Walkley Award winning broadcast journalist and author Leigh Sales has been honoured with QUT's Outstanding Alumni Award for the Creative Industries Faculty at a ceremony in Brisbane today.
One of Australia's most formidable political journalists, Ms Sales graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Business - Journalism - in 1994 and has had a stellar career in the two decades since.
Appointed host of ABC Television's flagship news and current affairs program 7.30 in 2011, Ms Sales has won the respect of her peers and the public. She started her career at Channel 9 in Brisbane before joining the ABC. She served as the ABC's North American correspondent, based in Washington, and covered stories including the aftermath of September 11, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2004 presidential election.
Ms Sales won her first Walkley Award for Best Radio Current Affairs reporting in Journalism in 2005 for her reporting on Guantanamo Bay. She was a Walkley finalist the following year for her coverage of Hurricane Katrina and then in 2012, she won her second Walkley for Broadcasting and Online Interviewing in recognition of her outstanding political interviews.
Highlights of her career include being selected to interview Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during a political crisis and the chairing of a debate with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that was broadcast internationally.
Prior to taking up the position of presenter of 7.30, Ms Sales anchored the ABC's prestigious current affairs program Lateline and has also authored two books which are widely referenced in both journalism and academic circles.
Her first book, Detainee 002, centres on Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks and the major questions of politics and terrorism that surrounded the case. It was released to widespread critical acclaim in 2007, winning the prestigious George Munster Award for Independent Journalism. Her second book, On Doubt (2009) is part of a series that pairs leading Australian thinkers and cultural figures with important themes in life.
Ms Sales is celebrated for her media career and for her contributions to the democratic health and welfare of the Australian community. She is a sought-after public speaker who has appeared at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, the Sydney Institute, the National Press Club, the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne Writers' Festivals.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
