Inside Stories

This book celebrates an important milestone in the history of Media and Communications (MECO) at the University of Sydney, telling stories of where we have been and where we are going.

From its beginnings in 2000 to the impact of COVID-19, Inside Stories explores how MECO evolved from a project to a department and how, after two decades, it has become an influential research destination and a popular choice for domestic and international students. Written by MECO staff and students, the chapters offer engaging accounts of creativity, innovation and persistence against the backdrop of increasingly globalised universities and the “digital turn” in communications.

Agata Mrva-Montoya is a lecturer in publishing in the Discipline of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on the impact of innovation, technology and power dynamics on the publishing industry.

Cheryl O’Byrne completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in 2023. Her research explores the relationships between aesthetics, ethics and politics in filial life narratives about mothers.

Pam Walker has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 25 years. She is currently editorial director and editor-in-chief of Salience, and the University of Sydney campus editor for The Junction.

• Foreword by Catharine Lumby

• Introduction by Agata Mrva-Montoya, Cheryl O’Byrne and Pam Walker

1. The birth: beginnings of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney by Marco Stojanovik
2. Infant program leaps to prominence: MECO from 2006 to 2013 by Johanna Ellersdorfer
3. Navigating growth and change: MECO from 2014 to 2022 by Pam Walker, Nikbanoo Ardalan and Yonglin (Tina) Zhu
4. Convergent media: when MECO met Digital Cultures by Olga Boichak and Chris Chesher
5. In search of a place to call home: MECO buildings by Chris Gillies
6. “The glue that holds MECO together”: Digital Media Unit by Alexandra Spence
7. Imparting wisdom: journalists teaching journalism by Tim Piccione
8. Teaching undergraduate students to question, to innovate . . . and to push back by Cheryl O’Byrne and Cindy Cameronne
9. Story-making in a global context: the Master of Media Practice by Cheryl O’Byrne and Anna Jenica Bacud
10. “I came because I could find no other degree like it”: Digital Cultures by Cheryl O’Byrne
11. Between theory and practice: teaching public relations by Cheryl O’Byrne and Sylvie Chen
12. “A community of practice and professional discourse”: the Master of Publishing by Agata Mrva-Montoya
13. Crossing disciplines to improve lives: the Master of Health Communication by Olaf Werder
14. Building confidence and courage: internships by Kiran Gupta
15. From The Korea Herald to the Bangkok Post: Overseas Fellowship Program by Weien Su and Cheryl O’Byrne
16. “A critical part of the MECO family”: higher degree research students by Agata Mrva-Montoya and Penny O’Donnell
17. Enlarging perspectives: networks of domestic research partnerships by Jenny Welsh
18. Going global: the internationalisation of MECO by Pam Walker
19. How to survive a pandemic by Rebecca Bowman and Victoria Wills
20. Digital and post-digital futures for communications: MECO in the 2020s and beyond by Terry Flew

• MECO timeline
• About the authors
• Index