‘A ball every day’: John Hartigan reflects on a wild media ride

Former media chief John Hartigan, who has been appointed an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia, says he feels ‘privileged’ to have been part of the industry.

John Hartigan at home in Wollombi in the NSW Hunter Valley on Tuesday. Picture: Nikki Short

Reflecting on his 55-year career in the media, John Hartigan says he feels “privileged” to have been part of the industry for so long.

Hartigan started out as a 16-year-old newspaper copy boy in 1964, rising through the reporting ranks to become one of News Limited’s most fabled editors, before eventually assuming the roles of both chief executive and chairman of the media company.

And, if given the chance, the man universally known as “Harto” says he’d do it all again.

“I had a ball every day of my working life,” the 74-year-old says.

“I can’t recall any day that I wasn’t thrilled with the career I’d chosen, or the people I worked with. It was so much fun.

“Of course it sounds bloody corny but it was like an open university – you’d learn something every day about humanity. Some of it was good, a lot of it was bad, but it was all life-changing.”

Hartigan has been made an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, for distinguished service to the media industry, to Indigenous welfare, and to sport.

His media credentials speak for themselves – reporting roles in Australia, the UK and the US in the 1970s; founding editor of The Daily Sun newspaper in Brisbane in 1982 (“It’s not for the faint of heart, starting a newspaper from scratch”); editor and editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph from the mid-80s to mid-90s; and senior executive roles through to 2011, including chief executive and chairman of News Limited.

Hartigan was also director of Foxtel for four years in the 2000s, and was chairman of Prime Media from 2014 to 2019.

“Reporting and editing newspapers was, to my mind, as good as it got,” Hartigan says.

But he stresses that while he’s grateful to be recognised on Australia Day for his achievements in the media, he’s particularly proud that his involvement with the ­Indigenous community has also been noted. “I had a very privileged role in the media … but I got recompensed properly for that, and I don’t believe for a moment that I deserve any Australia Day honour simply for doing my job,” he says.

“But what is really rewarding is how I was able to use that privileged role to shine a light on a number of areas that I consider important.

“I’m certainly not a bleeding heart, but I took the opportunity while I was at CEO at News to ­assist in the way Indigenous affairs was reported, and also to try to make a positive contribution to Indigenous communities. I think we achieved some pretty good things around Australia.”

He laments that public discourse on Indigenous issues repeatedly fails to address the key concerns of the community.

“Everyone is talking about changing the date of Australia Day, but there are so many more things to talk about, such as Indigenous life expectancy, Indigenous incarceration, and the like. It’s not beyond us.”

These days, Hartigan and wife Miche spend most of their time at their farm in the Hunter Valley in regional NSW, though the former newsman still manages to read four Australian newspapers every day. The local news radio is always crackling in the background.

He says while technology and social media has presented challenges for today’s journalists, the fundamentals remain the same. “Always be curious. Don’t accept everything on face value.”

The biggest challenges for media executives, he says, is how to wean younger audiences away from YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. “They are a savvy and fickle audience showing little interest in traditional news feeds. A very significant challenge,” Hartigan warns.

Back on the farm, Hartigan’s greatest joy is tending to his gardens.

“It’s a slightly different pursuit to my 50-odd years in media but it’s all part of the magic of life, and the magic of celebrating being an Australian – something I don’t take for granted. What an amazing country we have.”