Our Journalists

Rita PanahiColumnist and Sky News host

Rita is a senior columnist at Herald Sun, and Sky News Australia anchor of The Rita Panahi Show and co-anchor of top-rating Sunday morning discussion program Outsiders.Born in America, Rita spent much of her childhood in Iran before her family moved to Australia as refugees. She holds a Master of Business, with a career spanning more than two decades, first within the banking sector and the past ten years as a journalist and columnist.

@ritapanahi

Rita Panahi

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OpinionRita Panahi

Chris Lutz from DesignAspace is angry he can not trade indoors when vaccination rates hit 70% like Sydney. Picture: Josie Hayden

Outdoor retail is a harebrained scheme

Only individuals bereft of common sense and business experience could dream up something as absurd as “outdoor retail”.

OpinionRita Panahi

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - SEPTEMBER 30, 2021.Health workers perform duties at a drive through Covid-19 testing clinic at Murarrie in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Locking out health workers in a pandemic defies belief

Millions of Victorians have been under strict lockdown to supposedly save hospitals from being overrun, so why have crucial health workers not been allowed to come home?

OpinionRita Panahi

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos October 8, 2021: Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton provides a coronavirus update in MelbournePicture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Time for Dan to ditch the CHO

Several Labor MPs would like to see chief health officer Brett Sutton return to playing activist, rather than autocrat.

Rita Panahi

Fitzroy Community School Principal Tim Berryman with his kids Abi, 7Xavier,9Christian, 11.Melbourne Principals and psychologists are asking the government to open up schools for ChildrenÃs Mental health because of Covid 19 lockdowns. Picture: Jason Edwards

Principal pays heavy price for brave lockdown stand

The Andrews government has been merciless in punishing those who challenge the wisdom of their lockdowns but the treatment of principal Tim Berryman is disturbing.

OpinionRita Panahi

***YEAR IN REVIEW*** BERGAMO, ITALY - APRIL 7: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) A nurse attends to a COVID-19 patient that is wearing a CPAP helmet while he is moved out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Pope John XXIII Hospital on April 7, 2020 in Bergamo, Italy. The number of new COVID-19 cases appears to be decreasing in Italy, including in the province of Bergamo, one of its hardest-hit areas. But as the infection rate slows, life is still far from normal. A local newspaper, the Eco di Bergamo, estimates that the province has lost roughly 4,800 people to coronavirus - almost twice an official tally that only counts hospital deaths - and everyone here knows someone who's fallen ill: a neighbor, a family member, a relative, a friend or an acquaintance. Since February 23, the day of the first COVID-19 hospitalization, nearly 1,600 people have been hospitalized at Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo. Although the situation is improving, the hospital continues to see a high volume of coronavirus patients. On the busiest days during the crisis, its emergency room saw peaks of more than 100 serious coronavirus patients and used up to 146 CPAP helmets to provide non-invasive ventilation. More than 450 additional hospital beds were activated in just a few days, with 92 ICU beds devoted to COVID-19 patients. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)

The biggest lie of the pandemic

One of the most shameful episodes of the pandemic has been the ease and regularity with which authorities have lied to the public.

OpinionRita Panahi

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 05: Newly elected Premier of NSW Dominic Perrottet speaks at his first press conference as leader on October 05, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Dominic Perrottet has been named leader of the NSW Liberal Party and becomes the state's new premier following a leadership ballot this morning. The change in leadership comes following after former premier Gladys Berejiklian resigned on Friday. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

Dan v Dom: Why Perrottet may be Andrews’ worst nightmare

The unnecessary suffering endured by Victorians at the hands of the Andrews government will be laid bare NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet accelerates Sydney’s reopening.

Rita Panahi

Royal Melbourne Hospital COVID nurse unit manager Grace Carroll in the COVID ward. Picture: David Caird

Dan delivers longest lockdown and hospitals that can’t cope

Daniel Andrews has been running Victoria since 2014 and was the health minister in the Brumby government. He is responsible if Victoria’s health system isn’t fit for purpose.

OpinionRita Panahi

Brutal actions of police at protests are indefensible

Disturbing footage of overzealous officers using excessive force is undermining public trust in police.

OpinionRita Panahi

Premiers shift goalposts on reopening

As much of the world gets on with life, Melbourne is trapped in a perpetual March 2020 hell, while state premiers keep moving the goalposts on the path to freedom.

OpinionRita Panahi

Where are the promised ICU beds, Dan?

Daniel Andrews remains bullish through every failure, this time he seems to have amnesia about 4000 intensive care beds he promised.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/journalists/rita-panahi/page/33