Sarah ferguson abc biography books

Sarah Ferguson (journalist)

British–Australian journalist (born )

Sarah Ferguson (born 31 December ) is an Australian[1] journalist, reporter and television presenter. She is the host of ABC TV's flagship news and current affairs program .[2] She was previously a journalist for Dateline, Insight, Sunday and Four Corners.

Personal life

Ferguson was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in to Iain and Marjorie.[3][4] She has two older brothers.[3] The onset of the Nigerian Civil War led the family to move back to the United Kingdom when Ferguson was a toddler.[4] She attended New Hall, a Catholic-run private girls school in Boreham, Essex.

A heart-wrenching account of Ferguson's sudden loss of her mother and their life-long bond. TV Tonight. In other projects. Ferguson was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where her British-born parents lived before moving to Britain as the Biafran war broke out.

She later studied English literature at King's College, London. In her early teens, she began a correspondence with the poet Philip Larkin.[4] In a teenage essay she said that she wanted to be "a commando and a librarian in the British House of Commons".[5]

Ferguson married journalist Tony Jones in or [a] They have three sons, including one from Jones' previous relationship.[4]

In , the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on Ferguson by the University of Sydney for excellence in journalism.[8]

Career

Ferguson's career began in newspapers in the United Kingdom, writing arts reviews for The Independent.

Later she moved to Paris and worked as a researcher and production assistant on arts programs for French and British broadcasters. In , Australian journalist and the ABC's London correspondent, Tony Jones, hired Ferguson to help him on a story about French politics.[3]

In , Ferguson worked as a reporter for Dateline and Insight.

In she joined the Sunday program on Channel Nine and in joined Four Corners, the ABC's long form current affairs program. Her first story was an investigation into political fundraising. She was nominated for a record four Walkley Awards in

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In , Ferguson reported on the live cattle export trade in Australian cattle to Indonesia.

I felt that by sharing this part of her story, she gives us all hope and the skills to stand up for our families who come in contact with the crushing forces of irresponsible bureaucracy. After Powell said the election fraud had been planned for at least three years, Ferguson asked her: Do you ever hear yourself and think it sounds ridiculous? I thrashed about in the back of the taxi, like something animal. Jump to ratings and reviews.

The episode, "A Bloody Business", won the Gold Walkley Award and led to suspension of the trade.[9][10][11] Ferguson won the Logie for Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report in , , and She also won the George Muster Award and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards for her reporting on people smuggling and the toxic culture within the rugby league.

In , Ferguson hosted and her interviews with the Australian treasurer Joe Hockey were nominated for a Walkley for journalistic excellence. They would later be described as "aggressive" and "the tone of the questioning could have been interpreted by some viewers to be a potential breach of the ABC's impartiality guidelines".[12][13][14]

In , Ferguson caused controversy at the Walkley Awards when she publicly railed against job cuts at the ABC.[15][16][17] Ferguson presented two major series for the ABC in She wrote and presented The Killing Season, a documentary series on the Rudd/Gillard years, analysing the events of the Labor governments of to Ferguson interviewed Australian Labor Party decision-makers and strategists who had engaged in internal conflict that brought down a government which had successfully countered the – financial crisis.

The series won the AACTA award for documentary in

In November , Ferguson replaced Kerry O'Brien as host of Four Corners.

In , as Ferguson was getting off a plane, she was told that her mother Marjorie had died suddenly in England. Later she became aware that hospital negligence had led to her mother's death.

She wrote about the experience in her book On Mother.[18]

In May , Ferguson presented "The Siege", a two-part special investigating the Sydney hostage crisis at the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, Sydney. Ferguson interviewed the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson and the surviving hostages and examined how authorities had failed to comprehend the risk posed by hostage-taker Man Haron Monis.[19][20]

In June , Ferguson presented and produced "Trump/Russia", a Four Corners three-part series on President Donald Trump and his connections to Russia.

