Submission for the

Graham Perkin

Australian Journalist of the Year Award

Neil Mitchell

 

 

What  They  Say  About  Neil  Mitchell  

 

John Howard

“There is no broadcaster in Australia for whom I have more respect than Neil Mitchell.”

Laurie Oakes “Unlike most radio hosts, Neil Mitchell is first and foremost a journalist. And he’s one of the best.”

Peter Blunden “He never gives up until he gets results. That’s what great journalism is all about.”

 

Contents  

1. Why Neil Mitchell should be considered for the Graham Perkin.

2. Testimonials

i. John Howard ii. Laurie Oakes iii. Peter Blunden

3. CD one, Herald Sun newspaper columns and extracts from the Ombudsman report

i. Lies, Damn Lies And Crime Statistics : The Campaign For Truth

4. CD two and newspaper column

i. A crisis revealed: ambulances fail

5. CD three

i. An unprecedented gathering: three Australian VCs in conversation.

 

We wish to nominate NEIL MITCHELL for the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year Award for a body of work highlighted in the attached package. Mitchell is a broadcaster on 3AW, writes a weekly column for the Herald Sun, and comments daily on the Sunrise program on Channel Seven.

Mitchell has changed the face of talk radio and continues to set the pace, not just in broadcasting, but in news gathering, news breaking, and interviewing. After a career in newspapers he has spent 25 years bringing genuine and responsible journalism to the radio host's chair.

With Mitchell there is no bluster, well not too much, and few theatrics. His sleeves-rolled-up approach blends with his journalistic instincts into a style which regularly feeds the TV news and newspapers with material. He has a reputation for integrity, fairness, thoroughness, and doggedness.

In his autobiography Lazarus Rising (page 364) the former Prime Minister John Howard credits Mitchell's "balanced and intelligent" interviewing with helping to change policy on petrol excise after "an extremely difficult interview". That sums up the Mitchell style. Howard, Rudd, Gillard, have all regularly felt it as have various other premiers and politicians. It was Mitchell who introduced Howard to a fortnightly spot on his radio program, something the former PM later developed as both a platform and a sounding board.

Mitchell did the same with then Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett, whose ministers came to describe his weekly interview as "the A Cabinet" while they made up the B team. Premiers Bracks, Brumby and Baillieu continued the tradition.

The history of the program bristles with exclusives, campaigns and aggressive, incisive interviews. Blended with that is editorial opinion, humour, and gentle and probing interviews. He gives a voice to people – talking with victims, and others, suddenly caught in the news and not used to the spotlight. He has a strong sense of audience and regularly proves that with successful community campaigns. He does no favours and protects no favourites. He has clout.

In the past year he broke the story that led to the resignation of Victoria's Chief Commissioner of police, an issue he insisted was about public safety not police politics.

He also exposed a crisis in the health system, and had several aggressive and contentious interviews with the Prime Minister. Over other years he has exposed inaccuracies in Victoria's speed cameras, which led to the repayment of $25 million to motorists, and broke the news of a gap in the blood collection system that resulted in a child contracting aids through transfusion. That led to the process being redesigned.

In summary, we commend his no-nonsense form of grass roots journalism, based on news, questions, independence, integrity and communication.

 

   

 

Testimonials    

Former  Prime  Minister  John  Howard  –  18th  January,  2012    There is no broadcaster in Australia for whom I have more respect than Neil Mitchell; he is the ultimate professional in his field. Highly intelligent, well informed and articulate, he has an acute news sense, effectively balancing the local with the international story. When I was Prime Minister he interviewed me every fortnight. Those interviews always generated plenty of news stories. He had a knack of asking questions which effectively elicited reportable comments. His balance was superb. When the occasion warranted it, he allowed me time to explain a government decision to his listeners. Equally if he felt that my Government had blundered he would give me a lively time and leave the public in no doubt of where he stood. Neil Mitchell could always pick the time to ask a lot of questions as well as the occasions to allow his guest to do most of the talking. He is an all-round journalist. He can write crisply and strongly as well as being a great broadcaster. Most of the subjects we discussed on air had a national perspective, but Neil never forgot that his audience was overwhelmingly a Melbourne one. He once told me that it wasn’t a proper AFL Grand Final unless both of the teams came from Melbourne.

Peter  Blunden,  Managing  Director  of  the  Herald  &  Weekly  Times  –  17th  January,  2012  Neil’s professionalism, integrity and journalistic instincts have earned him the respect of peers throughout Melbourne’s media. One of Neil’s key major strengths is truly understanding his audience, knowing what matters to them and grabbing their attention every morning, day after day. Neil’s ability to grasp complex issues and break them down for his listeners is also a key to his success. He expresses his opinions without fear and with great authority, knows when to turn up the heat on his interview subjects and places enormous value on accuracy and fairness. But he is also passionate about helping the community, engaging the support of his loyal audiences to help those less fortunate…or tackle incompetent bureaucrats. When Neil decides to campaign on something, he invariably achieves the desired outcome. He never gives up until he gets results. That’s what great journalism is all about. Neil’s longevity and success in the gruelling and competitive world of commercial morning radio makes him a worthy contender for the Graham Perkin Award.

Laurie  Oakes,  Political  Editor,  Nine  News  –  27th  January,  2012  Unlike most radio hosts, Neil Mitchell is first and foremost a journalist. And he’s one of the best. He breaks stories. He has good sources. He analyses issues. He holds the powerful to account. It is no coincidence that in election campaigns, Neil Mitchell’s program becomes a major source of news for the rest of us covering politics. He has a nose for a story, and he knows how to extract it from an interviewee. The influence Neil wields—and it is substantial—is due primarily to his journalistic ability, not the strength of his opinions. That has been clear in the last year, with his coverage of stories such as the Simon Overland affair. One of Neil’s scoops, to do with crime statistics, earned him a Walkley nomination. In journalistic terms, he maintains a very high standard. Neil’s 40+ years in journalism—and his wide experience as reporter, columnist and editor—inform his work every day. I find it hard to think of a journalist in any field who stands taller at the moment.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lies,  Damn  Lies  And  Crime  Statistics:  The  Campaign  For  Truth

 

 

 

CD  ONE:  Lies,  damn  lies  and  crime  statistics:  the  campaign  for  truth.    

