David Marr (journalist)

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David Marr (b. 1947 in Sydney) is an Australian journalist and author. He was educated at the Sydney Church of England Grammar School and the University of Sydney, where he graduated in Arts and Law.

Marr began working as an articled clerk with the legal firm Allen, Allen and Hemsley but then turned to journalism. He wrote for The Bulletin and The National Times and became editor of the latter in 1981-1982; during this period he oversaw the publication of the sensational articles by David Hickie that detailed long-suppressed allegations of corruption against former NSW Premier Robert Askin -- the first article, headlined "ASKIN: FRIEND OF ORGANISED CRIME" was famously published on the day of Askin's funeral in 1981.

Marr was editor of the ABC TV program Four Corners (1985, 1990-1991), a role in which he won a Walkley Award and the presenter of Radio National's Arts Today program (1994-1996). From 2002 to 2004, he hosted the ABC TV program Media Watch. He currently works for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a frequent guest on ABC TV's Insiders program.

During Marr's term as presenter, Media Watch played a key role in exposing the ongoing cash for comment affair, which Media Watch had first raised in 1999, concerning radio commentators Alan Jones and John Laws. In 2004, the program's exposé of Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) head David Flint - who had written fan letters to Jones, at a time when Jones was being investigated by the ABA - played a significant role in forcing Flint's resignation.

In 2002, Marr demonstrated on Media Watch that conservative newspaper columnist Janet Albrechtsen had misquoted a French psychiatrist, Jean-Jacques Rassial, and claimed that she had deliberately done this to make it look as though violence and gang rape were institutionalised elements of the culture of Muslim youths.[1] Albrechtsen did not deny the misquote, but responded by accusing Media Watch of inherent left-wing bias, and of deliberately leading a witch-hunt against contrary views. When Albrechtsen was appointed by the Minister for Communications, Senator Helen Coonan to the board of the ABC in February 2005, Marr publicly questioned whether she was qualified for such a position in light of her prior breach of journalistic conduct.[2]

Marr has also been accused of left-wing bias by other right-wing commentators, notably Andrew Bolt and Paddy McGuinness. Many of these comentators come from the Murdoch press, and have frequently been accused by the Media Watch program of using questionable journalistic practices.

Marr has published several books including a critically acclaimed biography of Australian writer Patrick White, which won The Age's Book of the Year award and the New South Wales Premier's Award for Non-Fiction. More recently, Marr wrote, along with Marian Wilkinson, Dark Victory, an account of the 2001 Australian election campaign in the wake of the MV Tampa incident.

[edit] Bibliography

Patrick White book cover by David Marr
Enlarge
Patrick White book cover by David Marr

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Janet Albrechtsen's View. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (9 September 2002). Retrieved on 2006-11-28.
  2. ^ Caldwell, Alison (24 February 2005). ABC critic appointed to board of directors. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-11-28.
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