Allan Campbell Ashbolt (24 November 1921 – 9 June 2005) was an Australian journalist, producer, and broadcaster.
Early life
He was born in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and attended
Caulfield Grammar School, and served with the
Australian Imperial Force in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Following the war, Ashbolt began acting and helped establish the
Mercury Theatre
The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury als ...
with
Peter Finch amongst others. He appeared in government documentary films. Ashbolt was film librarian at NSW Film Council in mid-fifties, before he was hired by the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) as a producer.
Career
In 1959 he was appointed as the ABC's first
North America correspondent, and during 1963 he served as a correspondent and executive producer of ''
Four Corners'', which has become Australia's longest-running
investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years res ...
/
current affairs television program. He was known for his belief that the ABC should promote free speech and controversial political content.
Ashbolt held senior positions at the ABC until retiring after a 25-year career with the network, and also wrote for the ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
'', a British political magazine. He died in
Sydney in June 2005.
See also
*
List of Caulfield Grammar School people
This is a list of notable past students and staff of Caulfield Grammar School and/or Malvern Memorial Grammar School (amalgamated with Caulfield in 1961). Alumni of the school are known as "Caulfield Grammarians" and are supported by the Caulfi ...
References
External links
* Retrieved 28 April 2017.
1921 births
2005 deaths
Australian television producers
Australian television journalists
People educated at Caulfield Grammar School
Australian Book Review people
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Journalists from Melbourne
{{Australia-journalist-stub