Stuart Littlemore

Stuart Littlemore QC is an Australian barrister and former journalist and television presenter. He is best known for his time as writer and host of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) Media Watch program, which he conceived and presented from its inception in 1989 to 1997.

Media career

He was educated at the Scots College, and later studied law at the University of New South Wales, winning the ALSA Championship Moot in 1978.

His broadcasting experience began in the late 1960s when he worked as a television current affairs journalist for the BBC in London, and then the ABC, firstly on This Day Tonight and then on Four Corners.^[1] In the 1970s and 1980s, he played a television reporter in the film The Money Movers and the TV series The Dismissal and made guest appearances in the 1990s on the comedy series Frontline, playing himself as the host of Media Watch. Following Media Watch, he had a short-running discussion program, Littlemore (2001).^[2] He published a book about his media experiences entitled The Media and Me in 1996.^[3]

Writing

Between 2011 and 2014 he published the bestselling 'Harry Curry' series of novels about a renegade barrister's life at the Sydney Bar: Counsel of Choice, The Murder Book and Rats and Mice.^[4]

Legal career

In his legal practice, Littlemore specialises in media law and criminal law. He has lectured in journalism and politics at three Australian universities, and been awarded a number of fellowships, including ones from the Australia Council, Deakin University, and the University of Tasmania.^[5] As a lawyer Littlemore has spoken publicly about how he feels it is a professional challenge to knowingly get the guilty acquitted at trial. In an interview in October 1995 on Channel 7 when asked by host Andrew Denton if he could defend "someone who you yourself believe not to be innocent", Littlemore's response was "Well, they're the best cases. I mean, you really feel you've done something when you get the guilty off. Anyone can get an innocent person off. I mean, they shouldn't be on trial. But the guilty – that's the challenge."^{[6] [7]}

Littlemore represented Mercedes Corby, the sister of Schapelle Corby, in her defamation action against Australian television broadcaster the Seven Network which was decided in her favour.^[8] He also represented Pauline Hanson in her defamation action against News Ltd., after The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Telegraph published (and later retracted) nude photographs that they claimed showed a young Ms Hanson.^[9] A settlement was reached between the parties out of court.^[10]

In 2012, Littlemore represented former NSW Labor politician Eddie Obeid in hearings before the Independent Commission Against Corruption.^[11]

Honours

In 2001, Littlemore was appointed an Officier de l'Ordre national du Mérite by the President of France, Jacques Chirac, for services to Law and Journalism.

References

External links

• 1997 episode of Media Watch presented by Stuart Littlemore (Part 1)
• 1997 episode of Media Watch presented by Stuart Littlemore (Part 2)
• ASO entry
• Interview: Stuart Littlemore