A Poetic Inquiry Into Journalists’ Experiences of Covering Institutional Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This article introduces a spectrum of poetic approaches that have emerged in the analysis of research interviews with journalists who covered Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and related stories. Six poem excerpts, from two of the poets involved in the project, are presented to explore how engaging with a spectrum of approaches—from found poetry transcription to generative methods—can be used to shed light on the situated experiences of research participants. Considering the various functions of “poetry” in this context—as container or vehicle for data, as tool for analysis, or as artistic/affective expression—the article not only explores the multiple outputs and their roles for a variety of audiences but also how these poems can evoke/ provoke/ excavate alternative perspectives—both expected and surprising—on the data.