Richard Carleton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Carleton

Richard George Carleton (July 11, 1943 in Bowral, New South Wales – May 7, 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania) was an Australian television journalist.

1 Television/journalism career
2 Death
3 References
4 External link

[edit] Television/journalism career

[edit] ABC/BBC

In 1965 he hosted This Day Tonight as well as being the presenter of State of the Nation, both on the ABC. He continued these roles until he left for a role on 2GB Radio in 1976, followed by what began as a lifelong love of travelling and researching overseas, producing films in Indonesia (including being the only journalist to be allowed to visit the newly "integrated" East Timor) and the Middle East.

Carleton joined the BBC in London, England in 1977 for the Tonight program, before returning to Australia in 1979. During 1986, Carleton was a co-presenter of The Carleton-Walsh Report on the ABC, with financial journalist Maximilian Walsh.

[edit] Nine Network

In 1987 Carleton began his most famous television journalism role, as a reporter on 60 Minutes. In a career with the program that spanned almost 20 years, he visited many locations around the world investigating political climates. Carleton was parodied on Australian sketch-comedy shows Fast Forward and Comedy Inc. for his perceived over-prominence on 60 Minutes.

In July 2000, the ABC's Media Watch program accused Carleton of plagiarising the BBC documentary A Cry from the Grave. Carleton denied the claims, and a 2002 court case ruled that Carleton had "misled his audience by misrepresenting a mass grave site shown in the programme, and that 60 Minutes had copied film directly from the British documentary".^[1]

Carleton won five Penguin Awards and three Logie Awards during his time with 60 Minutes.

[edit] 1983 Australian Federal Election

Carleton is probably most famously known for a comment made to incoming federal Australian Labor Party leader Bob Hawke "Mr. Hawke, could I ask you whether you feel a little embarrassed tonight at the blood that's on your hands?" ^[2] which was a reference to the alleged involvement of Hawke in the resignation of former Labor leader, Bill Hayden. The question visibly outraged Hawke, who later would criticise Carleton for his "damned impertinence".

[edit] Death

Carleton had experienced a number of health scares, the first in 1988 when he underwent heart bypass surgery, which was nationally televised, and another in 2003 when he suffered a heart attack. In 2005 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.^[3]

On 7 May 2006, Carleton collapsed from a massive heart attack during a press conference at the Beaconsfield gold mine, shortly after questioning mine manager Matthew Gill on previous safety issues at the site.^[4] First-hand reports from the scene indicated that Carleton had a weak pulse when taken by ambulance to the Launceston General Hospital and that he had been puffing and gasping not long before he collapsed. Carleton died in the ambulance on the way to hospital. His death was confirmed by National Nine News at 2:47 p.m. His doctors are now undergoing a legal battle with the Nine Network, because of alleged negligence. ^[5]^[6]

His last words which were spoken at an interview at the Beaconsfield mine collapse, "On 26th October last year, not 10 metres from where these men are now entombed, you had a 400-tonne rock fall. Why is it, is it the strength of the seam, or the wealth of the seam, that you continue to send men into work in such a dangerous environment?".^[7] Seven News reported in its 6 p.m. bulletin that a hospital statement said he was pronounced dead at 2.12 p.m.