Voting for the election of Australian National University Student Media (Woroni) Editors will open on the 25th of May. Students can vote online and will receive an email to the link to the online voting poll in their ANU Outlook.

All undergraduate and postgraduate students at the ANU are eligible to vote. Polls will close on Friday 29 May.

Two positions are contested – Radio Editor and Content Editor – while two positions are uncontested – Deputy Editor-in-Chief and News Editor.

Re-open nominations (RON) is a candidate in every election, including the uncontested positions. If after the distribution of preferences, RON receives more votes than a candidate, a casual vacancy will be declared.

Voting is now open at this link and will close at 5pm on Friday 29 May.
Note: The name of Jack Davis is misspelled as Jack David on the voting software due to a system error.

Candidates for Content Editor

Ananya Sarma

I am passionate about student media, storytelling and creating engaging platforms for student voices on campus. Over the past two years at ANU, I have been involved in communications, student leadership and media production, experiences which have strengthened both my editorial and collaborative skills.

I currently host a radio show with Woroni, Ananyaps, and have been involved with the station for the past two years. I am especially interested in supporting emerging student voices, creating awareness around global issues, and expanding opportunities for more students to participate in radio and podcasting. I enjoy researching, writing, and refining content, particularly pieces that encourage discussion and make complex issues more accessible to students.

Professionally, I worked as a Media and Communications Intern at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, where I assisted with outreach, communications, social media management and conference planning. I also currently work as a Content Coordinator for the ANU Asia Pacific Week Conference, where I organise academic panels, coordinate speakers and shape panel discussions in collaboration with academics and student leaders. My current most exciting project is supporting the communications team at the Fenner school of environment and society.

Beyond media, I have been actively engaged across campus communities through roles including Diplomatic Liaison Officer for the International Relations Society, Under-Secretary-General at ANMUN, Education Officer at the Science Society and Speakers’ Coordinator for the Women* in STEM Conference.

If elected, my platform would focus on accessibility, collaboration, and student engagement.
• Creating content that resonates with students by focusing on relevant campus issues, diverse perspectives, and engaging storytelling across print, online and radio platforms.
• Establishing regular check-ins and collaborative feedback spaces with producers, editors, contributors, and the audience to strengthen communication, support new members and maintain a positive team culture.
• Increasing Woroni’s visibility and accessibility on campus through stronger promotion, student outreach and consistent, reliable content that students can engage with, learn from and trust.

As Radio Editor, I hope to expand participation in Woroni Radio, support new hosts and producers, promote artists, and strengthen the station’s presence on campus through engaging broadcasts.

Seth Pinto

Hello everyone, my name is Seth Pinto and I am a second year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in English and Philosophy. To me, the content editor position is an amazing opportunity to bolster the art community at the ANU. My primary mission is to give writers and artists an inclusive and productive space which will provide opportunities for creative development and recognition.

In my experience as an English student, I have met many potential artists and analysists waiting for an opportunity to be heard. These students are looking for a way to express themselves in an effective and safe manner, thus receiving invaluable experience and criticism. Furthermore, in my own experience, I struggled with beginning my writing journey until only a few years ago, as I felt I had no opportunity to express myself other than through my schooling. Though Woroni already functions as a cultural hub, I believe it can continue developing to better serve the artistic student body. I hope to help Woroni and its community thrive by committing myself to the fostering of art and culture.

My policy directive adheres to my primary mission. My main goal would be to direct effort and funding to student outreach, as I believe Woroni can further improve in this aspect. I have met many writers struggling to publish their works, and I personally have struggled to even finish works in fear of being unable to publish them. I believe that there are many people who have not realised that Woroni is a viable hub for amateur publishing. Ideally, I hope to improve public recognition of Woroni as an art publisher, through both physical and online advertising. Furthermore, I hope to keep Woroni policy as inclusive as possible. Positive communities will naturally foster growth, as members will discuss their experiences with similarly interested friends. My participation in art communities has typically been due to invitation from friends and family, and I hope to contribute to an organisation worthy of recommendation.

Thank you for your considering me as a potential candidate, and I hope that I can contribute to the student culture at ANU!

