Michael Rowland to leave the ABC after 39 years in front of the camera

7.30’s national affairs correspondent Michael Rowland is leaving the ABC after a 39-year career. From the halls of parliament to Washington to the News Breakfast sofa, Rowland has always been a presence on our screens. Here he talks about forty years in front of the camera:

I still remember my excitement when I got the call in January 1987 telling me I had been hired as a student journalist at the ABC.

My mother reminded me that I was clutching the wall next to the phone in shock. I couldn’t believe my luck. Thirty-nine years later I still can’t.

But after spending nearly four decades in the overwhelming environment of daily news and current events and seeing so many people down on their luck, I decided now was a good time to step away.

Leaving the professional home of my entire adult life was not an easy decision, but in many ways it was the right one. I’m also now in my eighth term as chief executive, and although I think Hugh Marks is great, it’s another reminder of how long I’ve been here.

training against terrorism

I’ve seen a lot since I first walked into the ABC newsroom as a nervous 18-year-old. Back then, we wrote our stories in triplicate (Google it) before physically handing the pieces of paper over to the often gnarly old subeditors who would report loudly and in vague terms whether your tenses and grammar were correct.

Terror training wouldn’t pass today’s workplace standards, but it was a good way to quickly learn the art of news writing.

I also remember the buzz when we were given our first batch of mobile phones. They were the size of house bricks, and there were larger batteries to match.

In many ways it was a happier time. In ABC’s small pocket, there was no internet, let alone computers. Back then, social media was just about journalists gathering at the bar to tell stories.

In my career, I’ve gone from lugging around a back-breaking reel-to-reel tape recorder on radio gigs to now being able to do just about anything with my cell phone (which, thankfully, is now much smaller and lighter than a brick). Live TV no longer needs wires, cables and a truckload of equipment. It’s a small device attached to cameras that are getting smaller and lighter every year.

ABC values ​​truth

It’s not just technology that’s transforming. The male-dominated newsroom of my student life is now happily just a memory, replaced by workplaces that better reflect society.

And while much has changed in my 39 years, ABC’s guiding principles have not. It has always been a privilege to work for an organization that values ​​truth, facts and justice.

Yes ABC is far from perfect. But in this age of misinformation and with many news organizations choosing sides, an independent national broadcaster is more important than ever.

ABC is a national treasure. Everyone who works here, from the chief executive on down, are only temporary guardians of an organization that must survive and thrive to ensure Australia does not tread the same path as other countries where fierce, independent journalism has been crushed or has long since disappeared.

giving people a voice

I have been very lucky since I joined as a student with acne. I’ve had the chance to do just about everything, from covering police and fire crews on the night shift for radio news to presenting a variety of national TV programs.

It was truly a great journey. A stint covering NSW politics led to me spending five years in the Canberra press gallery in the mid-1990s; Here I had the opportunity to report on the Keating and Howard premierships. I then went to Melbourne to study the final years of Jeff Kennett’s government, which led to a few years dealing with business and finance.

One of the highlights of my time at ABC was the four years I spent in the US as Washington correspondent; Here I covered the election of Barack Obama as America’s first black president, the David Hicks case in Guantanamo Bay, and the outbreak of the global financial crisis. These are all very serious and important stories.

But one of my all-time favorite missions was tracking a group of Harley Davidson enthusiasts through the back blocks of Oklahoma as they campaigned to revive old Route 66. I can still hear the collective growl of their engines.

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I’ve seen the best and the worst of life. I have covered natural disasters from the 1989 Newcastle earthquake to US hurricanes and the Black Summer bushfires. And too many stories of individual misery to count. But being able to give a voice to people who are often in great distress has always been an important part of my role as an ABC correspondent.

behind the scenes

My 15 years on News Breakfast have already been well documented, but it will always be a treasured part of my time at the ABC (I don’t miss hours though!) And lastly, I’ve enjoyed working with the fantastic team on 7.30, a show that’s going from strength to strength.

I formed many wonderful and lasting friendships at ABC, and I will certainly miss the daily camaraderie, banter and gallows humor that has defined every newsroom I have worked in.

I could name so many presenters and journalists I admire, but I’d like to end this reflection and end my time at the ABC by thanking all the people you don’t see.

During my time here, I had the chance to work with many world-class camera operators, editors, directors, producers, floor managers and makeup artists.

Without them, none of my work would be possible. And they all made me look and sound so much better than I already am. Thank you to these unsung heroes of ABC for everything (and sorry for all the negativity…).

With that, I bid farewell to ABC, and to viewers who hope they are a little better informed of the thousands of stories I have covered and presented since I, that anxious teenager, picked up my first ABC microphone.

Farewell.

Michael Rowland’s last day at ABC is Friday.