The series was filmed over several months in the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia.[21] In November , Ferguson reported and presented "Bitter End" about conflict within the ABC which led to the resignations of its managing director Michelle Guthrie and chair Justin Milne within one week.[22]

In , the ABC announced Ferguson would take up a short term role as a "special reporter" in Washington in early [23]

In April , the ABC announced Ferguson would return to Australia to succeed Leigh Sales as the host of ABC TV's flagship news and current affairs program from July [2]

Documentaries

Ferguson has collaborated with producer Nial Fulton on two documentary series for ABC.

In she presented Hitting Home on domestic violence in Australia. The series won Best Documentary at the AACTA Awards[24] and the Walkley Documentary Award.[25]

In , Ferguson started working on Revelation, a three-part documentary series for the ABC about the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia.[26]

Revelation aired on ABC on 17 March, 31 March and 2 April [27] Ferguson interviewed convicted Catholic priest Father Vincent Ryan and Bernard McGrath, a former religious brother from the Order of St John of God.

Her interview with Ryan was the first time anywhere in the world a still serving Catholic priest publicly discussed their sexual abuse of children.

In "Goliath", the third episode of Revelation, Ferguson interviewed two men, identified as Bernie and Peter Clarke, who accused Australian cardinal George Pell of sexually abusing them as boys when he was a priest in the Diocese of Ballarat and investigated their accusations.

The alleged sexual abuse occurred when Pell spent time at the Catholic orphanage where the men resided in the s.[28]

Following Pell's acquittal and subsequent release from Barwon Prison, the producers temporarily removed the third episode of the series to include these developments before restoring the episode to the ABC iView platform.[29] The ABC also released a statement which stood by the program's content, stating "The ABC has – and will continue to – report accurately and without fear or favour on stories that are in the public interest, including this one."[29] On 13 April , police began an investigation of the sex abuse allegations discussed in Revelation.[30]

Following Revelation, Ferguson stepped down as presenter of Four Corners and accepted the role of China bureau chief for the ABC.[4] After a year of political turmoil in the region, with journalists forced to leave China, her visa did not eventuate.[31]

"Fox and the Big Lie"

In August , Ferguson's two-part report "Fox and the Big Lie" screened on Four Corners.[32][33] It investigated how the Rupert Murdoch-owned American cable network Fox News allegedly became a propaganda vehicle for Donald Trump and helped destabilise America.

Ferguson interviewed major Fox identities, including Gretchen Carlson and former Fox political editor Chris Stirewalt. Prior to broadcast, Fox News sent a legal threat to the ABC, stating that the broadcaster had "violated" its own standards by "exhibiting bias".[34][35]

The Murdoch-owned newspaper The Australian published 45 articles in two days attacking the program, accusing the ABC of doing a "full frontal hit-job on Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorp and the US Fox News Channel".[36] Episode 1 was watched by , viewers.[37] News Corp denied there had been a coordinated campaign against the program.[34] The ABC said the News Corp response was expected and that "the striking uniformity of the attacks from News Corp journalists, commentators and outlets has only further served to highlight the importance of having a range of independent voices in the Australian media.

News Corp not liking a story does not mean the story is biased or inaccurate".[38]

Ferguson responded to the threat of legal action by Fox News, stating that "We're not in fear of anything there are fewer more important stories to look at in America right now."[39]

In the second episode of Fox and the Big Lie, Ferguson's interview with former federal prosecutor and Trump lawyerSidney Powell generated international headlines[40][41] as Powell struggled to answer questions about her claims Smartmatic and Dominion were involved in rigging the Presidential Election.

Ferguson asked Powell what fact-checking she had done to find out what Smartmatic's actual involvement in the election was. Powell responded that she was confused as to why Ferguson was interviewing her.

Sarah Ferguson (journalist) - Wikipedia: Now To Love. I don't apologise for being sad anymore, but I do tell everyone to call their mother. Ferguson's career began in newspapers in the United Kingdom, writing arts reviews for The Independent. A sad, hour-long essay on Sarah's experience of the unexpected loss of her elderly mother.

