Osman Faruqi

Last updated

Osman Faruqi
Bornc.1990
Nationality Australian
Occupation Journalist
Parent(s) Mehreen Faruqi, Omar Faruqi

Osman Faruqi (born c.1990) is a Pakistani-born Australian political and entertainment journalist. He has been the culture news editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age since 2022. [1]

Contents

Previously he was Schwartz Media's head of audio, presenter of The Culture podcast, and editor of daily news podcast, 7am. [1] [2] He worked as the deputy editor of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Life and as a reporter with the ABC’s investigative audio program, Background Briefing , and was the former political editor at Junkee . He is also known as a contributor to The Guardian , [3] The Saturday Paper [4] and others.

Biography

Faruqi was born in Pakistan and came to Australia at the age of two. [5] He is the son of the Australian Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi. [6] As a student at the University of New South Wales Faruqi served as the president of the Student Representative Council in 2010. [7] In the 2015 New South Wales state election, Faruqi stood as the Australian Greens candidate for the seat of Heffron, receiving 21.1% of the first-preference vote. [8] Faruqi is a Muslim [5] and has commented on the difficulty of facing prejudice as a Muslim in Australia in the wake of the September 11 attacks. [9]

In addition to his work as a journalist, Faruqi has also worked as a higher education policy adviser for the Australian Greens [10] in the office of NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon. [11] After nearly ten years as an active member of the Greens, Faruqi stepped down from his roles in the party in 2015. [11]

He chairs an awards panel for the State Library of New South Wales. [12]

As of 2020 Faruqi was writing a book about race relations in Australia, which was expected to be published in 2021. [13]

Journalistic career

Faruqi frequently writes on issues related to Australian politics, culture, and identity. He frequently writes on matters related to racial, ethnic and cultural identity in Australia, including the government's approach to Black Lives Matter, [14] anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia, [15] and the threat of far-right terrorism in Australia. [16]

Faruqi has written critically about the response to COVID-19 in Victoria. [17] He has criticised the application of compliance fines for breaches of COVID-19 regulations, arguing that these have been disproportionately targeted at migrant and Indigenous Australians. [18]

Faruqi has been highly critical of what he calls "racist fear mongering" in Australian media coverage of the purported "African gangs" issue in Melbourne. [19] Faruqi has noted that senior police officials in Victoria have expressed skepticism about the claim of a widespread crisis related to crime committed by African Australians in Melbourne. [20]

In an extended essay for Meanjin in 2016, Faruqi was highly critical of what he perceived as inadequate ethnic diversity in Australian media. [21] In 2018, Faruqi publicly criticised his fellow ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson for interviewing far-right figure and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, contending that she failed to properly interrogate Bannon's extreme views on race, and had "thrown me and other PoC (people of colour) under the bus". [22]

Despite his background as a former Australian Greens candidate and advisor, Faruqi criticised the party in 2016, saying it needed to "re-evaluate and radically overhaul its current approach" in order to escape minor party status. [23]

In the wake of the Christchurch massacre, Faruqi was critical of what he perceived a political climate of "normalising hatred and racism" that had led to far-right radicalisation in Australia. [24] In August 2018, Faruqi was doxxed by a far-right activist and was "inundated with racist text message and phone calls". [25] He was targeted on Twitter before he deleted his Twitter account. [26]

Defamation case

In 2018, Faruqi successfully sued former Australian Labor Party leader and current One Nation NSW Senator Mark Latham for defamation. Latham had accused Faruqi of "aiding and abetting Islamic terrorism" and fostering "anti-white racism in Australia" in a broadcast of his online politics show Mark Latham's Outsiders made on 2 August 2017. [27] The following day, the Daily Mail ran a story broadcasting Latham's comments, including a subheading claiming Faruqi and fellow Australian Muslim Yassmin Abdel-Magied were "giving encouragement to terrorist fanatics who kill innocent people". [28] Faruqi subsequently received a torrent of online abuse, including death threats. [29] When interviewed later by The Monthly , Faruqi said that "being accused of being a terrorist when you’re a brown guy from a Muslim background in Australia is a pretty scary thing". [29] Latham's protracted 76-page defence was described by the judge as "extraordinary" and drew ridicule in the Australian press its length and incoherence. [30]

In the wake of the judgment, Faruqi stated that he hoped that the case would demonstrate that "while robust debate is part of a healthy democracy, using your platform to harm the reputation of individuals comes at a cost". [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline Hanson</span> Australian politician

Pauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian Senate since the 2016 Federal Election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Greens</span> Australian political party

The Australian Greens, commonly referred to simply as the Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and the fourth largest by elected representation. The leader of the party is Adam Bandt, with Mehreen Faruqi serving as deputy leader. Larissa Waters currently holds the role of Senate leader.

