Anne Kruger is a university academic, news verification expert, journalist, and former CNN news anchor.
I met Anne earlier this year at the University of Queensland where she teaches journalism and strategic communications. Anne is an experienced journalist with a storied career at CNN, Bloomberg and ABC News Australia, and she is also a leading expert in news verification tackling the wicked problems of misinformation and disinformation in the media. She was an integral force in establishing Australia’s first disinformation and misinformation code of conduct for digital platforms and still sits on the sub-committee – in her own time – that regulates complaints against big media companies.
Misinformation and disinformation are key issues in journalism today and issues which Anne is clearly passionate about in our interview. Anne first came across the seriousness of disinformation while working in Hong Kong, first as a CNN news anchor during the SARS outbreak and later for Bloomberg. In Hong Kong Anne thrived in the high-pressure roles – which included anchoring the CNN World News – and developed an appreciation for the importance of fast and accurate information.
Our conversation touches on Anne’s experience on a subcommittee tasked with enforcing a disinformation and misinformation code of conduct on Australia’s digital media giants; her upbringing in Toowoomba and how a degree in classical music shaped her career in journalism; her move to Hong Kong and how she landed a role at CNN; her experience at the Cable News Network during the early-2000s SARS outbreak, where she worked with fellow Australian Stan Grant and learnt the value of fast and accurate reporting; witnessing the extremes of poverty and wealth in the city and the challenge of Westerners doing journalism there today; and the high pressure job of a anchoring the world news for CNN and what happens when things go wrong.
For a full episode transcript and links to Anne’s work visit our website: http://bylinespodcast.com
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