Ferguson explained it was because Powell had made a series of very strong allegations against Smartmatic and Dominion, containing 'many errors of fact.' Ferguson then said 'You said Smartmatic owns Dominion. How do you justify such a basic factual error?' Powell walked out of the interview, only to reluctantly come back and continue to stick to her baseless claims.[42][43]

After Powell said the election fraud had been planned for at least three years, Ferguson asked her: Do you ever hear yourself and think it sounds ridiculous?

Powell replied: No. I know myself very well. I've been me a long time.[44][45]

The Australian Communications and Media Authority finalised a year-long investigation on 19 December which was prompted by various complaints about the story by Fox News.[46] Although the ACMA dismissed most of the complaints, they did find that Ferguson's report had breached two standards in the ABC Code of Practice - standard (materially misled) and standard (inform participants of the nature of their participation).[46][47]

The ACMA concluded that the program omitted key information that resulted in information being conveyed in a way that materially misled the audience.[46] The ACMA found that the ABC failed to include information about two Fox News presenters (Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro) being censured after appearing at a Donald Trump rally and also neglected to report on the role social media played prior to the Capitol riots.[46] The ACMA also found that an interviewee (Jeanine Pirro) was not adequately informed about the way the program would be presented.[46]

The ACMA rejected Fox News' suggestions that Ferguson's report was partisan.[46] However, the ACMA reasoned that the program "came close to, but did not breach" the impartiality standards in the code, finding that there were instances where Ferguson used "emotive and strident language" (specifically her use of the word "mob") but did show impartiality in her questioning.[46]

In a statement, the ABC defended Ferguson's story.[48] The organisation described Ferguson's story as a "world class report" and "a strong and measured piece of public interest journalism".[48] The ABC criticised the ACMA by saying their interpretation of the code could have negative consequences for public interest journalism, and were "deeply concerned at the ACMA's subjective characterisation of the program".[48]

Ferguson also publicly responded to the findings of the ACMA investigation.[49] She accused the regulator of issuing an "inflammatory" media release and failing to understand journalism.[49] Ferguson accused the ACMA of creating the impression that her story was misleading and dishonest when in fact that regulator had found only three minor subjective breaches and had dismissed 19 complaints.[49] She also accused the ACMA of attempting to restrict the ABC's freedom in choosing the most relevant editorial focus of its programs which Ferguson considers to be central to the success of current affairs programs like Four Corners.[49]

Ferguson's report was also defended by the ABC's director of news, analysis and investigations Justin Stevens who also criticised the ACMA's findings.[50]

Filmography

Bibliography

  • Ferguson, Sarah (), On Mother, Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Publishing, ISBN&#;
  • Ferguson, Sarah; Drum, Patricia, (authors.) (), The Killing Season Uncut, Melbourne University Publishing, ISBN&#;: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Carlton, Victoria&#;: Melbourne University Publishing

Awards

Key Awards and Nominations
Award Title Year Category Recipient(s) Result
Queensland Premier's Literary AwardsCode of Silence Harry Williams Award Sarah Ferguson Won
Walkley AwardsCode of Silence Best Sports Journalism Sarah Ferguson, Kate Wild, Anne Connolly, Ivan O'Mahoney Won
TV Week Logie AwardsSmuggler's Paradise Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle Won
Walkley AwardsA Bloody Business Gold Walkley Award Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle, Anne Worthington Won
Walkley AwardsA Bloody Business Documentary AwardSarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle, Anne Worthington Won
Melbourne Press ClubSmuggler’s Paradise Australia Gold Quill Award Sarah Ferguson Won
TV Week Logie AwardsA Bloody Business Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report Sarah Ferguson, Michael Doyle Won
AACTA AwardsThe Killing Season AACTA Award for Best DocumentarySarah Ferguson, Deborah Masters Won
TV Week Logie AwardsThe Killing Season Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report Sarah Ferguson, Deborah Masters Won
Amnesty International Australia Media AwardsHitting Home Television Award Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Won
AACTA AwardsHitting Home AACTA Award for Best DocumentarySarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Won
Our Watch AwardsHitting Home Best Longform Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Won
Screen Producers AustraliaHitting Home Series Documentary Production Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Nominated
TV Week Logie AwardsHitting Home Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Nominated
Walkley AwardsHitting Home Documentary AwardSarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Ivan O'Mahoney Won
Asian Academy Creative AwardsRevelation Best Documentary Series Sarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Tony JonesWon
Walkley AwardsRevelation Documentary AwardSarah Ferguson, Nial Fulton, Tony JonesWon

