On Doubt - Leigh Sales - Book Review

Leigh Sales is a legend. I have always enjoyed her reporting. The no-bullshit, answer-my-question-properly, stop-with-your-political-doublespeak nature of her interviews is a pleasure to watch. In an era where our media is dominated by outlets pandering to the already-known opinions of their audience, Leigh is a voice of logic, reason and accountability.

I wish there were more journalists like this, I loved Aaron Sorkin’s drama The Newsroom for that very reason. It is a shame that it had to be a fictional show that talked about the importance or returning to the good old days of informed, intelligent, neutral journalism. Sales absolutely counts in that pantheon of good old-fashioned journalists, this little number On Doubt talks about how and why she conducts herself in this way.

On doubt is really an essay written about curiosity. A questioning mind that wants to understand the how’s and whys of people, things and issues. While it is autobiographical, it is also an exploration of the elements of good journalism, and the tenets of neutrality and curiosity that underpin Leighs imitable style. It also speaks to a personal doubt, one that has the side effect of endearing humility. Being confident as a journalist, while humble enough to be open to the reality of the world is a juggling act that I think we can confidently say is being nailed here. It is refreshing to see a discussion of vulnerability and doubt that is not in aid of some rah-rah, you-can-do-it metaphor, but simply a discussion about how a healthy dose of curiosity, doubt, humility and stubbornness can result in a confident and exceptional human.

Originally this essay was published in 2009, the edition I read has updated notes reflecting on the time that has passed since. A time of further compartmentalisation, confirmation biased reporting and audience pandering. I didn’t realise the original was written nearly 10 years ago and it is telling that the concerning trends identified by Sales were justified further in retrospect as we sail into 2018 listening to Trump, Bolt, Flat-earthers and climate change deniers still.

It’s not a overly long essay, so if you get a chance to have a read, I would read it. There are many themes in it that I have been concerned with since becoming a Media & Communications major at University, investigating the concentration of media ownership in Australia and the dearth of objective journalism.

Thanks to the Lorne Bookshop for having this one out on the shelves, it’s nice to be able to impulse buy such an engaging read as a fanboy.

You can catch Leigh on Twitter here or on 7:30 on the ABC and on her podcast Chat 10 Looks 3.