"What Price Would You Pay?:
A Conversation about Why Journalism Matters."
This coverage was done by Gabriela Caeli Sumampow, Chloe Karis, Kaitlyn Bryson, Breanna Lancaster and Lidya Manshi as part of a Live Reporting assignment for the Journalism Ethics, Law & Power course.
This coverage consists of a live blog, a hard news story, a photo essay and a colour story (in this order).
LIVE BLOG:
‘WHAT PRICE WOULD YOU PAY?’ WALKLEY EVENT – LIVE BLOGGING
Gabriela Caeli Sumampow (Done with other RMIT University Journalism students)
Published at the City Journal
HARD NEWS STORY:
WALKLEY-WINNING JOURNALISTS DISCUSS THE PRICES THEY PAID
Lidya Manshi, Breanna Lancaster
A panel of Australian journalists spoke at an event by The Walkley Foundation at RMIT University’s Kaleide Theatre last night.
The panel consisted of Lisa Martin, Caroline Wilson, Zena Chamas, Louise Milligan, Grant McArthur and the event moderator Lauren Molan.
The event “What Price Would you Pay?” was a conversation about why journalism matters, and the side effects of publishing a good story in the media.
‘The Age’ journalist Caroline Wilson, said quality journalism is “accurate journalism” and “journalism that takes you to places you can’t normally go”.
Journalist and filmmaker Zena Chamas, said quality journalism is about stories that "create social change and speak truth to power.”
‘Herald Sun’ health editor Grant McArthur, said he “doesn’t care” what people tell him to write.
“I will write what I think needs to be written,” he said.
“If someone is pushing back and trying to make life hard, it means you’re doing something valuable,” said Mr McArthur.
‘The Guardian’ journalist Lisa Martin, spoke of the time she nearly became a statistic in 2015 when her car was attacked in Papua New Guinea.
“I was the only woman in the car. I knew, along with potentially being macheted to death, I could be gang-raped,” said Ms Martin.
Ms Martin said she feels “much stronger” and “resilient than ever imagined” after the near-death experience.
Author of ‘Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell’ Louise Milligan, said covering the George Pell case was all a “horrible experience”.
“The day the story came out, I felt like I was stepping into shark-infested waters and I had lemonade in my veins,” she said.
‘What Price Would You Pay’ was the conversation of near-death experiences, death threats and quality journalism within the media industry.
A PHOTO ESSAY:
WALKLEY WINNING JOURNALISTS AND THE PRICE THEY PAID
Kaitlyn Bryson
The Guardian journalist Lisa Martin (Middle) speaks of an attempted carjacking incident she had in Papua New Guinea back in 2015. Ms Martin is a four time Walkley finalist and a former Australian Associated Press defence/diplomatic correspondent.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
The panellists for "What Price Would You Pay?", a Walkley event at RMIT’s Kaleide Theatre on Thursday, August 15. (L to R): Caroline Wilson, Grant McArthur, Lisa Martin, Lauren Molan, Zena Chamas, Louise Milligan.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Louise Graham, The Walkley Foundation’s Chief Executive, introducing the event on Thursday, August 15. “Journalists pay a price, so you should be paying for the content,” Ms Graham said.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
At the end of the ‘What Price Would You Pay?, RMIT students were given an opportunity to ask the panellists questions during the Q&A session on Thursday, August 15.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
(L to R): Lauren Molan, Zena Chamas, Louise Milligan, listening to the other panellists sharing their stories at ‘What Price Would You Pay?’ A conversation about why journalism matters on Thursday, August 15.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Zena Chamas (R), sharing what good quality journalism is at RMIT Kaleide Theatre on Thursday, August 15. “Good quality journalism is providing a voice for those who don’t have a voice,” Ms Chamas said.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Lisa Martin (M), telling her story of nearly being killed in Papua New Guinea on Thursday, August 15. “I was the only woman in the media team and I had to face the possibility of being macheted to death,” Ms Martin said.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Grant McArthur (M), sharing his story on raising money to save Bhutanese conjoined twins on Thursday. August 15. “It was good to see that people do care about quality stories,” he said on the response on his coverage of the story.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Louise Milligan (R), sharing her coverage on the George Pell case on Thursday, August 15. “The day that the story came out, it felt like I was stepping into shark-infested waters,” Ms Milligan said.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
Caroline Wilson (L) talking at the Walkley event ‘What Price Would You Pay?’ on Thursday night, August 15. “Dreadful stories talking to the mothers and fathers of the [AFL] players who have no voice,” Ms Wilson said.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
After the event, the panellists were each gifted with an RMIT journalism t-shirt and book from Alexandra Wake, the manager of Journalism at RMIT. “These guys are all legends. It takes a while to get to this level so please don’t get put off by these stories,” said Ms Wake.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON
COLOUR STORY:
THE PRICE OF JOURNALISM
Gabriela Caeli Sumampow, Chloe Karis, Kaitlyn Bryson
An eager audience filled RMIT University’s Kaleide Theatre Thursday night in wait for the Walkley Foundation’s event ‘What Price Would You Pay?’.
