David Ewan Marr FAHA (born 13 July 1947) is an Australian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and progressive political and

social commentator Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

. His areas of expertise include the

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Australian politics The politics of Australia take place within the framework of a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system under its Constitution, one of the world's oldest, since F ...

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

and

the arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

. He writes for ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

'', ''

The Saturday Paper ''The Saturday Paper'' is an Australian weekly newspaper, launched on 1 March 2014 in hard copy, as an online newspaper and in mobile news format. The paper is circulated throughout Australian capital cities and major regional centres. Since ...

'' and ''

Guardian Australia ''Guardian Australia'' is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, ''The Guardian''. Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 2013 Australian fed ...

''.

Career

Marr attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School in North Sydney and subsequently graduated from 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 ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1968 and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1971.Who's Who in Australia – entry on David Marr Whilst at university he was a resident of St Paul's College. He worked for a time as an

articled clerk Articled clerk is a title used in Commonwealth countries for one who is studying to be an accountant or a lawyer. In doing so, they are put under the supervision of someone already in the profession, now usually for two years, but previously three ...

at the law firm Allen, Allen and Hemsley, and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor before turning to

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

. Marr began as a journalist working for '' The Bulletin'' magazine and ''

The National Times ''The National Times'', later ''National Times on Sunday'', was a weekly newspaper published by Fairfax News from 1971 to 1986. Background The paper quickly developed a reputation for accurate investigative journalism, winning four consecutive ...

'' newspaper in 1972 before being appointed editor in 1980. During this period, he oversaw the publication of the articles by David Hickie which detailed long-suppressed allegations of corruption against former New South Wales premier

Robert Askin Sir Robert William Askin, GCMG (4 April 1907 – 9 September 1981), was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but ...

. The first article, headlined "Askin: friend of organised crime", was famously published on the day of Askin's funeral in 1981. In 1980, Marr published his first book, ''Barwick'', a "hostile" biography of Chief Justice Sir Garfield Barwick. It won the NSW Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction, but was received poorly by its subject, who accused the author of fabricating quotes. Marr was a reporter on the ABC TV program '' Four Corners'' (1985, 1990–91), a role in which he won a

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

, and presenter of

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 a ...

's ''Arts Today'' program (1994–1996). From 2002 to 2004, he hosted the ABC TV program '' Media Watch''. He is a frequent guest on ABC TV's '' Insiders'' program. During his term as presenter of ''Media Watch'' he played a key role in exposing the ongoing cash for comment affair, which ''Media Watch'' had first raised in 1999, concerning radio commentators Alan Jones and

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live advert ...

. In 2004, the program's exposé of

Australian Broadcasting Authority The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications. The Authority took over the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Trib ...

(ABA) head David Flint – who had written letters of support to Jones at a time when Jones was being investigated by the ABA – played a significant role in forcing Flint's resignation. In 2002, Marr stated on ''Media Watch'' that conservative newspaper columnist Janet Albrechtsen had misquoted a French psychiatrist, Jean-Jacques Rassial, and claimed that she had done this deliberately to make it look as though

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened ...

and gang rape were institutionalised elements of the

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

of Muslim youths. Albrechtsen did not deny the misquote, but responded by accusing ''Media Watch'' of inherent

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group ...

and of deliberately leading a

witch-hunt A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...

against contrary views. When the Minister for Communications, Senator

Helen Coonan Helen Lloyd Coonan (born 29 October 1947) is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1996 to 2011, representing the Liberal Party. She was a minister in the Howard Government, serving as Minister for Revenue ...

, appointed Albrechtsen to the board of the ABC in February 2005, Marr publicly questioned whether she was qualified for such a position in light of what he described as "breaches of proper conduct as a commentator and as a journalist". In 2008, Marr was named by Same Same as one of the 25 most influential gay and lesbian Australians for his coverage of the

Bill Henson Bill Henson (born 7 October 1955) is an Australian contemporary art photographer. Art Henson has exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gal ...

case. Marr has advocated drug

law reform Law reform or legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing change in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency. Intimately related are law reform bodies or law commissions, ...

and has written candidly about his life experiences: "I've had a lot of fun on drugs ... I've had a lot of marvellous experiences. I've danced a lot. I've had a great time. I'm not ashamed of it. And I don't see what's wrong with it." Marr announced his resignation from the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' on 13 July 2012, saying "People underestimate what a deeply conventional person I am. I'm turning 65 and that feels like the right time to go." However, in April 2013 it was announced that Marr was joining ''

''. Marr featured prominently in episode 3 of ''

Revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

'', ABC's award winning series on clerical abuse in the Catholic Church. Marr appeared as a semi-regular panellist on the ABC television programs '' Q&A'' and '' Insiders'' until 2020.

Bibliography

* 1980 ''Barwick'', Allen & Unwin, * 1984 ''The Ivanov Trail'', Nelson, * 1991 ''Patrick White: A Life'', Vintage Classics, * 2000 ''The High Price of Heaven'' * * 2004 ''

Dark Victory ''Dark Victory'' is a 1939 American melodrama film directed by Edmund Goulding, starring Bette Davis, and featuring George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, and Cora Witherspoon. The screenplay by Ca ...

'' (with Marian Wilkinson), * 2007 ''His Master's Voice: The Corruption of Public Debate under Howard'' in the ''

Quarterly Essay ''Quarterly Essay'' is an Australian periodical that straddles the border between magazines and non-fiction books. Printed in a book-like page size and using a single-column format, each issue features a single extended essay of at least 20,000 ...

'', Issue 26, * 2008 ''The Henson Case'', The Text Publishing Company, * 2010 ''Power Trip: The Political Journey of Kevin Rudd'', in the ''

'', Issue 38 * 2011 ''Panic'', Black Inc, * 2012 ''Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott'', in the ''

'', Issue 47, * 2013 ''The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell'', in the ''

'', Issue 51, * 2015 ''Faction Man: Bill Shorten's Path to Power'', in the ''

'', Issue 59. * 2017 ''The White Queen: One Nation and the Politics of Race'', in the ''

'', Issue 65. * 2018 ''My Country: Stories, Essays & Speeches'', Black Inc, Hardback eISBN 9781743820674

Awards

*Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Newcastle, 2011 *Honorary Doctor of Letters,

, 2013 *Honorary Fellowship,

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...

, 2013 *Liberty Victoria Voltaire Award, 2012 *Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate, for 'Do Not Disturb: Is the Media Asleep?' * Victoria Premier's Literary Awards, 2006 *Walkley Awards 2004 (jointly), 1991 and 1985

References

External links

Articles and videos
at ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Marr, David 1947 births Living people Australian atheists Australian biographers Australian essayists Australian humanists Australian social commentators Australian television personalities Critics of religions Critics of the Catholic Church Cultural critics Australian drug policy reform activists Granta people Journalists from Sydney LGBT journalists from Australia LGBT writers from Australia Male biographers People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School Social critics Sydney Law School alumni Writers from Sydney 21st-century LGBT people