and professional reporting.

Listen to the awesome podcast we produced on Spotify Today at the Pool – https://open.spotify.com/show/4HK2QKHrtgJFjWi6GV0Q7g?si=5bf4b851fede4384. 6 episode showcasing the stories of the Pacific Swimmers.

Embed audiogram linking to Spotify podcasts.

Deliverables

✅ Written articles and reports

✅ Podcast episodes

✅ Social media management

✅ Media mentoring

✅ Event photography and content distribution

✅ Managed the project from start to finish 

✅ Took responsibility for all safeguarding and chaperoning responsibilities