Stressing out

I haven't blogged for a while and I confess I may have left my broadcast assignment too late, although that seems to be the story for the majority of my class. Part of the reason for the lateness has been my constant change of topics. I have abandoned the recession and strain on public health services idea because I was unable to secure any talent and have since switched to looking at refugee health services and what challenges refugees face in accessing the health system.

I have been ringing around and have contacted the Migrant and Refugee Resource Centre, the Canberra Refugee Support centre, Belconnen Community Services, the Refugee Action Committee and Companion House. MRRS and Companion House are still to get back to me and the Canberra Refugee Support Centre, Refugee Action Committee and BCS were very helpful, but unfortunately unable to help me.

This has put me in a bit of a bind as I have less than a week to secure the interviews. It has really shown me how frustrating it can be to have hardly any contacts in this field and no brand name behind me. I can imagine if one works for the ABC or a big metropolitan newspaper, the availability of access increases substantially. Even in my day job at an Indigenous newspaper, the mast head will often help in securing interviews. I find that at the moment, saying "University of Canberra" is actually inhibiting my progress. And if I say I'm a NowUC reporter I feel slightly dishonest, as this is largely for the marks, not in getting the issue on the public record.

So that is my big problem at the moment. I have a couple of prospects for more first hand accounts of refugee health services but have been unable to secure them either. I am really stressing and praying that I get a call back soon. Otherwise I will just have to continue being persistent. I am not sure how other students are finding it, but I am getting increasingly frustrated.

I do have a prospect I will ring this afternoon - it is a man I met who came out to Australia on a boat from Pakistan awhile ago. He was even locked up at Woomera for a lengthy period of time and yet has managed to make something out of his life. He graduated from university and now has a good job. I am hoping that he may be able to help me by either passing me onto someone else, or telling me a first hand account of his experiences dealing with the health services in Australia.

I am excited by this prospect more than anything else because it seems to me that asylum seekers do not get a voice in the media - they are often lost and I can understand this. A lady from one of the refugee organisations I rang told me that she had many refugee friends, but knew that alot of them are not comfortable with people because they kind of just want to disappear into society. That's a paraphrase, but they don't want to be singled out. I can imagine when Australian journalists have strict deadlines, and with distrust of the media abounding, it would be hard to find first hand accounts.

I really wanted to get an organisation to back up a possible first hand story, but unless I can secure this, I might just have to ring up a few doctor offices and see if there are any people who would be willing to speak to me. Otherwise I'm not sure what I will do as time is running up. I will blog everyday about my progress on interviews... I am a bit scared because I definitely need two by Friday otherwise I will have no hope of finishing this story on time.