Sarah Ferguson | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupations |
|
Employer | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Known for | Revelation Hitting Home The Killing Season Four Corners |
Spouse | Tony Jones (1993–present) [1] |
Awards | Gold Walkley Walkley Award AACTA Documentary Award Logie Award |
Sarah Ferguson (born 31 December 1965) is an Australian [1] journalist, reporter and television presenter. She is the host of ABC TV's flagship news and current affairs program 7.30 . [2]
Ferguson was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where her British-born parents lived before moving to Britain as the Biafran war broke out.[ citation needed ] Her Scottish father Iain, a trainee pilot turned businessman, worked for Dunlop.[ citation needed ]
Ferguson attended New Hall, a Catholic-run private girls school in Boreham, Essex. She later studied English literature at King's College, London. In her early teens, she began a correspondence with the poet Philip Larkin. [3] In a teenage essay she said when she grew up, she wanted to be "a commando and a librarian in the British House of Commons". [4]
Ferguson's career began in newspapers in the United Kingdom, writing arts reviews for The Independent . Later she moved to Paris and worked as a researcher and production assistant on arts programs for French and British broadcasters. In 1992, Australian journalist and the ABC's London correspondent, Tony Jones, hired Ferguson to help him on a story about French politics. Ferguson and Jones married a year later. [5]
In 2017, the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on Ferguson by the University of Sydney for excellence in journalism. [6]
In 2000, Ferguson worked as a reporter for Dateline and Insight . In 2004 she joined the Sunday program on Channel Nine and in 2008 joined Four Corners , the ABC's long form current affairs program. Her first story was an investigation into political fundraising. She was nominated for a record four Walkley Awards in 2007.
In 2011, Ferguson reported on the live cattle export trade in Australian cattle to Indonesia. The episode, "A Bloody Business", won the Gold Walkley Award and led to suspension of the trade. [7] [8] [9] Ferguson won the Logie for Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. She also won the George Muster Award and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards for her reporting on people smuggling and the toxic culture within the rugby league.
In 2014, Ferguson hosted 7.30 and her interviews with the Australian treasurer Joe Hockey were nominated for a Walkley for journalistic excellence. They would later be described as "aggressive" and "the tone of the questioning could have been interpreted by some viewers to be a potential breach of the ABC's impartiality guidelines". [10] [11] [12]
In 2014, Ferguson caused controversy at the Walkley Awards when she publicly railed against job cuts at the ABC. [13] [14] [15] Ferguson presented two major series for the ABC in 2015. She wrote and presented The Killing Season , a documentary series on the Rudd / Gillard years, analysing the events of the Labor governments of 2007 to 2013. Ferguson interviewed Australian Labor Party decision-makers and strategists who had engaged in internal conflict that brought down a government which had successfully countered the post-2008 global financial crisis. The series won the AACTA award for documentary in 2015.
In November 2015, Ferguson replaced Kerry O'Brien as host of Four Corners.
In 2017, as Ferguson was getting off a plane, she was told that her mother Marjorie had died suddenly in England. Later she became aware that hospital negligence had led to her mother's death. She wrote about the experience in her book On Mother. [16]
In May 2017, Ferguson presented "The Siege", a two-part special investigating the siege at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, Sydney. Ferguson interviewed the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson and the surviving hostages and examined how authorities had failed to comprehend the risk posed by hostage-taker Man Haron Monis. [17] [18]
In June 2018, Ferguson presented and produced "Trump/Russia", a Four Corners three-part series on President Donald Trump and his connections to Russia. The series was filmed over several months in the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia. [19] In November 2018, Ferguson reported and presented "Bitter End" about conflict within the ABC which led to the resignations of its managing director Michelle Guthrie and chair Justin Milne within one week. [20]
On 5 July 2022, Ferguson replaced Leigh Sales as presenter of 7:30 on ABC. [21]
Ferguson has collaborated with producer Nial Fulton on two documentary series for ABC. In 2016 she presented Hitting Home on domestic violence in Australia. The series won Best Documentary at the 2016 AACTA Awards [22] and the Walkley Documentary Award. [23]
In 2018, Ferguson started working on Revelation , a three-part documentary series for the ABC about the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia. [24]
Revelation aired on ABC on 17 March, 31 March and 2 April 2020. [25] Ferguson interviewed convicted Catholic priest Father Vincent Ryan and Bernard McGrath, a former religious brother from the Order of St John of God. Her interview with Ryan was the first time anywhere in the world a still serving Catholic priest publicly discussed their sexual abuse of children.