<i>The Daily Telegraph</i> (Sydney) Australian daily tabloid newspaper

The Daily Telegraph, also nicknamed The Tele, is an Australian tabloid newspaper published by Nationwide News Pty Limited, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is published Monday through Saturday and is available throughout Sydney, across most of regional and remote New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and South East Queensland.

The interrobang, also known as the interabang, is an unconventional punctuation mark intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interrogative point, and the exclamation mark, or exclamation point, known in the jargon of printers and programmers as a "bang". The glyph is a ligature of these two marks and was first proposed in 1962 by Martin K. Speckter.

Frederick John Nile is an Australian politician and ordained Christian minister. Nile was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981-2023, except for a period in 2004. Nile was re-elected at the 1991, 1999, 2007, and 2015 state elections and served as the Assistant President of the Legislative Council between 2007 and 2019. Nile lost his seat at the 2023 New South Wales state election, after four decades of being in parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Latham</span> Australian politician

Mark William Latham is an Australian politician and media commentator, who is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He previously served as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from December 2003 to January 2005, leading the party to defeat at the 2004 federal election. He has since left the Australian Labor Party and joined Pauline Hanson's One Nation, gaining a seat for that party in the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 2019 New South Wales state election. He resigned prior to the 2023 state election in order to stand for a new term and so another person could be appointed to fill his casual vacancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Australian federal election</span> Election for the 41st Parliament of Australia

The 2004 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 9 October 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and coalition partner the National Party of Australia led by John Anderson defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Mark Latham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greens NSW</span> Political party in Australia

The Greens NSW, also known as the NSW Greens, is a green political party in New South Wales and a member of the Australian Greens. First formed in 1991, the Greens NSW began as a state-level party before joining with other green parties in Australia to create the current federated structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Rhiannon</span> Australian politician (born 1951)

Lee Rhiannon is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales between July 2011 and August 2018. She was elected at the 2010 federal election, representing the Australian Greens. Prior to her election to the Federal Parliament, Rhiannon was a Greens NSW member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1999 and 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladys Berejiklian</span> 45th Premier of New South Wales

Gladys Berejiklian is an Australian businesswomen and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejiklian currently works as an executive for the telecommunications company Optus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Hanson-Young</span> Australian politician

Sarah Coral Hanson-Young is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for South Australia since July 2008, representing the Australian Greens. She is a graduate of the WEF young global leaders program. She is the youngest woman to be elected to federal parliament, winning election at the age of 25 and taking office at the age of 26. She was the youngest person ever elected to the Senate, until Jordon Steele-John was elected in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Buckingham</span> Australian politician

Jeremy Nova Buckingham is an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2011 to 2019, representing the Greens from 2011 to 2018, but resigned from the party on 20 December 2018. He was unsuccessful in retaining his place at the 2019 state election, but won a seat in the Legislative Council at the 2023 state election, representing the Legalise Cannabis Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Heffron state by-election</span> Election result for Heffron, New South Wales, Australia

A by-election occurred for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Heffron on Saturday 25 August 2012. This was triggered by the resignation of former Premier of New South Wales Kristina Keneally (Labor) which she announced on 23 June 2012. Labor easily retained the seat with an increased margin. Ron Hoenig received a 60 percent primary and 70 percent two-candidate preferred vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehreen Faruqi</span> Australian politician

Mehreen Saeed Faruqi is a Pakistani-born Australian politician and former engineer who has been a Senator for New South Wales since 15 August 2018, representing the Greens. She was chosen to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Lee Rhiannon, before being elected in her own right in 2019. She had previously served in the New South Wales Legislative Council between June 2013 and August 2018. Since June 2022, Faruqi has served as Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 New South Wales state election</span> State election for New South Wales, Australia in March 2019

The 2019 New South Wales state election was held on Saturday 23 March 2019 to elect the 57th Parliament of New South Wales, including all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).

<i>Outsiders</i> (Australian TV program) Australian television news and commentary show

Outsiders is an Australian television news and commentary show broadcast on Sky News Australia. The show is currently co-hosted by editor of The Spectator magazine Rowan Dean, The Friday Show host Rita Panahi, and The Daily Telegraph opinion editor James Morrow, and features long-form discussion of political issues between conservative contributors.