Candidates for Radio Editor

Atticus Cheetham

Throughout my term as Tech Officer at Woroni Student Media, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with some of the greatest and most driven people. Since, I have been inspired to further support the current team and help expand on what Radio can do for the student community at large. I believe that expanding services within radio (such as podcasting, studio recording and equipment hire to name a few) will enhance student engagement with Woroni radio and foster great creative opportunities.
I am keen to enrich the event operations and management sector of radio should I attain this position and develop Woroni’s broadcast and podcast capacity via expanding how and where we broadcast, produce and publish content. I am a passionate musician, with a significant involvement in ANU’s performing and visual arts communities and programs. This position would be well suited to my character, and I hope you consider voting for me as Radio Editor.

Ananya Sarma

I am passionate about student media, storytelling and creating engaging platforms for student voices on campus. Over the past two years at ANU, I have been involved in communications, student leadership and media production, experiences which have strengthened both my editorial and collaborative skills.

I currently host a radio show with Woroni, Ananyaps, and have been involved with the station for the past two years. I am especially interested in supporting emerging student voices, creating awareness around global issues, and expanding opportunities for more students to participate in radio and podcasting. I enjoy researching, writing, and refining content, particularly pieces that encourage discussion and make complex issues more accessible to students.

Professionally, I worked as a Media and Communications Intern at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, where I assisted with outreach, communications, social media management and conference planning. I also currently work as a Content Coordinator for the ANU Asia Pacific Week Conference, where I organise academic panels, coordinate speakers and shape panel discussions in collaboration with academics and student leaders. My current most exciting project is supporting the communications team at the Fenner school of environment and society.

Beyond media, I have been actively engaged across campus communities through roles including Diplomatic Liaison Officer for the International Relations Society, Under-Secretary-General at ANMUN, Education Officer at the Science Society and Speakers’ Coordinator for the Women* in STEM Conference.

If elected, my platform would focus on accessibility, collaboration, and student engagement.
• Creating content that resonates with students by focusing on relevant campus issues, diverse perspectives, and engaging storytelling across print, online and radio platforms.
• Establishing regular check-ins and collaborative feedback spaces with producers, editors, contributors, and the audience to strengthen communication, support new members and maintain a positive team culture.
• Increasing Woroni’s visibility and accessibility on campus through stronger promotion, student outreach and consistent, reliable content that students can engage with, learn from and trust.

As Radio Editor, I hope to expand participation in Woroni Radio, support new hosts and producers, promote artists, and strengthen the station’s presence on campus through engaging broadcasts.

Candidates for News Editor

Jack Davis

I am applying for News Editor because the time I spent on the news team felt incredibly important, especially as ANU went through the Nixon Review, course cuts, and Genevieve Bell resignation, all of which I covered in both writing and in our social media content.

I feel that Woroni’s news team has a vital role in educating the ANU student body about news specific to us, more efficiently than territory/nationwide outlets can. If I was lucky enough to fill the News Editor role, I would strive to make Woroni news a significant part of our publication, ideally positioning Woroni as the natural and convenient means of accessing ANU-focused news. I am proud of our work to create news content more friendly to social media and our efforts to use short-form content to reach the wider student body, which I would focus on in the role.

Woroni was a defining part of my last year at university, and I would be incredibly grateful to continue Woroni News’ key role in representing a student voice within the university. I believe that the independence of the news team is vital to its role, but as editor would work with the board to create a culture of communication and transparency in which the news team could work within Woroni to its best effect.

Having worked in the news team during breaking stories, I would push for the news team to have mechanisms in place to publish articles which require greater urgency with fewer limits but would concurrently ensure these publications reflected the values and mission of the publication.

Candidates for Deputy Editor-In-Chief

Madeleine Blayney

Hi! My name is Maddy, and I’m running for Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Woroni.

While I have enjoyed so much of my time at Woroni and am incredibly proud of everything I have taken part in, I feel like we have a long way to go. To reach a standard of journalism that I believe ANU to be capable of, we need an engaged, well-organised team, and they need to be well supported.

Working at Woroni, it feels like there is a huge disconnect between the organisation and students. I truly believe Woroni has the potential to be great, however moving forward, there needs to be greater emphasis towards prioritising students. Whether it’s changing how we deliver content, changing the events we run or how we market them or improving approvals to make the news we produce more relevant, I strongly believe that increasing the presence of Woroni on Campus and within the student body is the only way to move forward.

I am incredibly passionate about journalism, especially given the current times we find ourself in, but I’m also passionate about student life at ANU and with the right changes I believe Woroni can be the culmination of both these things.