Journalism is a job where you learn by doing. University courses are relatively recent; working at a media organisation as a cadet is still one of the main ways new journos learn their trade. Usually they start off at the bottom handling jobs like fact-checking the tide times. Interviewing the Prime Minister? Not unless you’re one of the new journalists on The Assembly.
Mentored by Leigh Sales, these 15 Autistic journalism students have been thrown in at the deep end. No quick chats over the phone with the coach of the local amateur football team or the second prize winner in the jam contest at the local agricultural show here. Across six episodes, they’ll be speaking to luminaries such as Sam Neill, Hamish Blake, Delta Goodrem, Adam Goodes, Amanda Keller, and the aforementioned Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.