In "Goliath", the third episode of Revelation, Ferguson interviewed two men, identified as Bernie and Peter Clarke, who accused Australian cardinal George Pell of sexually abusing them as boys when he was a priest in the Diocese of Ballarat and investigated their accusations. The alleged sexual abuse occurred when Pell spent time at the Catholic orphanage where the men resided in the 1970s. [26]
Following Pell's acquittal and subsequent release from Barwon Prison, the producers temporarily removed the third episode of the series to include these developments before restoring the episode to the ABC iView platform. [27] The ABC also released a statement which stood by the program's content, stating "The ABC has – and will continue to – report accurately and without fear or favour on stories that are in the public interest, including this one." [27] On 13 April 2020, police began an investigation of the sex abuse allegations discussed in Revelation. [28]
Following Revelation, Ferguson stepped down as presenter of Four Corners and accepted the role of China bureau chief for the ABC. [3] After a year of political turmoil in the region, with journalists forced to leave China, her visa did not eventuate. [29]
In 2020, the ABC announced Ferguson would take up a short term role as a "special reporter" in Washington in early 2021. [30]
In August 2021, Ferguson's two-part report "Fox and the Big Lie" screened on Four Corners. [31] [32] It investigated how the Rupert Murdoch-owned American cable network Fox News allegedly became a propaganda vehicle for Donald Trump and helped destabilise America. Ferguson interviewed major Fox identities, including Gretchen Carlson and former Fox political editor Chris Stirewalt. Prior to broadcast, Fox News sent a legal threat to the ABC, stating that the broadcaster had "violated" its own standards by "exhibiting bias". [33] [34]
The Murdoch-owned newspaper The Australian published 45 articles in two days attacking the program, accusing the ABC of doing a "full frontal hit-job on Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorp and the US Fox News Channel". [35] Episode 1 was watched by 586,000 viewers. [36] News Corp denied there had been a coordinated campaign against the program. [33] The ABC said the News Corp response was expected and that "the striking uniformity of the attacks from News Corp journalists, commentators and outlets ... has only further served to highlight the importance of having a range of independent voices in the Australian media. News Corp not liking a story does not mean the story is biased or inaccurate". [37]
Ferguson responded to the threat of legal action by Fox News, stating that "We're not in fear of anything ... there are fewer more important stories to look at in America right now." [38]
In the second episode of Fox and the Big Lie, Ferguson's interview with former federal prosecutor and Trump lawyer Sidney Powell generated international headlines [39] [40] as Powell struggled to answer questions about her claims Smartmatic and Dominion were involved in rigging the 2020 Presidential Election. Ferguson asked Powell what fact-checking she had done to find out what Smartmatic's actual involvement in the election was. Powell responded that she was confused as to why Ferguson was interviewing her. Ferguson explained it was because Powell had made a series of very strong allegations against Smartmatic and Dominion, containing 'many errors of fact.' Ferguson then said 'You said Smartmatic owns Dominion. How do you justify such a basic factual error?' Powell walked out of the interview, only to reluctantly come back and continue to stick to her baseless claims. [41] [42]
After Powell said the election fraud had been planned for at least three years, Ferguson asked her: Do you ever hear yourself and think it sounds ridiculous? Powell replied: No. I know myself very well. I've been me a long time. [43] [44]
The Australian Communications and Media Authority finalised a year-long investigation on 19 December 2022 which was prompted by various complaints about the story by Fox News. [45] Although the ACMA dismissed most of the complaints, they did find that Ferguson's report had breached two standards in the ABC Code of Practice 2019 - standard 2.2 (materially misled) and standard 5.1 (inform participants of the nature of their participation). [45] [46]
The ACMA concluded that the program omitted key information that resulted in information being conveyed in a way that materially misled the audience. [45] The ACMA found that the ABC failed to include information about two Fox News presenters (Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro) being censured after appearing at a Donald Trump rally and also neglected to report on the role social media played prior to the Capitol riots. [45] The ACMA also found that an interviewee (Jeanine Pirro) was not adequately informed about the way the program would be presented. [45]
