Caroline Mary Jones (born Caroline Mary James; 1 January 1938 – 20 May 2022) was an Australian radio and television journalist and social commentator who had a career in the media industry for over 50 years.

Career

Jones joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission, now known as 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), in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in 1963 and later became the first female reporter for the daily ''

This Day Tonight ''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) evening current affairs program from 1967 to 1978. Founding When ''TDT'' premiered in 1967 it was the first regular nightly current affairs program on Australian TV, an ...

'' current affairs television program. She then became a presenter on ''

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

'', a weekly current affairs television program, from 1972 to 1981. From 1987 to 1994 she presented a spirituality-focused radio program called ''The Search For Meaning'' on ABC

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

, on which she interviewed people about their lives. In 1996, Jones began hosting the weekly biographical program ''

Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...

'' on ABC television. During 1988, Jones worked alongside Aboriginal broadcasters at Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

as they produced their first cultural and current affairs programs for television. In 1998 she was appointed an Ambassador for Reconciliation by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. In December 2016, Jones announced that she would leave the ABC and step down from her role on ''Australian Story'', although stating that she would not be retiring. Jones was a foundation member of the

Australian Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austr ...

, formed in 1973, as well as a foundation member of the

Australian Classification Review Board The Australian Classification Review Board is a statutory censorship and classification body overseen by the Australian Government. The corporate body is responsible for reviewing classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Bo ...

, formed in 1970.

Personal life

Jones was born on 1 January 1938 and grew up in

Murrurundi Murrurundi( ), is a rural town located in the Upper Hunter Shire, in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Murrurundi is situated northwest by road from Newcastle and north from Sydney. At the the town had a population of 84 ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. She married and then divorced early in her adult life. Later in her life she was received into the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Jones died following a fall at her home in Sydney on 20 May 2022, at the age of 84.

Awards and honours

Jones won numerous media awards, including a Logie in 1972 and several Australian Media Peace Prize gold citations. In 2021 she was inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame. Jones was made an officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1988 and in 1989 was awarded the Archbishop of Sydney Citation in recognition of her contribution to Christian ideals in radio and television. The

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

voted Jones an Australian Living Treasure in 1997. In 2007 she was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by the

University of the Sunshine Coast The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. After opening with 524 students in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College, it was later renamed the University of the ...

. She also received a Doctor of Letters (''

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

'') degree at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

on 6 August 2017."Honorary doctorates celebrate journalism"
University of Sydney website, 6 August 2017.

Bibliography

*''The Search For Meaning'', ABC and Collins Dove (1989) (based on the radio program of the same name) *''The Search For Meaning, Volume 2'', ABC and Collins Dove (October 1990) *''The Search For Meaning – Conversations with Caroline Jones'', ABC Books (October 1992) *''The Search For Meaning Collection'', ABC Books (1995) *''An Authentic Life: Finding meaning and spirituality in everyday life''. ABC Books (1998)(2005) *''Through a Glass Darkly: A Journey of Love and Grief with My Father'', ABC Books (2009)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Caroline 1938 births 2022 deaths Australian radio journalists Australian television journalists ABC News (Australia) presenters Logie Award winners Officers of the Order of Australia Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in New South Wales