Notes

References

  1. ^ abMaley, Jacqueline (5 July ).

    "Sarah Ferguson on and what makes her tick". The Age. Retrieved 5 August

  2. ^ abKnox, David (29 April ). "Sarah Ferguson to host ". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 April
  3. ^ abcdWood, Stephanie (13 April ).

    "In the hot seat: the inquisitor Sarah Ferguson". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 August

  4. ^ abcdeSnow, Deborah (12 March ). "Lunch with Sarah Ferguson: Philip Larkin, child abuse and China".

    The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 September

  5. ^University of Melbourne website
  6. ^Wilmouth, Peter (19 April ). "Top of her game". The Weekly Review. Archived from the original on 14 May Retrieved 5 August
  7. ^Maley, Jacqueline (3 August ). "Sarah Ferguson on her worst interview: 'He was just rude, not interested'".

    The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 August

  8. ^University of Sydney website
  9. ^A Bloody Business, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 30 May , retrieved 3 September
  10. ^O'Sullivan, Siobhan (5 November ). "The live export of animals will always be a bloody business". The Conversation.

    Retrieved 3 September

  11. ^"Doco reveals Australian cattle tortured overseas". . 30 May Retrieved 3 September
  12. ^Knott, Matthew (17 February ). "Sarah Ferguson interview with Joe Hockey 'breached ABC bias guidelines': review". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 September
  13. ^"ABC defends Sarah Ferguson's interview with Joe Hockey against bias accusation".

    The Guardian. 17 February Retrieved 3 September

  14. ^"O'Brien: we're asking the wrong questions about Ferguson's Hockey interview". Crikey. 17 February Retrieved 3 September
  15. ^"Ferguson lashes ABC over job cuts in Walkleys speech". . 5 December Retrieved 3 September
  16. ^Knott, Matthew (5 December ).

    "ABC star Sarah Ferguson attacks broadcaster's management over digital investment". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 September

  17. ^"Walkley awards: Sarah Ferguson gives ABC management a blast". The Guardian. 5 December Retrieved 3 September
  18. ^"No way to lose her: Sarah Ferguson on her mother".

    ABC Radio. 17 May Retrieved 27 April

  19. ^ abThe Siege - Part One, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 22 May , retrieved 14 March
  20. ^"Sarah Ferguson: 'One of most compelling things I've ever heard'". NewsComAu. 22 May Retrieved 14 March
  21. ^Trump/Russia: Follow the Money, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 6 June , retrieved 15 September
  22. ^Ferguson, Reported by Sarah (8 November ).

    "Bitter End". Four Corners.

  23. Carousel
  24. Sarah Ferguson - ABC News
  25. A deeper look into Sarah Ferguson's decades long career as a ...
  26. Clear
  27. Retrieved 3 September

  28. ^Quinn, Karl (21 October ). "ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson to take up short-term Washington post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 April
  29. ^"Past Awards". . Retrieved 14 March
  30. ^The Guardian
  31. ^"Sarah Ferguson to investigate forces behind Catholic Church child abuse in new 3-part special".