The ACMA rejected Fox News' suggestions that Ferguson's report was partisan. [45] However, the ACMA reasoned that the program "came close to, but did not breach" the impartiality standards in the code, finding that there were instances where Ferguson used "emotive and strident language" (specifically her use of the word "mob") but did show impartiality in her questioning. [45]
In a statement, the ABC defended Ferguson's story. [47] The organisation described Ferguson's story as a "world class report" and "a strong and measured piece of public interest journalism". [47] The ABC criticised the ACMA by saying their interpretation of the code could have negative consequences for public interest journalism, and were "deeply concerned at the ACMA's subjective characterisation of the program". [47]
Ferguson also publicly responded to the findings of the ACMA investigation. [48] She accused the regulator of issuing an "inflammatory" media release and failing to understand journalism. [48] Ferguson accused the ACMA of creating the impression that her story was misleading and dishonest when in fact that regulator had found only three minor subjective breaches and had dismissed 19 complaints. [48] She also accused the ACMA of attempting to restrict the ABC's freedom in choosing the most relevant editorial focus of its programs which Ferguson considers to be central to the success of current affairs programs like Four Corners. [48]
Ferguson's report was also defended by the ABC's director of news, analysis and investigations Justin Stevens who also criticised the ACMA's findings. [49]
In April 2022, the ABC announced Ferguson would return to Australia to succeed Leigh Sales as the host of ABC TV's flagship news and current affairs program 7.30 from July 2022. [2]
Key Awards and Nominations | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Award | Title | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards | Code of Silence | 2009 | Harry Williams Award | Sarah Ferguson | Won |
Walkley Awards | Code of Silence | 2009 | Best Sports Journalism | Sarah Ferguson, Kate Wild, Anne Connolly, Ivan O'Mahoney | Won |
TV Week Logie Awards | Smuggler's Paradise | 2011 | Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report | Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle | Won |
Walkley Awards | A Bloody Business | 2011 | Gold Walkley Award | Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle, Anne Worthington | Won |
Walkley Awards | A Bloody Business | 2011 | Documentary Award | Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle, Anne Worthington | Won |
Melbourne Press Club | Smuggler’s Paradise Australia | 2012 | Gold Quill Award | Sarah Ferguson | Won |
TV Week Logie Awards | A Bloody Business | 2012 | Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report | Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle | Won |
AACTA Awards | The Killing Season | 2015 | AACTA Award for Best Documentary | Sarah Ferguson, Deborah Masters | Won |
TV Week Logie Awards | The Killing Season | 2015 | Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report | Sarah Ferguson, Deborah Masters | Won |
Amnesty International Australia Media Awards | Hitting Home | 2016 | Television Award | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Won |
AACTA Awards | Hitting Home | 2016 | AACTA Award for Best Documentary | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Won |
Our Watch Awards | Hitting Home | 2016 | Best Longform | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Won |
Screen Producers Australia | Hitting Home | 2016 | Series Documentary Production | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Nominated |
TV Week Logie Awards | Hitting Home | 2016 | Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Nominated |
Walkley Awards | Hitting Home | 2016 | Documentary Award | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney | Won |
Asian Academy Creative Awards | Revelation | 2020 | Best Documentary Series | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Tony Jones | Won |
Walkley Awards | Revelation | 2020 | Documentary Award | Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Tony Jones | Won |
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Carlton, Victoria : Melbourne University PublishingFour Corners is an Australian investigative journalism/current affairs documentary television program. Broadcast on ABC TV, it premiered on 19 August 1961 and is the longest-running Australian television program in history. The program is one of only five in Australia inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
Media Watch is an Australian media analysis and political opinion television program currently presented by Paul Barry for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The program focuses on critiquing the Australian media together with its interconnections, including with politics.
