George Negus set to spark up Brisbane’s Storyology festival
Firebrand political commentator and media personality George Negus is set to spark up a panel of speakers at Australia’s premier journalism festival in Brisbane, and reveal more about the book that changed his life.
The self-confessed “political animal” and 60 Minutes veteran will bring a touch of gold as a panellist at the Walkley Foundation’s Storyology festival, which opens tomorrow night at the Palace Barracks.
Speakers at the festival have received growing media attention over the years and many of the agenda-setting debates reach far beyond the walls of the venue.
Negus revealed the book he’d chosen from his short-list of 50 was The Aristos by English writer John Fowles — a choice that kept him up all night.
“It was difficult to name any one book, to be honest.
“There’s any number of books that have changed my life, including books I’ve written myself.
“Everybody would probably assume the book that influenced my life was a political book, because I’m a political journalist, I’m a political animal.”
Over the years, politicians, viewers, readers and even friends have tried — and failed — to pin down his personal political views.
“Anyone who thinks I’m a screaming left-winger or a screaming right-winger, they’re welcome to feel that way,” Negus said.
“I think that’s for other people to decide.
“People are perfectly entitled to decide they know where I’m coming from politically. They may or may not be right, that’s not the point.
“I’ve never pretended to be anything other than my own ideas and opinions. People are perfectly welcome to tell me, ‘that’s absolute bullshit, I don’t agree with you’.
“That’s what democratic media is supposed to be about.”
But it’s politicians who attack journalists for their perceived political bias that cop the Negus spray.
“When it comes to political bias, it’s a bit of a myth,” he said.
“Bias is in the ear of the beholder. People hear what they want to hear. Politicians, to my mind, are the most unacceptable people to be accusing journalists of bias.
“The minute you join a political party, you’re biased.
“If you can say, ‘I want to be on the left of politics, and I also want to believe in some of the things the people on the right do — where do you go with that?
“Or similarly, if I’m a right-winger, am I allowed to think that nothing the left does is correct? I just think it’s a very shallow way of looking at the whole idea of politics.
“People get different ideas of what left and right is. I think there’s no such thing as a clear answer to any of that, not just in Australian politics but world politics.
“But I think ideology is the most important thing in a political situation. Ideology is about the way you put together ideas to make society work in some useful, sensible, fair, reasonable and just fashion.”
In his 45-year career, Negus says wryly there’s been only two questions he’s asked.
“The questions ‘why’, and ‘why not’, are probably the only questions I’ve ever asked.
“That’s been the lifeblood and the pillars of my journalistic existence, and probably goes right throughout my attitude to life.”
As a “young angry man” and now an “angry old man”, it is clear that Negus’ desire to change the world has driven his inquisitorial journalist style.
“The whole idea of 99 per cent of the wealth in the world being held by 1 per cent of the world is not right,” he said.
“My generation of journalists spent a lot of time thinking that we were changing the world for the better.
“We failed, but bloody hell, we had a lot of fun trying.”
Tickets to Storyology are available from: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/storyology-2018-tickets-45959687663