SevenQuestions: Rex. F. Haw, adventurer and crime reporter

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Seven Questions

Rex F. Haw is an Australian TV news reporter who covers the crime beat. He's also been quite an adventurer -- be sure to read down to his amazing tale of surviving a spectacular boat-race crash. His no-nonsense, barebones homepage is here. 27 August 1998

1 Describe how TV news in Australia differs from the U.S. Back to the 7Q index

Australian TV news seems to be more formal, and in many ways has a very tabloid approach to most stories. Crime and punishment stories dominate bulletins because they usually lend themselves to good pictures. Good analytical stories about issues that really do affect us are few and far between. The good news is that very few of us have American accents.

2 What do you think of the argument that a constant stream of crime news on TV offers a distorted view of reality?

As a long standing crime reporter I wholeheartedly agree with this argument. The most mundane crime stories tend to create an atmosphere of media hysteria. Misleading beat-up stories about "Rising crime rates" tend to generate a heightened FEAR of crime in the community. . . . there is more fear of crime in the community than crime itself.

3 Tell us about one particularly harrowing incident from your days as a speedboat racer.

I recall about 25 years ago I was racing a large, powerful speedboat along Australia's biggest river, The Murray, which forms the border between New South wales and Victoria. The boat was leaping out of the water at approx. 90 MPH, making huge 40 meter leaps. . . but in one horrifying moment it came down with a crash on a partially submerged tree. The boat literally exploded, the hull shattering. I was thrown right through the fibreglass side, ending up in the water. Somehow I wasn't hurt, but the boat drowned.

4 What's your favorite legend from Australian history?

Australia is still a very young country. The greatest traditions of the famous "Australian mateship," the very heart of everything that is Australian, is based on the sacrifices thousands of Australians and New Zealanders made on the beaches, hills and trenches at Gallipoli (a Turkish peninsular) during the First World War. What is now known as the great "Anzac spirit" was born during that campaign, and lives on today as the driving image of what Australia is all about.

5 What's the funniest story from "Funny Murders," the book you're working on?

I recall being sent to cover a murder in Melbourne in the late '70s. it was the middle of winter, freezing cold at 5 a.m. I was told the body of a teen-age girl had been found at a local football ground.

I must explain here that our main football code is called Australian Rules. One of the positions on the ground is called "the half forward flank." A player is penalized if he kicks the ball over the ground's boundary line on the full.

I found the ground, but not the body. I searched but couldn't see anyone. Then walking along the white boundary line I saw two police officers. I approached and asked, "Excuse me mate, where's the body?" The big Policeman must have been a footballer because he answered, quick as a flash, "Out of bounds on the full near the half forward flank!"

I looked in that direction and guess what -- he was right. Forensic photographers and crime scene experts milling around a white sheet on the ground.

6 Is there anything about modern Australian society that seems to reflect its early history as a penal colony?

The big thing is what I would call, the Ned Kelly Syndrome. Ned Kelly was an outlaw bush ranger/stagecoach robber late last century who was made his own armor to avoid serious injury in a confrontation with Troopers (police). He was finally hanged for murdering a policeman.

So Australia's national hero is a cop killer. One hundred years later the Ned Kelly Syndrome prevails...rules are made to be broken. Cops are nice blokes to have around, but you wouldn't want your daughter to marry one. Young people flout the road laws despite a road toll that can only be described as a continuing national disaster by installment.

7 Who's the most respected journalist in Australia?

This is a tough one...many would disagree. But I would name Jana Wendt. Former newsreader, 60 Minutes Reporter amongst other things, currently doing a series of in-depth interviews with people like Norman Mailer for a program called "Uncensored."

I am particularly moved by her courage as a journalist who has often taken a stand to protect her own journalistic integrity and ethics. This rare trait has cost her career as a serious current affairs reporter, and for a long time has been exiled to some journalistic twilight zone.

Her courage and willingness to challenge her own employers and sacrifice her career in defense of her own ethics makes her one of the best in the world. She is a human voice in a wilderness of mediocrity.

