Journalism
Should we see dead people?
The image of the body of a little boy washed up on a Turkish beach was widely credited for the change of heart which briefly swept even Australia into a more compassionate response to the wave […]
Articles by Maria Spackman
Observations
Words matter – but don’t shoot the press officer
The path from shrinking newsrooms to the bulging corridors of corporate communications and government media units is a well-trodden one. Many journalists, your own Girl Reporter included, have sought a crust by writing press releases. […]
Adventures of a Girl Reporter
Greste, Page, Ware and Wockner – a century of journalism on the frontline
It was an ambitious undertaking to cram more than 100 years of experience of war correspondence into the ceremonial Banco Court at Brisbane’s Supreme Court building for an hour-long discussion of armed conflict and the […]
Adventures of a Girl Reporter
The highs and lows of living with an immune disorder
It was inevitable that a big life change like buying a house would spark a flare-up of an immune disorder which reacts to stress. Anything which deviates from the flat line of normality is a […]
Journalism
Francis James – the long stumble to freedom
On 16 January 1973 Australian Francis James emerged from three years’ imprisonment in Canton (now Guangzhou) with just a brief announcement from China to herald his expulsion to the border and into the waiting arms […]
Journalism
China Watching masterclass: Why was Francis James in jail?
Part Three of a Special Report on China Watching, based on a three-part feature written by my father Jack Spackman on the mysterious disappearance of Francis James, who was imprisoned in China on suspicion of […]
Journalism
China Watching masterclass with Francis James
Part Two of a Special Report on the arcane art of China Watching, through a three-part feature written by my father Jack Spackman on the mysterious disappearance of Francis James, who was imprisoned in China […]
Journalism
The Francis James mystery – a masterclass in China Watching
In November 1969 an Australian named Francis James disappeared without trace. He was travelling by train from the southern China city of Canton, now called Guangzhou, to Hong Kong. He was last seen by his […]
Journalism
Journalists rush to protect their own against data retention laws
Australia’s rush to embrace sweeping powers to access the digital footprints of its citizenry has raised the existential age-old question: What is a journalist? The development of the government’s data retention bill and its implications […]
The Spackman Files
Francis James – international man of mystery
Like many children I had no real idea of what my parents did for a living so the last thing I expected on a visit to Sydney in 1973 was to hear my dad Jack […]