Paul Bongiorno
Paul Bongiorno | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Damian Bongiorno 1944 (age 79–80) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | Television 1974–present |
| Relatives | Bernard Bongiorno(second cousin) |
Paul Damian BongiornoAM(born 1944) is an Australian politicaljournalistand commentator.
Personal life
[edit]Bongiorno grew up in Ballarat, Victoria, and was educated by the Christian Brothers atSt Patrick's Collegeand Drummond Street in Ballarat. He toldABCradio in 2015: "I was inspired by what I heard and by the lives of men—both priests and brothers—by the ideals and the values that they had in terms of social justice and human welfare and well-being and belief in God, to go off and become a Catholic priest."[1]Bongiorno later worked as a Catholic priest. He holds a master's degree in theology from thePontifical Urban Universityin Rome.[2][3]
He is now married with two daughters and is a second cousin ofBernard Bongiorno,a former justice of theSupreme Court of Victoria.[4][5]
Career
[edit]Bongiorno started in television at theSeven NetworkinMelbournein 1974, moved toWIN TVinWollongonglater that year, then moved toNetwork Tenin Brisbane in 1978 as a reporter and, for a time, a weather presenter. InBrisbane,he won fourWalkley Awardsfor investigative journalism as well as reporting state politics and writing forThe Bulletinmagazine. He has been with Ten'sCanberrabureau since 1988.[6]In November 2010, he was appointed national affairs editor forTen NewswithHugh Riminton,now the political editor and bureau chief in Canberra.
A veteran political broadcaster, he regularly appeared on Ten's news and weekday programs. He is also a regular commentator on radio.[6]
Bongiorno hosted Ten's national Sunday morning show,Meet the Press,from 1996 until 2012.[6]
In June 2014, he tookvoluntary redundancyfrom Network Ten. In August of that year he became a regular contributor toThe Saturday Paper.[7]
Political views
[edit]Bongiorno is a regular contributor on ABC'sRN Breakfastand the national newspaperThe Saturday Paper.[8]
Whitlam government
[edit]He describes SirJohn Kerr(the Governor-General whosackedLabor Prime MinisterGough Whitlam) as a "venal deceptive man", and the senior judges who advised him as "lacking moral compass". He believes the reserve powers of the governor-general should be scrapped.[9]
Abbott-Turnbull government
[edit]OnRadio National,Bongiorno likened the conservative Liberal-NationalAbbott governmentto a "dictatorship".[10]He describesTony Abbottas "famous for saying the exact opposite of what reality is".[11]He describes Liberal Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbullas the "best thing [the Liberal-National Party Coalition] has going for it".[12]
Sky News
[edit]In a 2018tweet,Bongiorno, then an ABC radio political correspondent, defended the number of left commentators on the ABC and criticised Sky News for having too many conservatives by tweeting that the national broadcaster had as many "lefties" as there are "righties" on Sky "after dark panels and that includes 'Uncle Tom' lefties craving relevance ". Bongiorno did not acknowledge the taxpayer funding and requirement for the ABC to be impartial, which was criticised by several Sky News hosts and panellists.AboriginalSky News commentator and former Labor Party presidentWarren Mundineobjected to the use of the racist epithet "Uncle Tom", and called the ABC "hypocritical and disgraceful" for not criticising the remark.[13]
Honours
[edit]In the January2014 Australia Day Honourslist, Bongiorno was made a Member of theOrder of Australia(AM) "for significant service to the print and broadcast media as a journalist, political commentator and editor".[14]
References
[edit]- ^"Paul Bongiorno remembers life as a Catholic priest living in presbytery with Gerald Ridsdale".ABC Radio National.21 May 2015.
- ^"Can Big George go the full four quarters?".The Age.16 April 2005.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^Ramsey, Alan (10 May 2003)."So, I heard this yarn about a bloke and his cow..."The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^"Paul Bongiorno".Saxton.Retrieved30 June2015.
- ^Wright, Tony (6 June 1999)."Two knights are a long time in politics".The Sunday Age.Retrieved30 June2015.
- ^abc"Paul Bongiorno".Meet the Press.Network Ten.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^"Paul Bongiorno".The Saturday Paper.Schwartz Publishing. 16 August 2014.Retrieved13 September2014.
- ^"Paul Bongiorno".The Saturday Paper.16 August 2014.
- ^Paul Bongiorno speaking on ABC 702'sMornings with Linda Motram;5 Nov 2015
- ^"Politics with Paul Bongiorno and Philip Dorling".ABC Radio National.22 November 2013.
- ^Hinch Live,Sky News; 7 Feb 2015
- ^RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly,ABC Radio National, 8 March 2016
- ^ABC panned over Paul Bongiorno Uncle Tom slur;The Australia; July 17, 2018
- ^"Australia Day honours list 2014: in full".Daily Telegraph.News Ltd. 26 January 2014.Retrieved26 January2014.