    Australian Television News - TV Blackbox. Retrieved 14 March

  32. ^"Revelation | Episode 3". ABC Radio. 2 April Retrieved 13 August
  33. ^"EXCLUSIVE: The ABC's Sarah Ferguson reveals what it's really like to interview convicted paedophiles". Now To Love.

    26 February Retrieved 3 September

  34. ^ abMeade, Amanda (8 April ). "ABC to re-edit and restore George Pell episode of Revelation as News Corp goes on attack". The Guardian. ISSN&#; Retrieved 13 August
  35. ^Torre, Giovanni (13 April ).

    "Australian police investigating new child abuse allegations against Cardinal George Pell". The Telegraph. ISSN&#; Retrieved 13 August

  36. ^Zanda Wilson (21 October ). "ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson posts to Washington amid uncertainty over Beijing move". Mumbrella.

    Sarah ferguson abc biography books Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews. Ferguson was born in Nigeria in to adventurous parents, Iain and Marjorie Ferguson, who nurtured in her a quest for an interesting life. The Age. Later she moved to Paris and worked as a researcher and production assistant on arts programs for French and British broadcasters.

    Retrieved 3 September

  37. ^Knox, David (26 August ). "Four Corners: Aug 30 | TV Tonight". Retrieved 3 September
  38. ^Fox and the Big Lie - Part One, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 23 August , retrieved 3 September
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    The Guardian. 25 August Retrieved 3 September

  40. ^The Daily Beast
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  42. ^Thomas, Trent (24 August ). "TV Ratings August 23, The Voice continues to push Seven to No. 1". Mediaweek.

    Retrieved 3 September

  43. ^"ABC Statement: "Fox and the Big Lie"". About the ABC. Retrieved 3 September
  44. ^"'We're not in fear of anything': Sarah Ferguson responds to Fox News' legal threats over Four Corners report". ABC Radio.

    Abc biography book Sarah began her journalism career in newspapers in the UK before moving to France, where she worked as a freelancer for British and French broadcasters, and later to Washington DC. TV Tonight. In the era of the hour news cycle, stories come and go with alarming speed and journalists are often under great pressure to move on quickly to the next big yarn. Sarah shares the story of her mother's death and her influence on her life in a poignant way.

    26 August Retrieved 3 September

  45. ^Mastrangelo, Dominick (31 August ). "Australian reporter clashes with Sidney Powell over election claims". The Hill. Retrieved 3 September
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  47. The Independent. 1 September Retrieved 3 September

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  49. ^"Sidney Powell mocked for 'alien body snatcher'-like answers in bizarre interview". The Independent.

    31 August Retrieved 3 September

  50. ^Baragona, Justin (31 August ). "Sidney Powell Storms Off Set When Grilled on Her Election Lies". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 3 September
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    MarketWatch. Retrieved 3 September

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    Australian Government. 19 December Retrieved 22 December

  53. ^Buckingham-Jones, Sam (21 December ). "Four Corners 'materially misled' audience with Fox News episodes: ACMA". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 22 December
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    About the ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 December Retrieved 22 December

  55. ^ abcdFerguson, Sarah (22 December ). "ACMA report on Four Corners program 'Fox and the Big Lie' raises questions about its understanding of journalism".

    ABC News. Retrieved 22 December

  56. ^Thorpe, Andrew (21 December ). "ABC's Justin Stevens defends Four Corners investigation after ACMA finds Fox News episodes breached code of practice". ABC News. Retrieved 22 December
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  58. ^A Bloody Business - , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 August , retrieved 14 March
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  60. ^Growing Up Poor, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 24 September , retrieved 14 March
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  63. ^"Four Corners: Trump/Russia".

    ABC iview. Retrieved 14 March

  64. ^Ferguson, Sarah; Drum, Patricia; Brigid; Andersen (12 November ). "Guthrie and Milne reveal explosive relationship breakdown at ABC". ABC News. Retrieved 14 March
  65. ^"Despair and Defiance: The Battle for Ukraine". ABC News. 21 March Retrieved 1 April

External links