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I have been editing @ageinvestigates for five years now but even by Nick McKenzie's lofty standards, this week has been astonishing. The release of the war crimes report is vindication for years of slog with Chris Masters https://www.theage.com.au/national/australian-special-forces-soldiers-committed-up-to-39-murders-adf-report-20201110-p56dek.html
They have painstakingly investigated serious allegations of war crimes with the help of victims and whistleblowers while Brendan Nelson accused them of "tearing down our heroes"; a big defamation suit and a PR campaign were launched and our competitors sniped from the bleachers.
But that is only one of @Ageinvestigates stories to come to fruition this week. Yesterday a former senior Australian executive was arrested and charged with international bribery offences largely because of work he did on the Unaoil scandal. https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/how-an-international-bribes-scandal-a-cover-up-and-a-trove-of-leaked-emails-ended-in-a-suburban-brisbane-arrest-20200913-p55v69.html
Again, our competitors slung mud - we were wrong, they said, or, worse boring. We'd been duped. They even gleefully reported an impending defamation suit that never arrived. Meanwhile, Nick did real, internationally significant journalism prompting arrests, fines and jailings.
As if that's not enough. Without @ageinvestigates journalism there would not be an inquiry into Crown, which has raised serious questions about the company's fitness to operate a casino and this week forced it to delay the opening of its Barangaroo giant. https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/crown-admits-criminals-likely-laundered-cash-through-casino-accounts-20201118-p56fm6.html
This time it was the Crown board that sought to undo our journalism by buying ads in, you guessed it, our competitors' newspapers, with claims now shown to be false and misleading. https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/the-herald-age-and-60-minutes-respond-to-crown-resorts-20190731-p52cob.html
All this journalism is expensive, risky ( @Ageinvestigates spends a good part of some days working preparing legal cases to navigate the ridiculous maze of Australia's defamation law).
And it's absolutely, utterly in the public interest.
And it's absolutely, utterly in the public interest.
It's a privilege to work with Nick in @theage and @smh newsrooms, where good, hard, inquisitive journalism is fostered and valued and where he is just one star among many. @Kate_McClymont @adele_ferguson @MillarRoyce @benschneiders and many, many more.
And it's a privilege to work with editors and executives of the calibre of @Gay_Alcorn @lisazdavies @jameschessell @_Tors who recognise it and support it.
