On March 28, Pickr won an award: Best Independent Coverage. Honestly, it was a total surprise, and so many in the list deserved it. The Australian tech and games landscape has so many great independent publishers and freelancers that it would be difficult to name them all. We are all winners collectively. And yet something isn't right. I think we all know what it is.  I recall standing on the stage giving a speech with (probably) clumsily put-together words thanking my wife and kids, for stealing my kids' flowers, and because the independent landscape needs life support ASAP. It's important.  I remember seeing a few faces staring blankly at me through the bright lights. Maybe they disagreed or maybe because they thought I was wrong, or maybe it was the harsh lights and nervous me, but it's a vibe that appears to be a continued problem that will see great journalists leave one by one, and I'm not sure everyone really understands why.  So let's dive in with one point that s

Women Love Tech’s CEO, Founder, and Editor Robyn Foyster has described the publication’s win in the Best Corporate Content category at this year’s Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards as a real team effort.  Foyster told Influencing, “as with all independent media owners, corporate support is vital, so we work extremely hard to pull this content together by working with our partners and a brilliant team of journalists and creators, including videographers and our photographer.” Foyster’s Women Love Tech’s winning entries included “From Turmoil to Triumphs: How Lissy Abrahams is Using Tech to Transform Relationships,” “Trust, Transparency And Teamwork: Partners In Life And Work Engineer Enterprise Data For Better Business Decisions,” “How Game Changing Technology Is Transforming Australian Work Places,” and “A Dynamic Mother-Daughter Duo Creating A More Equitable World – One Venture At A Time.” Foyster said of the winning entries written by Women L

Freelance gaming reporter Alice Clarke said winning Best Game Reviewer category at the 23rd Annual Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards has given her a big confidence boost. Speaking to Influencing, Clarke said, “this is a huge honour. I am genuinely shocked because that was an absolutely stacked line-up of people whose reviews I respect, trust, and always feel are must-reads. Truly, pretty much anyone on that list could have won. And a few people didn’t make the list either. “So for me to win was thrilling and, frankly, a huge confidence boost. I’m so grateful to the judges and everyone involved in making The Lizzies happen. “The recognition and confidence boost from this award mean a lot to me, particularly now. I have been a freelancer for more than 18 years, including during the GFC, and this is without a doubt the worst time to be a freelancer that I’ve experienced. “No one has budget, few outlets are paying for game reviews, and none who are paying are in a

  If there are two things you can be certain will get airtime during a federal election they are Medicare and the ABC, and so it is this time around, with Opposition leader Peter Dutton refusing to rule out cuts to the leading public broadcaster.  Dutton is also still refusing to say which public servants will be axed as part of his plan to slash 41,000 jobs, and of course the ABC is manned by public servants, its running costs paid for by the taxpayer.  Yesterday - Wednesday - Dutton did not directly answer reporters at a media stop when asked where the axe would potentially swing if the Coalition takes power from Labor at the Saturday May 3 election.  He did say the Coalition intended to trim what he dubbed “waste” in the federal government, and committed to releasing costings on his public service cuts before the election on 3 May. It is unclear whether ABC staff would be among the 41,000 on the chopping block under a Dutton government, with Dutton saying at a press c