SPECIAL EVENT
What’s Next? The Changing Face Of Journalism
Moderator: Tracey Kirkland • Laura Tingle, Mark Kenny and David Speers
Truth is one of the most valuable commodities in a successful democracy. It underpins everything from human engagement to sustaining a robust media. And, in an era of diminishing public trust, truth has become more elusive, yet more important than ever.
Public trust was stress tested during the pandemic. Join this panel of stalwart Aussie journos as they grapple with the impact of these last volatile years. How have the nation’s truth-tellers adapted? Has the media emerged better equipped to tell Australia’s stories?
Artist
LAURA TINGLE has reported on Australian politics for more than 40 years and has worked for the ABC since 2018, having previously held senior positions in print media. She is the chief political correspondent for 7.30. In 2023, she became the staff-elected director on the ABC Board. She has written four Quarterly Essays, won two Walkley Awards, and is President of the National Press Club of Australia.
Artist
MARK KENNY joined ANU's Australian Studies Institute in 2019 after a high-profile career in journalism culminating as chief political correspondent at the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and the Canberra Times. He was promoted to professor by ANU in 2020. He continues to write columns for the Canberra Times, Australian Book Review, and many other mastheads. Kenny hosts the Democracy Sausage podcast, and is a sought-after broadcast commentator on politics across the nation and internationally.
Artist
DAVID SPEERS is the host of “Insiders” on ABC TV, where he interviews leading political figures and explores the big issues with an expert panel. David also writes political analysis each week for ABC News online, and appears across TV and radio platforms. He joined the ABC in 2020 after 19 years as the Political Editor of Sky News Australia. David has won a number of Walkleys, Kennedys, a Logie and the Press Gallery Journalist of the Year Award. David served 3 years as Press Gallery President and 15 years on the board of the National Press Club.
Moderator
TRACEY KIRKLAND has spent more than 30 years writing for broadcast and print. During COVID, she was the ABC’s national newsgathering editor and is now the continuous news editor for ABC News Channel.