In the midst of chatters, keyboard taps and camera snaps, the event began with a video of Walkley-winning journalists speaking about the price they have paid throughout their career.
Louise Milligan, one of five journalists on the panel, was speaking about the price she paid and is still paying, throughout her journalistic career. She is best known for her coverage of the allegations against Cardinal George Pell. Her book entitled "Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell" won the 2017 Walkley Book Award.
Although she was late, Milligan arrived in a true journalistic style, post-interview and post-flight.
"Layers and layers and layers of sadness" was how Milligan described her feelings when dealing with the weight of telling people's stories, their trauma and protecting them.
Milligan was the first journalist to report on Cardinal George Pell's allegations in a 7:30 report in 2016. She wrote a story in the Herald Sun about Cardinal Pell's investigations, albeit unsourced.
"Taking on someone like George Pell, it's a big thing to take on. A big person to take on. A big institution to take on," she said. However, she feels "privileged to tell this story and bring power to account".
Milligan was "ashamed" for not believing George Pell's evidence from Rome prior to the preparation of her coverage, because "it takes 33.3 years for a victim of the Catholic clergy to come forward".
"The day the story came out, I felt like I was stepping into shark-infested waters and I had lemonade in my veins," she said.
Her involvement in the allegations resulted in her becoming a witness.
She was told to give evidence about George Pell's proceedings and was cross-examined for about six and a half hours.
Although the cross-examinations were "a pretty horrible experience," Milligan knew Pell was thinking he was going to "smash" her. "He was so raring for a fight. And he did it. And when he did it, he did not know what to do," she said.
"He huffed and he puffed and he didn't blow the house down," Milligan added.
Although Milligan felt she did a great job, she couldn't get out of bed the next day. "It felt like I got hit by a truck," she said.
According to Milligan, betrayal is much worse for people who are victims of abuse. She said a journalist is "finished" as soon as they give away their sources.
Her lawyer told her she would be “prosecuted for contempt of court" for protecting her sources, which “still carries a prison penalty even though it’s rarely exercised”.
However, Milligan knew she was doing the right thing.
She describes her journey as "8 months of trauma, stress, and not knowing where it was going to go", but it gave her "such profound empathy for people that had, after all those years, plucked up the courage to say what this man did to them".
Victims of Pell were "met with denial" and had to go through the court. "We're talking about someone who's making an allegation about something that happened to them when they were 8 years old," she said.
Milligan said they were "crushed and spat out", though they were "supposed to defend themselves against a well-resourced defendant who treats them like dirt".
"We have to strengthen the journalist privilege," Milligan said to conclude her conversation in ‘What Price Would You Pay?’
ABC Journalist Louise Milligan speaks about her experience covering the allegations against Cardinal George Pell in Walkley event "What Price Would You Pay?" in RMIT's Kaleide Theatre on Thursday. Ms Milligan is best known for being the first journalist to cover Pell's case.
PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN BRYSON