"Many are willing to only live for themselves
Turning away from morality
Nothing can save you now
Now choose this day
Who you will serve
To be the light in a darkened world
You feel dissolved and the water's beginning to rise
Become the light in this darkened world"
- Killswitch Engage
When I was 14, I mistook journalists for historians. I thought they controlled all the information in the universe and were solely responsible for documenting every major event in the world.
I think many people think about the media in this same way, and what naturally follows is the assumption, based on a glance at any newspaper on any given day, that human life is nothing but a series of tragedies.
But after working in that industry for a few years, I’ve come to realise just how little information we journalists can digest and share with our audience every day about a world as vast and complex as ours, and more importantly, how many stories get left out of the 24-hour news cycle. For all its influence, the news is not necessarily an accurate representation of the world in which we live.
Yet when the news is all you have to go on, it’s certainly difficult to retain this perspective, much less optimism, especially when tragic circumstances dominate the headlines, as with last week’s accident in which at least 28 asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran were killed off the coast of Christmas Island.
Many of us, particularly at this time of the year, respond by tuning out the rest of the world and numbing ourselves on bad Christmas movies and too much food. But the danger of doing this is that you miss the little triumphs and insights that come part-and-parcel with the ‘bad news’.
Progress doesn’t come from burying your head in the sand. It comes from having hope. Not the fluffy kind clung to when trying to convince yourself that Santa Claus really does exist. I mean the constant hope that by tuning in to what’s going on around you, you can make a greater contribution to it than if you write it all off as a lost cause. Issue #3 of The if Project mag is dedicated to celebrating this kind of hope wherever we can find it, whether it be in standing up for what you believe in or putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand them better.
You might notice we’re looking a little different this time around. A little more polished, more like we know what we’re doing. And with a new logo to boot, to stop all of y’all calling us The I.F. project.
Emmet is the genius behind the magazine’s re-design and I want to give him big props for his undying commitment and love for The if Project. I recognise that it takes a huge amount of generosity for him to take the time out of his paid working life to lend me his talents and for that I am so grateful.
I also want to welcome Mel Lahoud to The if Project team. Despite never having met she helped me at the 11th hour of this issue by interviewing, recording and producing the sound piece ‘What we stand for’ in just one day – proof of her ridiculous talent and dedication. Look out for more of her work in the next few issues of the mag.
I’m going to London soon to visit my brother and close friends (translation: Julian Assange) for a few weeks. But I will definitely keep you updated about the magazine and my travels via our new newsletter. Send a mail to theifprojecteditor@gmail.com to get weekly updates in your inbox. And of course feel free to send any of your comments or suggestions about the magazine my way at theifprojecteditor@gmail.com anytime.
Wishing you all a relaxed and peaceful holiday break. I’m looking forward to getting back into Issue #4 next year, but until then - stay tuned!
Always,
 |
Rhiannon Elston wrote "Two weeks in the West Bank" for Issue #3. She is a writer, editor, radio presenter and multimedia producer living in Sydney, Australia. She has worked with some of Australia’s top media companies including The Australian, News Digital Media, NineMSN, ACP and Sky News. Rhiannon is currently the editor of Science Illustrated magazine and regularly contributes to Time Out magazine, The Punch, and 2SER’s Neighbourhood Watch show. |
 |
Melissa Lahoud produced the sound piece "What we stand for". She is currently studying Journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney and enjoys contributing to community radio station 2SER. |
 |
Jennifer Duke is a journalist and studies at the University of Technology, Sydney. She writes about environmental issues including climate change and renewable energy. |
 |
Emmet Rogan is The if Project's web developer and graphic designer. |
 |
Thanhtu Nguyen manages The if Project magazine's media relations and promotions. |