Journalists vow: we will be fearless
The Australian’s leading journalists have pledged to continue their fearless reporting into the issues that lie within the ‘grey’ as they looked back at the debates waging within society and forward to how best to cover it.
The Australian’s leading journalists have pledged to continue their fearless reporting into the issues that lie within the “grey” as they looked back at the debates waging within society and forward to how best to cover it.
The journalists – all women – spoke at The Mint in Sydney on Wednesday night as part of the paper’s Future 60: Women in Journalism panel, moderated by The Australian’s editorial director, Claire Harvey.
Columnist Janet Albrechtsen, literary editor Caroline Overington and legal affairs correspondent Ellie Dudley weighed in on women’s and trans rights, the #MeToo movement, the justice system’s approach to sexual crimes, and actor Elle MacPherson’s recent cancer treatment claims.
Drawing on their positions as some of Australia’s leading female journalists, and their own reporting, the trio defended women’s rights but also painted a more complex picture of the debates surrounding it.
Albrechtsen said it was disappointing so many people “fumbled” the question of “what is a woman”, adding that too many had adopted and used language that tried to diminish women. “We constantly see that word (woman) expunged,” the columnist said, calling Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s “best work” her advocacy for women.
“She’s been at the forefront … giving cover to a lot of people.”
The divisive debate about trans rights was discussed by the trio, with Dudley – the paper’s youngest-ever legal affairs correspondent – explaining her reporting in Australia’s Family Court about a case as to whether a parent could give their child puberty blockers, which was opposed by the second.
“The law is black and white, yet these cases and matters are grey,” she said. “You can see judges sitting behind the bench, trying to answer: ‘How can we best deal with this? How can we find what’s best for this child?’ ”
Overington, a two-time Walkley winner, cited a piece she wrote with and about prominent Australian transgender writer Cate McGregor, who told the journalist that if she hadn’t transitioned, she would have died, given the trauma and distress she was previously under. “It was impossible not to be moved by this brilliant woman’s story,” Overington said, adding it was not a bad idea for society to “pause” on children transitioning.
Dudley’s reporting on the judges’ war against the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions over alleged “meritless” rape cases won her the Kennedy Young Journalist of the Year Award in August, and Albrechtsen said it had been a case of the “pendulum swinging … We previously saw not enough (rape, sexual assault) cases being brought to court; currently we’re seeing too many inappropriate ones being bought.”
Dudley called it an “incredibly challenging” story to cover, saying: “It (meritless cases being brought to court) is not good for anyone … neither for an innocent person nor a complainant nor victim”.
Nine’s big dogs gather at zoo to discuss elephants in the room
Departing in a chauffeur-driven Audi, Mike Sneesby declined to comment on his resignation after lecturing staff on a ‘values driven’ culture ahead of the release of the report probing the under-siege media company.
Nine’s MAFS launches probe after contestant cast following serious domestic violence acquittal
A male contestant on Nine’s ratings juggernaut Married At First Sight has denied serious domestic violence claims, saying he was cleared by a court after producers launched a review into how he was selected to be a ‘groom’ on the show.