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The Newsman: 60 Years of Television
‘You’ll never be journalist’s bootlace!’ During his apprenticeship in the early 1960s, Mal Walden heard these words frequently from his news editor and media mentor, John Maher. Walden not only proved his mentor wrong, he went on to become the longest-serving newsman on Australian television. From a career starting in local radio, Walden went on to TV as news anchor for channels 7 and 10. Each year he maintained a journal in which he recorded his many serendipitous and life-changing moments. These memories form a record - not only of his life as a newsman, but of the evolution of television news, which is now in its sixtieth year and facing what many proclaim is the imminent ‘death of news’ in all its traditional forms. This is the story behind the news stories we think we knew about. It offers exclusive insights and behind-the-scenes access to some of the biggest new headlines of our time.
388 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 27, 2016
The memoirs of veteran newsreader Mal Walden were always going to be an interesting read. I just wasn't expecting it to be so interesting that I sat up late on Saturday night until I'd finished it, because I couldn't bear to put it down.
A deeply absorbing look at the early years of news in Melbourne, Australia, and at the life of Mal Walden.
Big stories that I remember from my childhood, like the Balibo Five, and Cyclone Tracy, hit me just as hard as the more recent ones I've lived through, like Black Saturday.
I freely admit that I stopped watching television news when Mal retired. He had a joyful presence on air that made you feel that, even though the world was going to hell in a handbasket, it would eventually all turn out okay.
"The Newsman" is a must read for every student of current affairs, and anyone interested in the history of television.
Highly recommended.
A deeply absorbing look at the early years of news in Melbourne, Australia, and at the life of Mal Walden.
Big stories that I remember from my childhood, like the Balibo Five, and Cyclone Tracy, hit me just as hard as the more recent ones I've lived through, like Black Saturday.
I freely admit that I stopped watching television news when Mal retired. He had a joyful presence on air that made you feel that, even though the world was going to hell in a handbasket, it would eventually all turn out okay.
"The Newsman" is a must read for every student of current affairs, and anyone interested in the history of television.
Highly recommended.
January 20, 2026
Melbourne-based newsreader Mal Walden presents an autobiography through the medium of a history of Australian television news services.
“The Newsman: Sixty Years of Television” provides a fascinating insight into the beginnings of television broadcasting and television news in Australia in 1956, and sheds light on the behind-the-scenes actions of news directors, cadet journalists, and even network CEOs from a time when a television network was a license to print money in the 1970s and 1980s, to the ongoing failures of Network 10 in the 2010s as they reduced their newsroom over and over again until almost nothing remained, before going into receivership.
Unfortunately, I do agree with a previous reviewer when I also advise that for a book written by a journalist, it seems to have many typographical errors which should have been caught in editing.
“The Newsman: Sixty Years of Television” provides a fascinating insight into the beginnings of television broadcasting and television news in Australia in 1956, and sheds light on the behind-the-scenes actions of news directors, cadet journalists, and even network CEOs from a time when a television network was a license to print money in the 1970s and 1980s, to the ongoing failures of Network 10 in the 2010s as they reduced their newsroom over and over again until almost nothing remained, before going into receivership.
Unfortunately, I do agree with a previous reviewer when I also advise that for a book written by a journalist, it seems to have many typographical errors which should have been caught in editing.
June 5, 2018
An interesting read, which really highlights the insecurity in the TV sector.Similar to many corporate businesses.Mal was lucky to survive to the end.
June 19, 2018
A fascinating insight into the tumultuous Australian television news industry. For a book written by a journalist, it had a lot of typographical errors.
February 21, 2017
Very interesting read, especially the behind the scenes stories with regard to big news stories and the impact on the news team
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews