The Judith Neilson Institute has appointed four Australians to its International Advisory Council — Tom Switzer, Catherine Liddle, Richard McGregor and Antoinette Lattouf.
The new appointments complement the founding members of the Council — a group of eminent figures in journalism from around the world, broadly representative of all aspects of media, including print, broadcast and emerging formats. As an independent, non-partisan institution, JNI’s aim is that its board, staff and Advisory Council collectively represent a diverse range of experience and opinion.
JNI Executive Director Mark Ryan said: “We had planned from the outset to expand our International Advisory Council to include a small number of Australian representatives after we had completed the foundation phase of the Institute.”
“We have now reached that point and are proud to welcome such distinguished new members to the Council.”
Tom Switzer
Tom is the Executive Director at the Centre for Independent Studies which promotes evidence-based policy, advancing free choice, individual liberty and the open exchange of ideas. He is a former senior fellow at the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre, a former editor of the Spectator Australia, senior federal Liberal leader adviser/speech writer, opinion editor of The Australian, editorial writer at The Australian Financial Review and assistant editor at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC.
Catherine Liddle
Catherine is an Arrernte/Luritja woman from the Central Australia regions and is CEO of First Nations Media. She has worked across all levels of news and current affairs production and presented news programs for Imparja, NITV and the ABC. Over the past 10 years she has worked primarily in managerial roles where she has led multidisciplinary teams, driven workplace transformations and delivered record breaking programs for NITV and the SBS.
Antoinette Lattouf
Antoinette is a multi-award winning journalist. She is the Director and co-Founder of Media Diversity Australia and a senior journalist at Network 10. In 2019, Antoinette was named among AFR’s 100 Women of Influence. In 2020 she was a B&T Women in Media ‘Champion of Change’ finalist. Her career spans television, radio and online in both news and current affairs. She is also an Ambassador for mental health organisation the Gidget Foundation and the Australian Thyroid Foundation.
Richard McGregor
Richard is an award-winning journalist and author who has reported on the top-level politics and economies of east Asia, primarily China and Japan. He was the Financial Times’ bureau chief in Beijing and Shanghai between 2000 and 2009, and headed the Washington office for four years from 2011. Prior to joining the FT, he was the chief political correspondent and China and Japan correspondent for The Australian. His book The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers won numerous awards, including the Asia Society in New York award in 2011 for best book on Asia. His latest book is Asia’s Reckoning: China, Japan, and the Fate of US Power in the Pacific Century.
About the International Advisory Council
The primary function of the Council is to provide strategic advice to help guide and promote the work of the Institute and to foster global partnerships and our relationship with Australian media organisations. Council members also provide specific advice from time to time based on their particular expertise or the role they currently occupy in the media industry as well as participate in JNI events.
The new Council members will collaborate with their colleagues around the world to share ideas and explore ways to promote the work and goals of the Institute internationally.