Behind the Media

The Australian

Stephen Brook, The Australian's media diarist speaks with journalists, writers, editors and analysts about the state of Australia's media industry, as well as their own careers.

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  1. 16/12/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Stephen Brook: "I think that gossips make very good journalists, if you've got a skill you should embrace it and try and exploit it professionally."

    As a bonus episode of BTM Hedley Thomas interviews Stephen Brook on his last day as The Australia's Media Diary columnist and host of the podcast. They discuss Brooky's 15 years at the newspaper, his time in London reporting for The Guardian, breaking the ABC Guthrie-Milne sacking, the book Stephen is writing, interviewing techniques, the state of the media, and what comes next.

    1h 1m

  2. 09/12/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    George Negus: "I don't think I'm much of a reporter to be honest."

    Media Diarist Stephen Brook interviews the veteran broadcaster of This Day Tonight, Foreign Correspondent, Dateline and 60 Minutes. George is involved in the launch of lobby group ABC Alumni to campaign for the public broadcaster, he’s also celebrating the 40th anniversary of 60 minutes. They discuss career highlights like the famous interview he did with Margaret Thatcher, and how he came to be a journalist after being a high school english teacher.

    44 min

  3. 02/12/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Ed Kavalee: "Be the weirdo you are off air, on air."

    Media Diarist Stephen Brook interviews Ed Kavalee, the TodayFM Sydney breakfast co-host, and comedian. Stephen asks if Ed can rescue the low ratings since Kyle and Jackie O left, they discuss Kavalee's wife and media personality, Tiffiny Hall. Also covered is being mentored by comedian Tony Martin and brought up through the ranks by Working Dog.

    51 min

  4. 25/11/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Ben Fordham: "You do need to protect yourself... do I want that rattling around in my head? The answer I've learned is no."

    Stephen Brook, The Australian’s Media Diarist interviews Ben Fordham, broadcast journalist on 2GB radio and Channel 9’s Today show. As a young radio reporter he covered the 1997 Thredbo landslide which won him a Walkley award.

    44 min

  5. 18/11/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Hedley Thomas: "I didn't lose control, but I was worried that I couldn't do justice to the scale of the story, the magnitude, the importance of it."

    Media Diarist Stephen Brook interviews Hedley Thomas, the investigative journalist behind the record breaking true crime podcast The Teacher’s Pet, which has him fielding offers for a Hollywood adaptation.Hedley’s has taken on Prime Ministers, billionaires, and the Australian Federal Police. As a foreign correspondent he covered the collapse of communism. He’s won a gold Walkley award for the shocking case of Dr Mohamed Haneef. But shocked the industry by walking away from journalism. As the National Chief Correspondent at The Australian, Hedley had to reinvent himself as a podcaster with The Teacher’s Pet.

    56 min

  6. 28/10/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Michael Rowland: "I loathe this word chemistry, absolutely hate it. People talk about breakfast tv... or radio duo having chemistry. I just think it's

    The Australian’s Media Diarist Stephen Brook interviews Michael Rowland, co-host of ABC New Breakfast. The two engage in an ABC vs The Australian arm wrestle over the newspapers coverage of the national broadcaster. In the fallout of the Michelle Guthrie sacking, Michael was the first journalist to interview acting Managing Director, David Anderson. He was in the Canberra Press Gallery, reported on business and finance, and was US correspondent covering former president Barack Obama. Rowland discusses his successful partnership with ABC News Breakfast co-host, Virginia Trioli, how they work because their personalities are opposites and why he hates word chemistry.

    36 min

  7. 21/10/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Barrie Cassidy: "There are more partisan journalists (now) than there ever were in the past"

    It's hard to imagine the ABC without Insiders, the television show that reshaped the broadcaster's Sunday morning political programming. Host Barrie Cassidy launched Insiders 17 years ago, but plans for the program actually began in Belgium, where he sketched out a promising format with his houseguests, photographer Mike Bowers and future news director Gaven Morris. Barrie has seen both sides of politics in an extensive career. He spent three years as a press gallery journalist in Canberra, and six as Prime Minister Bob Hawke's press secretary. In this episode of , he tells Stephen Brook about accusations of partisan bias, what went wrong with sacked ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie, and his own experiences of political fallout at the national broadcaster decades ago.Behind the Media

    34 min

  8. 14/10/2018 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Dan Box: "True Crime is so hot right now... I just wanted to reach across and slap him."

    Former crime reporter at The Australian Dan Box has spent the past three years covering the Bowraville murders in print, and for a podcast. He returned to Australia this month to cover the latest developments in the case, which has been referred to the High Court. He talks to media diarist Stephen Brook about the podcast that won him two Walkley awards in 2016, his follow up video documentary series The Queen & Zak Grieve, and the state of true crime at the moment. “One bloke said to me, ‘true crime is so hot right now,’ and I just wanted to slap him, I wanted to reach across the desk and just say, ‘You have no idea because it's not entertainment, it's not something you watch for fun. These are actual people's lives, these are people's children who've been murdered, these are families that will never recover from that harm'." Covering the crime round can take its toll, and Dan struggled after two years spent reporting on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. On one occasion he came home and felt the walls were shaking. Dan began his career at the The Sunday Times on work experience and lucked into a job as the oil and gas correspondent.

    36 min
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About

Stephen Brook, The Australian's media diarist speaks with journalists, writers, editors and analysts about the state of Australia's media industry, as well as their own careers.

Information

  • Channel
    The Australian
  • Creator
    The Australian
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2018
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 News Corp Australia
  • Show Website
    Behind the Media
  • Provider
    News Corp Australia

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