Hamish Macdonald opens up about radio, TV and ‘old school’ journalism

It might be considered ‘old school’ these days, but when Hamish Macdonald was growing up, journalism wasn’t about expressing your opinion.

“It wasn’t about your take on the story,” says the Walkley Award winning journalist, who has reported on wars, disasters and major world events for TV and radio.

“It wasn’t about using the news as a vehicle for pushing your own world view, necessarily. And I still really hold firm to that.”

In a warm and insightful chat with me on the latest episode of the Food Bytes with Sarah Patterson podcast, Hamish says that as the media landscape evolves, he’s proud of the kind of journalism he delivers.

“Maybe it’s less of a popular or less of a trendy way of being in the media industry today, but it’s still what I really, really believe there’s a place for. And so I guess, in that context, I’m working as hard as ever to make sure that I uphold that.”

“I’m aware that what I do is changing and the reputation of it is changing. People have a lot of options for where they get their news and information from and I guess I feel that whilst it is changing and evolving, I feel more resolute about why it is that I take the approach to it that I do.”

Whether it be radio, TV or podcasting, it’s fair to say Hamish has a lot on his plate right now, co-hosting Global Roaming on ABC Radio National as well as The Project on Channel 10.

Add to that presenting and interviewing duties on Radio National’s morning show, RN Breakfast.

The Global Roaming podcast – which Hamish presents alongside the legendary Geraldine Doogue – was crowned dual winner of Best News Podcast in the 2024 Radio Today Podcast Awards.

Hamish also fronts Dementia Australia’s Hold The Moment podcast (pictured above with co-host Jim Rogers).

Radio is part of the Macdonald family pedigree. Hamish’s brother Rory is a producer and reporter with ABC Radio Sydney, while his sister Kari is a producer at 2UE.

In our chat, Hamish also opens up about his days hosting ABC TV’s Q&A, and the barrage of Twitter abuse which prompted him to deactivate his account, contributing to his decision to leave the program.

“Yeah, it was a pretty tough job,” he says. “It certainly sent me packing from social media, going on four years ago now. It was a lot more than I’d ever expected in that regard.”

Hamish admits it was a very challenging time.

“I hadn’t really ever had an experience quite like that. Obviously social media is a place where people say all sorts of things, and I wasn’t immune from that.”

“I didn’t go into it a like a deer in the headlights. I wasn’t completely naïve. I just don’t think I was quite ready for the degree to which the social media was kind of part of the business model of that show.”

Then COVID reared its ugly head. With everybody suddenly in lockdown and no live audience, the social media element of the show intensified.

“It was just very overwhelming,” says Hamish. “I wasn’t prepared – I don’t think the show was prepared – for what that meant, for us, for me on an individual level.”

“I mean, it was pretty crippling. It really did a lot of damage for me personally, I guess, that it’s probably taken me some years to put in perspective and move past.”

And move past it he has. Hamish credits his partner, parents and professionals with helping him navigate this difficult period of his life.

Today, the outlook is very different.

“I feel very positive and I love what I do. I’ve found the joy and the pleasure in what I do again.”