Craig Butt

My name is Craig Butt and I am a final-year journalism student at Monash University. I am really excited to be one of the Australian student journalists covering the 63rd UN DPI NGO Conference.

I am particularly interested in online journalism and I have started a journalism website while studying for my degree. I recently oversaw another website for a university field reporting trip to New York and London.

While I was in New York I visited the United Nations building, where I covered Australia’s June 30 address to the Security Council and spoke to some of the staff from the UN Media Unit and Australia’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

Seeing the General Assembly, hearing about all the great work that the United Nations carries out around the world and getting to meet Ban Ki-moon (albeit in cardboard cut-out form) was a wonderful experience and has made me more interested in pursuing a career in the UN’s media unit.

When I found out that the 63rd UN DPI NGO Conference would be held in Melbourne and that applications were being sought for student journalists to cover the event, I didn’t need to think twice about applying.

I am looking forward to contributing to this website, chronicling the conference and hearing the stories of people from all around the world who will be in Melbourne during this time. The Internet enables people to tell, present – and interact with – stories like no other medium and I hope our work will reach many engaged young people and raise awareness about the work of the UN.

With any luck, the conference in Melbourne will build up enough momentum to really make an impact in New York, and if our efforts on this website contribute in any way to helping to promote the millennium development goals then I will feel very privileged.