Caroline Overington

Caroline Overington is an Australian journalist and author of "Only in New York: How I took Manhattan (with the kids)" (ISBN 978-1-74114-961-6), published by Allen & Unwin in 2006. [http://www.nla.gov.au/librariesaustralia/rap/may06cla.txt listing of recent publications in Australia in May 2006] (accessed June 9, 2006).]

Biography

Born in May 1970, she moved to New York in 2002, to become a foreign correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Together with Malcolm Knox, she won a Walkley Award for investigative journalism in 2004 for their "Norma Khouri Investigation". [http://www.walkleys.com/2004/index.htm List of 2004 Walkley winners from official Walkleys website] ] She contributed a chapter to the best-selling "Come Away With Me" (Random House) in 2005.

Overington's second book "Kickback" (2007) is based on her coverage of the AWB scandal. It tells how hundreds of millions of dollars was sent from Australia's wheat exporter, AWB Ltd, to the regime of Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq war. In November 2006 Overington won the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Journalism and the Walkley Award for investigative journalism for her coverage of the AWB scandal.

In May 2007 she resigned from The Australian to take up a position with ABC Radio, only to change her mind days later and return to the newspaper. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21661400-22822,00.html)

Overington was a journalist and columnist for "The Australian", and maintained a [http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/coverington/index.php blog] at that publication until November 2007. Overington's second book "Kickback" was long listed for a Walkley Award in 2007 and nominated for the Blake Dawson Waldron Prize for Business Literature in 2008. Overington is currently on leave from "The Australian" and is adapting "Kickback" for the small screen.

2007 Federal Election

In the lead up to the 2007 Federal Election, Overington was accused of improper behaviour with regard to two candidates for the Division of Wentworth. It was reported that she solicited preferences for Malcolm Turnbull from an independent candidate. [cite news | title =How to Vote | publisher =ABC TV | work=Media Watch | date= 12 November 2007 | url=http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2088770.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-13 ] . She and other media figures have characterized the email exchange as a joke. [cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/strongmediastrong-journalists-are-now-under-intense-scrutiny/2007/11/16/1194766958570.html| title=Stories behind the news|last=Ricketson|first=Matthew|date=2007-11-17|publisher=The Age] She was also accused of threatening the ALP candidate George Newhouse with adverse press coverage unless he acceded to her demands to submit to an interview and photograph. [cite news
title =Emails explore reporter's own preferences, then turn nasty
publisher =Sydney morning herald
date= 14 November 2007
url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/emails-explore-reporters-own-preferences-then-turn-nasty/2007/11/13/1194766675346.html] On election day itself, Overington was involved in an incident with Newhouse. She had gone to a polling station at a Sydney primary school to vote. Newhouse and other witnesses claim that Overington slapped Newhouse across the face. [cite news | title=Dispute Boils over in Wentworth | publisher=Sydney Morning Herald | date=24 November 2007 | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/dispute-boils-over-in-wentworth/2007/11/24/1195753344751.html | accessdate= 2007-11-24] [cite news | title=Journalist slaps Newhouse: witnesses | publisher=Ninemsn | date=24 November 2007 | url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/minisite/election_article.aspx?id=308015&sectionid=6046&sectionname=minisiteelection | accessdate=2007-11-24 ] Overington said she pushed Newhouse away with an open hand when he approached her; the editor-in-chief of The Australian, Chris Mitchell, mediated the dispute between the two. [cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/editor-steps-in-over-whack-allegations/2007/11/25/1195975877616.html|title=Editor steps in over 'whack' allegations|last=Gibson|first=Joe|date=2007-11-26|publisher=The Age] The Australian published an apology by Overington on 4 December 2007. [cite news | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22865525-5013948,00.html|title=Apology to George Newhouse | last=Overington | first=Caroline | date=2007-12-04|publisher=The Australian]

The Australian Electoral Commission did not launch an investigation and no formal finding against Ms Overington was made.

References