Rowan Dean is an Australian advertising executive and conservative commentator. After a career as an advertising industry copywriter, Dean was a panellist on early seasons of Gruen, and became a commentator with multiple newspapers and a co-host of conservative Sky News Australia program Outsiders. He is currently the editor of Spectator Australia in addition to being a frequent contributor. He is a columnist at the Australian Financial Review, has written for The Age, and has appeared on the ABC's panel talk show Q&A.

friendlyjordies Australian YouTuber

Jordan Shanks-Markovina, also known online as friendlyjordies, is an Australian political commentator, journalist, stand-up comedian and YouTuber. His content often discusses contemporary Australian cultural and political issues, involving self-described "lowbrow humour" style. Shanks' YouTube channel, created in February 2013, has over a million subscribers as of June 2023. He has interviewed several politicians, including Jodi McKay, Tanya Plibersek, Kristina Keneally, Bill Shorten, Helen Dalton, and former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

This is a list of confirmed candidates in ballot paper order for the 2022 Australian federal election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacinta Nampijinpa Price</span> Australian activist and politician

Jacinta Yangapi Nampijinpa Price is an Australian politician from the Northern Territory. She has been a senator for the Northern Territory since the 2022 federal election. She is a member of the Country Liberal Party, a politically conservative party operating in the Northern Territory affiliated with the national Coalition. She sits with the National Party in federal parliament. She is currently serving as Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

References

  1. 1 2 "Osman Faruqi appointed culture news editor for SMH and The Age". mediaweek. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  2. "Welcome, Ruby Jones and Osman Faruqi". Schwartz Media. 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. "Osman Faruqi". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. "Osman Faruqi". The Saturday Paper. 8 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 Ansari, Tahmina (1 July 2019). "This Muslim journalist embraced social media until it 'ruined' his life". First Draft News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  6. McCauley, Dana (2 May 2018). "Ex-Greens candidate Osman Faruqi hired by ABC". The Australian. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  7. Aston, Heath (11 April 2010). "Exposed: Sydney's great rental rip-off". The Age. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. "Electorate: Heffron". ABC News. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  9. Jamieson, Maya; Alikhil, Abdullah (31 August 2016). "Social-cohesion report shows many Muslims feel left out". SBS News. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. Faruqi, Osman (3 February 2016). "Focus on quantity unfair to students". The Australian. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Tips and rumours: are there ructions in the NSW greens?". Crikey. 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  12. "Multicultural NSW Award:2021". State Library of New South Wales. 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  13. "Osman Faruqi". Sydney Writers Festival. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  14. Faruqi, Osman (20–26 June 2020). "Deflecting from the real issues of Black Lives Matter". The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  15. Faruqi, Osman (10 October 2017). "Australia's First Muslim Cricketer Is Shining A Light On Racism In The Sport". Junkee. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  16. Faruqi, Osman (11 March 2020). "Exclusive: ASIO's 'race war' warning". The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  17. Faruqi, Osman (26 October 2020). "When the public side with the powerful over press freedom, we all lose". The Age. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  18. Faruqi, Osman (18–24 April 2020). "Compliance fines under the microscope". The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  19. Faruqi, Osman (3 January 2018). "The Recent Obsession With "African Gangs" Betrays A Sad Reality About Australian Politics". Junkee. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  20. Faruqi, Osman (10 January 2018). "Victoria's Top Cop Has Ripped Into Peter Dutton's Comments Over "African Gangs"". Junkee. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  21. Faruqi, Osman (1 June 2016). "Media and diversity in Australia". Meanjin. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  22. Maley, Jacqueline (12 June 2020). "From Trump to the ABC: Changing culture of journalism in the call-out age". The Age. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  23. Faruqi, Osman (5 July 2016). "Without some serious soul searching, the Greens will never move beyond the 10% plateau". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  24. Faruqi, Osman (16 March 2019). "Tears For Christchurch: Australia First Imported Hate In 1788. Now We're In The Export Business". New Matilda. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  25. Faruqi, Osman; Mann, Alex (24 February 2019). "Doxxed: Exposing the terrifying new frontier in online abuse". ABC Radio National. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  26. Knott, Matthew (22 March 2019). "Toxic tribalism and the sad, broken state of Australian conversation". The Age. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  27. McGowan, Michael (26 November 2018). "Mark Latham agrees to pay damages to ABC's Osman Faruqi in defamation case". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  28. Di Stefano, Mark (17 August 2017). "This Journalist Is Threatening Legal Action Against The Daily Mail For An "Anti-White Racism" Story". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  29. 1 2 Kelly, Sean (1 August 2019). "Mark Latham: The outsider". The Monthly. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  30. Lewis, Charlie (31 August 2018). "Highlights from the Latham v Faruqi defamation case, presented without comment". Crikey. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  31. Watkins, Emily (27 November 2018). "Mark Latham decries 'lawfare' after settling Faruqi defamation case". Crikey. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020.