Veteran crime reporter John Silvester has challenged journalists to fight back against fake news by recommitting to the fundamentals of their craft.
In a keynote speech to the 2018 Australian Media Hall of Fame dinner, Silvester said great journalism was flourishing despite shrinking newsrooms and fragile media companies.
“We are doing so much more with so much less,” he said, cheering the collaboration between citizen journalism and traditional media in the coverage in recent events including the Bourke Street terrorist attack.
But the veteran columnist, author and radio commentator said journalists should not be diverted by fads and “do it our way” by recognising the abiding value of print and broadcast media.
Quoting Humphrey Bogart in his favourite media movie, Dateline USA, Silvester said: “That’s the Press, baby, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”