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Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan >Back to SevenQuestions

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Rex F. Haw is an Australian TV news reporter who covers the crime beat. He's also been quite an adventurer -- be sure to read down to his amazing tale of surviving a spectacular boat-race crash. His no-nonsense, barebones homepage is here.		27 August 1998
1	Describe how TV news in Australia differs from the U.S.	Back to the 7Q index
	Australian TV news seems to be more formal, and in many ways has a very tabloid approach to most stories. Crime and punishment stories dominate bulletins because they usually lend themselves to good pictures. Good analytical stories about issues that really do affect us are few and far between. The good news is that very few of us have American accents.
2	What do you think of the argument that a constant stream of crime news on TV offers a distorted view of reality?
	As a long standing crime reporter I wholeheartedly agree with this argument. The most mundane crime stories tend to create an atmosphere of media hysteria. Misleading beat-up stories about "Rising crime rates" tend to generate a heightened FEAR of crime in the community. . . . there is more fear of crime in the community than crime itself.
3	Tell us about one particularly harrowing incident from your days as a speedboat racer.
	I recall about 25 years ago I was racing a large, powerful speedboat along Australia's biggest river, The Murray, which forms the border between New South wales and Victoria. The boat was leaping out of the water at approx. 90 MPH, making huge 40 meter leaps. . . but in one horrifying moment it came down with a crash on a partially submerged tree. The boat literally exploded, the hull shattering. I was thrown right through the fibreglass side, ending up in the water. Somehow I wasn't hurt, but the boat drowned.
4	What's your favorite legend from Australian history?
	Australia is still a very young country. The greatest traditions of the famous "Australian mateship," the very heart of everything that is Australian, is based on the sacrifices thousands of Australians and New Zealanders made on the beaches, hills and trenches at Gallipoli (a Turkish peninsular) during the First World War. What is now known as the great "Anzac spirit" was born during that campaign, and lives on today as the driving image of what Australia is all about.
5	What's the funniest story from "Funny Murders," the book you're working on?
	I recall being sent to cover a murder in Melbourne in the late '70s. it was the middle of winter, freezing cold at 5 a.m. I was told the body of a teen-age girl had been found at a local football ground. I must explain here that our main football code is called Australian Rules. One of the positions on the ground is called "the half forward flank." A player is penalized if he kicks the ball over the ground's boundary line on the full. I found the ground, but not the body. I searched but couldn't see anyone. Then walking along the white boundary line I saw two police officers. I approached and asked, "Excuse me mate, where's the body?" The big Policeman must have been a footballer because he answered, quick as a flash, "Out of bounds on the full near the half forward flank!" I looked in that direction and guess what -- he was right. Forensic photographers and crime scene experts milling around a white sheet on the ground.
6	Is there anything about modern Australian society that seems to reflect its early history as a penal colony?
	The big thing is what I would call, the Ned Kelly Syndrome. Ned Kelly was an outlaw bush ranger/stagecoach robber late last century who was made his own armor to avoid serious injury in a confrontation with Troopers (police). He was finally hanged for murdering a policeman. So Australia's national hero is a cop killer. One hundred years later the Ned Kelly Syndrome prevails...rules are made to be broken. Cops are nice blokes to have around, but you wouldn't want your daughter to marry one. Young people flout the road laws despite a road toll that can only be described as a continuing national disaster by installment.
7	Who's the most respected journalist in Australia?
	This is a tough one...many would disagree. But I would name Jana Wendt. Former newsreader, 60 Minutes Reporter amongst other things, currently doing a series of in-depth interviews with people like Norman Mailer for a program called "Uncensored." I am particularly moved by her courage as a journalist who has often taken a stand to protect her own journalistic integrity and ethics. This rare trait has cost her career as a serious current affairs reporter, and for a long time has been exiled to some journalistic twilight zone. Her courage and willingness to challenge her own employers and sacrifice her career in defense of her own ethics makes her one of the best in the world. She is a human voice in a wilderness of mediocrity.
Back to SQ index Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan		>Back to SevenQuestions