The UK Telegraph is a conservative newspaper but thankfully positively reviewed my new book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, last weekend, giving it 4 stars out of 5. The review is by Colin Freeman: Do modern drug dealers have a conscience? Browse the dark web for cocaine these days, and…
Showing all posts tagged Journalism
Book review of Pills, Powder and Smoke by Will Self in the UK Observer
Book reviews can be a nerve-wracking experience. The famous author and writer Will Self has reviewed my book just out in the UK, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, in the UK Observer. It’s a very mixed review and I disagree with most of the criticisms – for example, Self’s critiques…
In solidarity with Julian Assange and Wikileaks
I’m honoured to have signed this statement, alongside some of the world’s best journalists, in support of Julian Assange and the vital work of Wikileaks since 2006: Julian Assange, founder and publisher of WikiLeaks, is currently detained in Belmarsh high-security prison in the United Kingdom and faces extradition to the United States and criminal prosecutionunder…
The new film on Robert Fisk, This Is Not A Movie, and my (mini) appearance
Last September in Jerusalem and the West Bank, I spent two days with the acclaimed Middle East correspondent for The Independent, Robert Fisk, and a film crew while they were making a documentary about his work, life and journalism in the modern age. Acclaimed director Yung Chang and a host of others travelled in Israel and the…
UN report on abuses in Myanmar and ties to disaster capitalism
The UN recently released its independent international fact-finding mission report on Myanmar which encouraged the world to sever ties with the country’s military and the many companies, local and foreign, making $ from the brutal conflict. Thanks to Rawan Arraf, a wonderful lawyer in Australia and founder of the Australian Centre for International Justice, she…
TRT World interview on police raids against Australian media
This week in Australia there were major police raids on the home of a prominent journalist and the public broadcaster, the ABC. It’s a worrying sign and part of a global trend against a free press and sources who provide vital information. I was interviewed by global broadcaster TRT World about the raids:
Challenging those self-serving media narratives since 9/11
My book review in yesterday’s Weekend Australian newspaper:… In The Operators, a great book on the war in Afghanistan, the American journalist Michael Hastings is scathing of reporters who spend their lives praising generals and socialising with them. Hastings exposed the arrogance and childish antics of the then head of US operations in Afghanistan, Stanley…
Introducing John Pilger into the Melbourne Press Club Hall of Fame
The Melbourne Press Club periodically inducts journalists into its Hall of Fame. I was asked to write the profile and be interviewed about John Pilger, one of Australia’s most famous journalistic exports: During his acceptance speech for the Sydney Peace Prize in 2009, Australian journalist, author and film-maker John Pilger articulated a worldview that he…
Finding alternative means of income
Worst job for the 21st century? Journalism. (But there is still hope.)
We’re all journalists
The US House of Representatives recently passed a federal shield law for journalists who receive “substantial financial gain.” This is encouraging, but as the Citizen Media Law Project explains, there are some fundamental problems: This change significantly narrows the bill’s coverage and is plainly aimed to exclude non-traditional journalists. But it doesn’t just exclude those…