Ean Higgins was a household name of fearless and journalist rigour in the Australian media. After decades of leading political and investigative journalism, Ean Higgins became an indelible mark of a tenacious storyteller, a thoughtful analyst, and a force not to be reckoned with in the circles of the print and broadcast media. Widely acclaimed by modern readers through his thrilling book The Hunt for MH370, Higgins was a man of great significance in the events, problems of politics, crime, aviation, and the functioning of governments, and he was respected by the rest of the newsroom as well as other sources.
Who Is Ean Higgins?
Ean Higgins was born in the United States of America to a Canadian father and an Australian mother but moved to Australia as a child and completed tertiary studies in international relations at the University of Sussex and Australian National University. His worldly childhood made a significant contribution to his sense of journalism, including an adherence to truth, a universal perspective, and an attunement to the political nuances of any story.
Higgins joined the journalism profession in the early eighties, where he sharpened his teeth at The Australian Financial Review. Before long, The Australian would recruit him, and he would spend most of his illustrious career there. Higgins travelled to all parts of Australia and abroad and, over the decades, was the Europe correspondent and Sydney Bureau Chief, foreign news editor and environment editor of the paper.
Career Highlights at The Australian
Ean Higgins established a name as a high-brow journalist in Australia at The Australian by pursuing difficult, thoughtful stories. His areas of specialisation were political reporting, national security, the environment, and aviation, topics that often sparked national debates. Higgins specialised in delving into complex affairs, such as the intrigues of political leadership, regional catastrophes, and policy failures.
In 2013, he won the Kennedy Award for online journalism for his for his work regarding the New South Wales bushfires. This award was evidence that he could not only document what was written or broadcast about the rounds of disaster but also provide a context, human face, and policy review in a text-based and progressive digital world.
The Hunt for MH370 – A Defining Publication
The long history of interest in aviation and storytelling led Ean Higgins to write his book, The Hunt for MH370, in 2019. Published by Pan Macmillan, the book was on the mysterious loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in 2014, which remains a puzzle to the investigators as well as the world at large.
The difference between The Hunt for MH370 and other commentary about the event was that Higgins was very careful about what he could verify in his story, and he entered this arena with the Australian search. He provided a sober account of the logistical problems behind the search, as well as the political and personal pressures and other competing theories on which they were based, rather than speculation. Australian reviewers hailed the piece as both accessible and investigative. The Australian described it as “staggering, painstaking and often spine-chilling,” and aviation commentators identified its role in raising awareness in the population about the boundaries and responsibilities facing modern investigative journalism.
Media Appearances and Broader Influence
Besides print, Ean Higgins was a frequent commentator on aviation, political leadership, and crisis reporting on Australian TV and radio. Programs such as ABC’s The Drum, Late Night Live, and Sky News Australia regularly consulted his insights.
In addition to being a print media writer, Ean Higgins has also worked consistently on Australian television and radio, utilising his expertise in aviation, political leadership, and crisis coverage reporting. Programs such as ABC’s The Drum and Late Night Live, as well as Sky News Australia, frequently sought his input.
His book was also turned into a Sky News Australia documentary of the same title, MH370: The Untold Story, as part of his effort to elaborate on the same themes further, as well as to put to the test the style of journalism he specified in his book about his sober, fact-driven, and insistent in the pursuit of truth approach.
His coworkers often labelled Higgins as being fearless and unafraid to tackle hot-button issues. His observations frequently challenged official versions of events but without straying into conspiracy theories. Rather, this is why he advocated openness and responsibility as values of an essential profession in providing information, journalism.
Relevance and Legacy in Australian Media
Ean Higgins died in 2020, yet his memory is firmly imprinted in the Australian media field. His method of journalism was based on working hard to fact-check his stories, doubting the official record, and understanding the feelings of a victim, which is still emulated by newer generations of journalists.
In an era where media credibility is often questioned, the work of Higgins teaches us that it is essential to act clearly and independently, never giving up. His reportage on MH370 was not only informative to the citizens but also kept international agencies in check. Journalism in his reporting proved to be informative, and at the same time, it respected the richness of unresolved events, avoiding the propagation of sensationalism.
In addition, Higgins’ dedication to longer storytelling in a world where the news cycle is becoming increasingly shallow and less in-depth is an example to follow in the digital era.
A Thoughtful Final Reflection
Ean Higgins was not only a reporter but also a recorder of political malfeasance, aviation mysteries, and the much-misunderstood inner workings of power. He wrote his stories not only to make front pages but to make sense to the common people. The kind of legacy he leaves behind addresses the question of the worth of evidence-based, responsible, and humanistic journalism.
The readers will remember him, and they will remember him not only as the iconic fearless reporter of politics in The Australian but also as a literary figure through The Hunt to MH370 and as a larger-than-life media figure so huge as to loom as a gigantic presence in every newsroom, every classroom, and in the national conversation itself.
