Caroline Meldrum-Hanna
I get my strength from giving a voice to the voiceless and making change
Be brave in the pursuit of truth is the message from acclaimed ACB journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna who was awarded the Alumni Award for Excellence – Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the 2017 UTS Alumni Awards in September.
Caroline (Caro) Meldrum-Hanna is a highly respected and multi-award winning journalist with ABC TV’s Four Corners, renowned for her skill in uncovering social justice stories that drive reform.
Her report ‘Making A Killing’, the exposé of the illegal practice of live baiting in greyhound racing, had major industry repercussions and saw her receive a Gold Walkley, the top honour for an Australian journalist.
Caro has received many industry accolades for her body of work, including multiple Walkleys, a Human Rights Commission Media Award and the prestigious Melbourne Press Club Journalist of the Year Award. She won the Graham Perkin’s Journalist of the Year award and the 2017 Logie Award for uncovering the horrific abuse of children in juvenile detention centres in the Northern Territory in her Four Corners story ‘Australia’s Shame, which prompted a Royal Commission just hours after broadcast.
“I blame – no, I thank Wendy Bacon (the Head of Journalism at UTS for 21 years) for leading me into journalism,” explains Caro. “She taught me the quiet art of self-belief and determination; and she arranged an internship with ABC’s investigative unit as part of our practical journalism modules that got us out of the classroom and into the world.”
Caro was mentored at the ABC by Deb Masters, who later became her producer on multiple Four Corners reports and encouraged her to find her own style.
Caro admits that as a child she used to drive her parents mad with endless interrogations about issues big and small. These days, she still won’t stop asking questions, and says the behind-the-scenes research work matters so much more than being a face on television.
“Having your face on telly doesn’t make you a journalist: a journalist is someone who digs and digs into information to find the truth. The narrative, subjects and sources should be the main focus – the journalist is not the story.”
“Unfortunately journalists have poor reputations – muckrakers, tricksters, fake news! – but the good ones outweigh the bad."
I get my strength from giving a voice to the voiceless, holding power and authorities to account, and making change.
“Journalists can improve or destroy people’s lives. It’s a big responsibility that I take very seriously. To find people’s stories, tell them and try to make things better.”
Check out Caro’s award acceptance speech here: https://youtu.be/M8NyL-OGHBk
