Gofrixty [4 September 2025] – Michael Charlton, the renowned journalist and broadcaster, has died aged 98. His death signals the end of an era in Australian journalism, but his legacy will linger for many years to come.
Charlton made history in 1956 as the initial person to appear on ABC television. Just five years later, in 1961, he became the first host of Four Corners. It became Australia’s dominant current affairs show, and Charlton’s frank questioning and calm presence, along with an unfashionable lack of apparent investment, did much to influence Australia’s vision of what serious journalism on television should be.
He was awarded the Gold Logie in 1963, in recognition of his influence in the country’s leading broadcaster. Charlton’s career didn’t end in Australia. He later emigrated to Britain, where he reported internationally for the BBC and won recognition aborad for his coverage. And he wrote about world events with the same credibility and balance that had characterized his work at home.
