The Gold Walkley Award-winning journalist, who has spent much of the past 38 years exposing corruption in high and low places, will discuss the undiminished significance of investigative reporting in an age of influencers and YouTubers.
Exposing corruption, defending democracy: Investigative journaist Kate McClymont will deliver the Macquarie University-sponsored 2025 Brian Johns lecture at the State Library on May 1. Image credit: The Walkey Foundation.
McClymont's "Democracy's Detectives: Investigative Journalism and the Importance of Never Turning a Blind Eye" is presented in partnership with the Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University and the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
"Investigative journalism is vital because it holds the powerful to account," says McClymont. "It exposes corruption and wrongdoing and provides people with information in order to make decisions about matters that affect their lives. It is vital for democracy because corruption and wrongdoing can have a pernicious effect on government institutions and the people who wield power."
McClymont says that the biggest impediment to investigative journalism is the threat of a defamation action. It sticks in her mind that in 2003, Stephen Mayne, founding publisher of the online news service Crikey, had to sell his house to settle a claim.
Investigative journalism is vital for democracy because corruption and wrongdoing can have a pernicious effect on government institutions.
McClymont says that a successful investigative journalist needs a well-resourced corporation behind them.
"Influencers don't have the capacity, the time or the means to do a serious, lengthy investigation," she says. "For instance, I spend a lot of time doing corporate searches, which don't come cheaply. And if you're being paid to do a story by the word, it means you can't spend a month on a story."
Then there are the legal costs. "Even if you get a concerns notice," she says, "which is a preliminary step to litigation – and I got one yesterday! – barristers charge thousands of dollars a day to answer it and give a draft legal report."
Is there a danger that cash-strapped media companies might cease to fund investigative work?
"I don't think that's the case," says McClymont, "because well-researched, hard-hitting, impactful investigation is one of the things readers are happy to subscribe for." Publishers can "do the metrics", she says. "Investigations convert people to subscribers. They understand that it's really important to do this."
McClymont has suffered death threats from her subjects but, she says, "you can't do your job if you are scared. Even if people threaten you, you've got to put that behind you. And always in the back of your mind is that you are doing this for readers.
"I remember one of my good police contacts said to me, 'Oh Kate, the people that threaten you aren't the ones you have to worry about. They just want you to stop what you're doing. It's the ones that don't threaten you that're the ones you should worry about.'
"And I thought, 'Well, that's not very helpful!'"
McClymont's most successful investigations include work on the murder of Michael McGurk on the orders of Ron Medich, but she is probably best known for her pursuit of former Labor Party identity and convicted fraudster Eddie Obeid.
Kate McClymont will share further insights into her world of work at the State Library of NSW Auditorium, 1 Macquarie Street, Thursday 1 May, 6pm - 8pm.