Paul James Barry is an English-born, Australian-based journalist, newsreader and television presenter, who has won many awards for his investigative reporting. He previously worked for the BBC on numerous programs, before emigrating to Australia.
Liz Jackson was an Australian journalist and barrister noted for her work on the Four Corners and Media Watch television programs. She received nine Walkley Awards for excellence in journalism.
Kerry Michael O'Brien is an Australian journalist based in Byron Bay. He is the former editor and host of The 7.30 Report and Four Corners on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He has been awarded six Walkley Awards during his career.
60 Minutes is an Australian version of the United States television newsmagazine show of the same title, airing on the Nine Network since 1979 on Sunday nights. A New Zealand version uses segments of the show. The program is one of five inducted into Australia's television Logie Hall of Fame.
Anthony William Jones is an Australian television news and political journalist, radio and television presenter and writer.
Hack is the title of a current affairs radio program on Australian national radio broadcaster Triple J.
Nial William Fulton is an Australian film and television director, producer and writer. Focused on social justice issues, his works include investigative documentaries Revelation, Hitting Home, Borderland, The Queen & Zak Grieve and Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra.
Leigh Peta Sales is an Australian journalist and author, best known for her work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Linda Mary Buckfield is an Australian television producer, journalist and musician. Buckfield was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the pop rock band Electric Pandas from 1983 to 1987. Buckfield's television work commenced in 1990, and she has since won five Walkley Awards.
Christopher Gerald Uhlmann is an Australian former journalist and television presenter.
Margot O'Neill is an Australian journalist, writer and producer. She founded Original Thinking Productions, a multi-platform content provider after leaving the ABC in 2019 where she was a journalist for over 25 years. O’Neill worked as a journalist for nearly 40 years in television, radio, newspapers and online in Australia and overseas covering politics, national security and social justice issues and has worked on a variety of ABC programs including the investigative flagship program, Four Corners. O'Neill twice won Australia's Walkley Awards including for Best Investigative Reporting as well as four human rights awards. She also wrote a book called Blind Conscience telling the stories of some of the key players in Australia's refugee advocacy movement. It won the 2009 Human Rights award for best non-fiction. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) degree from Melbourne University. She was a Journalist Fellow at the University of Oxford.
Mark Willacy is an Australian investigative journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He, along with ABC Investigations-Four Corners team, won the 2020 Gold Walkley for their special report Killing Field, which covered alleged Australian war crimes. He has been awarded six other minor Walkley awards and two Queensland Clarion Awards for Queensland Journalist of the Year. Willacy is currently based in Brisbane, and was previously a correspondent in the Middle East and North Asia. He is the author of three books. In 2023, Willacy was found to have defamed Heston Russell, a former special forces commander, after making unproven allegations of war crimes.
Hitting Home is a Walkley and AACTA winning television documentary series, consisting of two episodes, broadcast on ABC in November 2015. Presenter Sarah Ferguson reported on domestic violence in Australia.
Sharri Markson is an Australian journalist and author. She is investigations editor at The Australian and host of the Sky News Australia program Sharri, which airs on Sunday evenings. She is the winner of numerous awards in journalism, including two Walkley Awards.
Caro Meldrum-Hanna is an Australian investigative journalist.
John Lyons is an Australian journalist. He has been the Executive Editor of ABC News and Head of Investigative Journalism for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2017. He was previously associate editor (digital) and a senior reporter at The Australian, editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, executive producer of the Sunday program on the Nine Network and a foreign correspondent in the United States and Israel.
Avani Dias is a Sri Lankan Australian journalist and radio presenter. She is currently posted as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s international foreign correspondent for South Asia, based in New Delhi. Dias is perhaps best known for being the presenter of current affairs program Hack on youth radio station Triple J from 2020 to 2021, after succeeding Tom Tilley at the end of 2019.
Suzanne Dredge is an Australian Walkley Award-winning journalist.