Through 2011 Victoria's police force was in crisis. It was a crisis that led to the effective sacking of a deputy commissioner, Sir Ken Jones, and the resignation of the Chief Commissioner, Simon Overland. The crisis was a mixture of financial waste, administrative errors that put people at risk, and allegations of political spin-doctoring with crime statistics. Neil Mitchell's comments and leaked material began the chain of events. Early in January 2011 Mitchell was contacted by a source who claimed Victoria's crime statistics had been massaged and released early to suit the Labor Government on the eve of the election. He researched further, asked questions publicly and privately. By early February he was convinced there was a case to answer. Mitchell insisted this was about public safety, not about police politics. The enclosed interviews (CD one) shows how it happened: 24 February (track one) Mitchell explains his suspicions, based in part on a source and in part on research. He says something smells. 25 February (track two) Simon Overland, furious, addressed Mitchell's complaint. 28 February (track three) Mitchell reports a leaked document which seems to confirm the public has been misled. It shows crime is not only worse, but more vicious. He says the chief commissioner is either dishonest or incompetent. The same day the State Government announces an Ombudsman's inquiry into the issues raised by Mitchell. 1 March (attached) Mitchell devotes his newspaper column to the issue. It was the first explanation of what had happened and why it was important. It remains one of the best pieces of analysis on an issue that has now been analysed at length. 1 March (track four) Mitchell interviews the Police Minister Peter Ryan, who agrees the leak was instrumental in provoking the Ombudsman's inquiry. 6 May Overland effectively sacks his deputy Sir Ken Jones and requests an inquiry by the Office of Police Integrity into Mitchell's leak. Mitchell is told unofficially that his telephones are tapped and computer may be monitored. 9 May (track five) Although Overland has withdrawn from a long term commitment to appear regularly on Mitchell's program he relents long enough to smear Jones in a tense interview. Mitchell later argues it is proof of poor judgment under pressure. State Cabinet orders an inquiry by Jack Rush QC in the administration of police. 10 May Mitchell analyses the Rush inquiry in his column (attached)

  7 June Mitchell’s column returns to the issue (attached). He predicts that Overland’s leadership is finished, and stresses the issue is public safety not police politics. 16 June The Ombudsman finds the crime figures were misleading, supporting Mitchell's argument. He refers to the program on pages 15 and 21 (attached). The same day Overland resigns. 17 June (track six) Mitchell returns from leave to wrap up the issue, interview the Police Minister and the Acting Chief Commissioner. Overland declines to be interviewed.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changing  The  World:  A  Whistle  Blower  Talks  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

CD  TWO:  Changing  The  World:  A  Whistle  Blower  Talks    

Often, the sniff of a story begins faintly. So it was with this. Mitchell had spoken to ambulance officers who were concerned that Victoria's service was being run down. He asked his audience, and reports came through of delays, errors, and vehicles banked up waiting at hospitals. Then, after writing a column on the health crisis for the Herald Sun (enclosed), Mitchell convinced a whistle blower to go to air. This man works inside the very heart of the services and provided a detailed run down of a horrible night in Melbourne. Things happened fast. Once the whistle blower agreed, Mitchell recorded the interview, only minutes before air time. He had to delay broadcasting it until the man's voice had been distorted to protect his identity.

It worked. He remains anonymous, but his bravery put new focus on the problem and forced government action. Mitchell also dug a guarantee from government that if identified, the whistle blower would not be punished. All other news media in Melbourne picked up the issue after Mitchell's interview went to air.

This CD includes the following, all from October 11 2011:

8:30am - Mitchell's editorial setting the scene.

9:00am - The interview

10:00am - The Health Minister, David Davis, answers to the claims and agrees not to pursue the informant.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three  Heroes,  One  Interview,  One  Microphone

 

 

CD  THREE:  Three  Heroes,  One  Interview,  One  Microphone      

This had never happened before. In February 2011 Mitchell brought together Australia's three living VC recipients. The occasion was the opening of the new gallery to honour VCs at the War Memorial in Canberra. The day before the interview Mitchell toured the gallery and spent some hours with the men he would interview, gaining their trust, relaxing them. It is strange, but men who have done the most extraordinary things under fire can often find themselves nervous and cautious when interviewed. That is obvious as the interview begins, but gradually Mitchell draws them out. The three were Keith Payne (VC, Vietnam 24 May 1969) Mark Donaldson (VC, Afghanistan 2 September 2008) and Ben Roberts Smith (VC, Afghanistan 11 June, 2010).

Mitchell had interviewed Payne several times and already had a good relationship with him. He had the beginnings of a relationship with Donaldson, although the VC admitted to being wary of all media. Roberts-Smith he had not met, and made sure he spent extra time with him and his wife the day before the interview.

In a gesture rare for commercial radio, 3AW agreed to drop all ad breaks for the duration of the interview, allowing it to flow. The result is something only radio could achieve. Television would not allow the time and newspapers could not match the intimacy. It is like a chat over a cup of tea, three extraordinary men gradually put aside their reservations to share with the public an insight of something most cannot begin to comprehend.

All three were extremely happy with the result and asked for CD copies for their scrapbooks. Donaldson in particular has remained in close contact with Mitchell and they have run several mini-campaigns together designed to support the troops.