George Negus
| George Negus | |
|---|---|
 Negus in October 2011 | |
| Born |
George Edward Negus 13 March 1942 Brisbane, Queensland |
| Residence | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Occupation |
Television & Radio presenter Journalist |
| Known for |
60 Minutes (1979 - 1986) Today (1986 - 1990) Dateline (2005 - 2010) The Project (2009 - present) 6:30 with George Negus (2011) |
| Website |
negusmedia |
George Edward Negus AM (born 13 March 1942) is an Australian author, journalist and television presenter specialising in international affairs. He most recently presented 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten. He remains a director of his own media consulting company, Negus Media International.[1]
Education
Negus attended Indooroopilly State High School located in the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly in Queensland. He studied arts and journalism at the University of Queensland.
Career
Negus was a high school teacher before writing for The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. He served as press secretary for Attorney-General Lionel Murphy during the Whitlam government.[2][3]
TV journalism
He became most prominent, however, as a reporter for This Day Tonight, a pioneering current affairs show on the ABC which began in 1967 and continued through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Later, he was a correspondent for the Australian 60 Minutes program in from 1979 until 1986 and then co-hosted Today until 1990.
From 1992 until 1999, Negus hosted the ABC's foreign-themed current affairs Foreign Correspondent. After this project he went to live in Italy for 15 months on a professional sabbatical but produced a book entitled "The World From Italy -- Food, Football and Politics" which was published in 2001.
In 2002, Negus returned to the ABC to facilitate a pre-election panel and audience discussion program "Australia Talks" before commencing 3 years as host of the early evening timeslot George Negus Tonight covering "trends and issues with an Australia-wide team of reporters and producers". The show was cancelled in November 2004, due to changes in regional funding to the broadcaster.[4]
In 2005, Negus went on to host Dateline on the SBS network.[5] In this role he became known as one of Australia's most respected journalists.
After becoming a regular on TEN's evening news program The Project, produced by Roving Enterprises In 2011, he began hosting 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten, however this venture only lasted mere months.
Books
Negus has also written several books, including one based on his time in Italy, and co-wrote a six-part series of children's books with Kirsty Cockburn, his partner, in the early 1990s. His latest book is "The World from DownUnder -- A Chat with Recent History" and published by Harper Collins Australia. His best selling The World from Islam, published in 2004, an investigation of the Islamic world as seen from Negus's travels in the Middle East. In the The World from Islam, Negus defends Islam from claims of extremism, citing Islam's diversity.[6][7]
Controversy
On the 28 February 2012 episode of The Circle, Negus along with Yumi Stynes, made comments about a photo of Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry recipient, coming out of a swimming pool.[8] After tabloid criticism,[9] they personally contacted Roberts-Smith who accepted their apology and agreed there was no malicious intent.[10] Negus said his comments were taken out of context and he was not referring personally to Corporal Roberts-Smith.[11]
On 13 September 2014, Fairfax newspapers issued an apology to Ms Stynes and Mr Negus, stating "Our interpretation was wrong and we accept that both Mr Negus and Ms Stynes were not referring to Cpl Roberts-Smith personally."[12] News Limited publications, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun and news.com.au also retracted the incorrect allegations.[13]
Personal life
Negus lives in Sydney. His children were raised on a farm near Bellingen on the New South Wales northern coast, where he lived for 15 years with his wife, Kirsty Cockburn, herself a journalist and a collaborator on many of Negus's projects. Negus is a fan of association football and a former board member of the national governing body Soccer Australia, as it was known at the time.[14]
Honours
Negus became a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Australia Day honours.[15]
References
- ↑ "Negus confirms he will take 6pm job at Ten". The Spy Report. Media Spy. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ↑ David McKnight. Australia's Spies and Their Secrets. Allen & Unwin. St Leonards, N.S.W. 1994.
- ↑ "Negus speaking at Fourth Annual Lionel Murphy Memorial Lecture at the National Library Canberra" (PDF). 13 November 1990: 6.
- ↑ Miller, Kylie (8 September 2005). "Hits and misses". Melbourne: The Age. Retrieved 8 September 2005.
- ↑ "Negus joins Dateline". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 January 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2005.
- ↑ "The World from Islam: A Journey of Discovery through the Muslim Heartland". Amazon.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ "The World from Islam: A Journey of Discovery through the Muslim Heartland". Writer on Writer. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ "Hate campaign continues". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/celebrity/article/-/13050840/war-hero-hounded-on-tv/
- ↑ "VC recipient accepts appolgy". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "'I feel sick': Circle host shocked at backlash over soldier's 'dud root' slur". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ http://mumbrella.com.au/fairfax-apologises-stynes-negus-stories-linked-comments-soldiers-sexual-prowess-use-ivf-251512
- ↑ http://yumistynes.net/NEWSLIMITED_RETRACTIONS.pdf
- ↑ "Soccer match generates excitement in Melbourne". ABC World Today. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ Australia Day honours: NSW residents recognised with Orders of Australia
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Negus. |
| Preceded by Steve Liebmann |
Today Co-Host with Liz Hayes 1987 - 1990 |
Succeeded by Steve Liebmann |
| Preceded by New Dimensions |
George Negus Tonight Host 2001 - 2004 |
Succeeded by program axed |
| Preceded by Mark Davis |
Dateline Host 2005 - 2010 |
Succeeded by Mark Davis and Yalda Hakim |
| Preceded by originator |
6:30 with George Negus Presenter January 2011 - October 2011 |
Succeeded by program axed |