Beyond Jonestown

The Media and Communications Department at University of Sydney invites you to join us on Friday May 16, at 4pm, for an exclusive audience with Chris Masters, Four Corners’ longest serving reporter and author of the award-winning Jonestown.

Chris Masters talks about the impact of his controversial unauthorised biography of the broadcaster Alan Jones. Why was it written and would he do it again?

Chris Masters’ first program was the landmark ‘Big League’, a 1983 investigation of judicial corruption, which precipitated the Street Royal Commission. Chris won his first Walkley Award in the following year for ‘Search Without Rescue’ a report on a failed air sea rescue in the Bass Straight. In 1985 he won the prestigious Gold Walkley for a report on the sinking of ‘The Rainbow Warrior’. ‘French Connections’, an international exclusive was shown all over the world. His 1987 ‘The Moonlight State’ on Queensland corruption helped trigger the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the first of a series of national enquiries into policing. Chris went on to win a Logie Award for ‘Inside a Holocaust’, his 1994 account of the Rwanda genocide. In the following year he won his third Walkley for ‘The Cowards’ War’, a report on the Bosnia conflict.

Chris has published two books based on his investigative reporting, ‘Inside Story’ and ‘Not For Publication’. A third book, ‘Jonestown’, an unauthorised biography of broadcaster Alan Jones became a national bestseller in October 2006. It won three awards, The Australian Book Industry biography of the year, a Queensland Premier’s literary award, and a further Walkley. He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 1999 and a Centenary Medal in 2002.

Chris is also a part time teacher of journalism. In 2004 he was appointed Adjunct Professor at RMIT University and in 2006 was awarded an honorary doctorate in communication.

The event is free and no RSVP is required.

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