ABC Friends Tasmania and the University of Tasmania Media School invite you to an event commemorating Andrew Bent and the birth of independent journalism in Australia.

The Topic: In a period of rapid social, economic and technological change, how might the national public broadcaster evolve to ensure: 

• It meets the public’s need for reliable and objective news and information vital for a healthy democracy; 
• It contributes to the Tasmanian community’s self-identification and resilience by informing, entertaining and reflecting that community; 
• It contributes to respectful and reasoned discussion and debate about pressing and emerging issues confronting Tasmanian society.

Venue: UTAS Media School, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart 

Time: 2:00-4:00 pm, Sunday, 21 May 2023 

Entry: By Donation at the door please

Panel members: 

• Martin Flanagan – a Tasmanian journalist and author of 16 books, Martin has written extensively on Australian culture, sport and the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. 
• Deborah Fleming – worked in newspapers in the UK and with the BBC before joining the ABC. Deborah was Executive Producer of the 7:30 Report in both Brisbane and Sydney and founding Executive Producer of Australian Story. She won a Walkley Award in 2005 for her ‘outstanding contribution to journalism.’ 
• Peter George – now retired after a career in journalism and broadcasting spanning 40 years, Peter is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected international journalists. The ABC’s first Middle East correspondent, Peter was a foundation reporter with Foreign Correspondent and an investigative journalist with Four Corners. 

The discussion will be chaired by Professor Alana Mann, Head of the Media School at UTAS. 

Who is Andrew Bent?

In 1824 Andrew Bent published articles in his Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser in defiance of Governor Arthur’s censorship regime. He is thus regarded as the father of independent media in Australia. Given the importance of independent media to a functioning democracy, every year ABC Friends Tasmania commemorates Andrew Bent’s act of defiance.