Kerry O'Brien (journalist)

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Kerry Michael O’Brien (born 27 August 1945) is an Australian journalist and interviewer based in Byron Bay. He is best known for his work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where he was editor and host of The 7.30 Report and later Four Corners. He has won six Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley in 2000.

Early life
O’Brien was born in Brisbane into a Catholic family and attended St Laurence’s College. He began as a news cadet at Channel 9 in 1966 and later worked in newspapers, wire services and television.

Career
He has held many roles — reporter, feature writer, political and foreign correspondent, interviewer and compere. He served briefly as press secretary to Labor leader Gough Whitlam in 1977. He also worked for Network Ten and Seven. After six years hosting Lateline, he moved to The 7.30 Report in 1995 as editor, host and interviewer, and he anchored ABC election coverage for about 20 years.

Awards and honors
O’Brien has won six Walkley Awards (including the Gold Walkley in 2000; wins in 1982, 1991, and 2010). He has two honorary doctorates — from Queensland University of Technology (2009) and the University of Queensland (2011) — and he received the Queensland Greats Award in 2011. He was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2021, he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia, but he declined the award in protest of Margaret Court’s honour.

Later career
He stepped down as editor of The 7.30 Report at the end of 2010 and began new roles in 2011, hosting Four Corners. He stepped down as Four Corners host in 2015, with Sarah Ferguson succeeding him in 2016. He produced Keating: the Interviews (2013) and wrote a biography of Paul Keating. In 2019 he voiced support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and urged Parliament to act on it.

Personal life
O’Brien has been married twice and has six children. He describes his upbringing as working-class and, though he left the Catholic Church in his 20s, he values the social justice ideas from his Catholic schooling.