Adam Walters (born 5 August 1963) is an Australian journalist and author. He was also a political adviser to former New South Wales Premier, Morris Iemma.[1]
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Walters' first job was at The Daily Advertiser, in his home town of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. In 1985 he moved to Sydney, working as a reporter and newsreader for radio 2WS, 2CH and 2 Triple M. In 1989 he joined The Daily Telegraph newspaper.[2]
In 1990, Walters made the transition to television, as a crime reporter for the Seven Network. In 2000, he switched to the Nine Network, continuing in the role of crime reporter. Walters shared a Logie Award and Walkley Award for the Nine News team's coverage of the 2002 Bali bombings. In 2006, Walters became the Nine Network's NSW State Political Correspondent,[2] and went on to earn Walkley and Logie award nominations for most outstanding television news reporting in 2007 after a series of stories which led to the resignation of the NSW Police Minister.[3][4][5]
In his 30 years as a news journalist Walters has been on location to file on many major stories including the Anita Cobby murder, the North Shore "Granny Killer", the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, the Strathfield massacre, the Backpacker Murders in the Belanglo State Forest, the assassination of NSW parliamentarian John Newman, the abduction and murder of Southern Highlands schoolgirl Ebony Simpson, the Port Arthur massacre, the 1997 Thredbo landslide, the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race tragedy, the 2002 Bali Bombings, the arrest of the Bali Nine heroin smugglers,[6] European reaction to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the first murder on Norfolk Island in 150 years, and the 2009 Black Saturday bush fires in Victoria.[7]
In 2009 an investigation by Walters into the proliferation of illegal brothels in NSW led to the closure of Sydney's biggest.[8] The series of stories exposed the NSW Government's failure to enforce legislation drafted two years earlier to eradicate the illicit sex trade.[9]
By December 2009 an investigation by Walters for The Daily Telegraph exposed the cover-up of child sex abuse at the highest level of Australian swimming.[10] A series of stories followed four months of investigations into a secret police strike force set up after the Sydney Olympic Games to examine multiple child sex abuse allegations against the late Olympic swimming coach Terry Buck. Several victims came forward to give disturbing, detailed accounts of their suffering.[11] Buck was never charged, despite five months of investigations by Strike Force Solano.[12]
On 20 May 2010, Walters broke a story on Seven News in Sydney about the resignation of New South Wales Transport and Roads Minister David Campbell. Walters' story was based around hidden camera footage of the Minister leaving a gay sex club in Sydney's eastern suburbs.[13] Walters had confronted Campbell with the footage, and upon being told the story would air, Campbell resigned as Minister an hour prior to the news bulletin.[14] Although former NSW Labor Premier Barrie Unsworth said Campbell's actions were "deplorable" for exposing himself to "blackmail and compromise" [15] the story was criticized by other sections of the media and by politicians, including the Sydney Morning Herald which deemed it "not a good moment for the media coverage of Macquarie Street".[16] [17][18] The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) ruled Seven's Campbell story was in the public interest [19]After Labor's 2011 election defeat Fairfax Media's Sun-Herald State Political editor reported the Campbell story was a critical setback for former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally.[20]
Walters has co-authored four books, Nightmare on Norfolk,[21] about the murder of Janelle Patton, and The Accidental Gangster — the Life and Times of Bela Csidei,[22] "The Face Without A Name - Finding Jane Doe"[23] and "Cold Cases."[24]All the books were co-written with fellow crime reporter Norm Lipson.[2] Walters was also a regular contributor to The Bulletin Magazine.
In July 2008 he resigned from the Nine Network to work as a communications adviser to New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma.[1][25] He rejoined The Daily Telegraph, becoming the paper's NSW Political Editor before resuming his television career in April 2010, as a senior reporter at Channel Seven, Sydney.[26]