Simon Benson is a politics journalist in Australia and one of the most identified and influential ones. Having decades of experience and covering federal politics and high-stakes elections, and policy changes in the country, which defined it in many ways, Benson earned credibility as a respected, albeit controversial, national media figure. He was once the National Affairs Editor at The Australian and is today the Chief National Political Reporter of The Daily Telegraph, and has authored Canberra with insight, access and, sometimes, a unique narrative voice.
This paper will delve into the journalistic career of Simon Benson, his contributions to the political debate in Australia, and his contribution to the co-writing of a highly discussed book, Plagued and give the reader insight into a man who happened to be involved in some of the biggest political stories over the last 20 years.
Early Career and Rise in Political Journalism
Having started his career as a journalist in the 1990s, Simon Benson wasted no time in rising through the ranks of Australian political journalism. Reputed to produce hard-hitting exclusives as well as being able to break important political stories, he has found his way into trusted circles both in the media and in the government. He received recognition early in his reporting years, when in 2001, he scooped a prestigious Eureka Prize in Environmental Journalism.
By the early 2010s, Benson had taken an established place in the press gallery in Canberra and was President of the New South Wales Press Gallery. This position demonstrated his command and experience. He also started to make periodic appearances on television and on the radio as a political commentator to cement his stature in the media further.
Reporting Style and Editorial Perspective
This laudatory style of reporting has been described to be characteristic of Benson, who is terse and analytical in his reports. His articles tend to concentrate on the significant policy changes, party factions, as well as politics behind the governmental decisions. He is a conservative writer with appearances in News Corp publications The Daily Telegraph and The Australian, on which he served in senior editorial positions.
Criticised by some political opposition who say he has a right-leaning bent, the proponents of Benson say that he has been a consummate professional and has access to the top political resources that few can afford. His prowess to extract off-the-record knowledge and break scoops has rendered him a reading journalist in political elections and national crises.
His works are very broad, including economic recovery, national security, defence spending, issues of leadership and the inner workings of the Liberal and Labour parties. He has also made himself known with framing of stories in the political implications to the Prime Ministers and Cabinet ministers, giving the readers a backroom look at Australian politics.
Plagued: Inside Scott Morrison’s Pandemic Years
In 2022, Simon Benson again made his headlines, this time co-authoring the book Plagued: Australia 2 Years of Hell, The Inside Story. The book, co-authored by fellow journalist Geoff Chambers, is an inside account of the crisis management of the COVID-19 pandemic by then-Prime Minister Morrison. Based on behind-the-scenes interviews and access to Cabinet proceedings never previously available to a writer, the book gives a never-before-seen insight into the very nature of Morrison as a leader, and the political shocks of guiding a national emergency.
Plagued received a lot of interest, positive and negative. Those who supported the book praised its access and insight; critics challenged the credibility of the depiction of Morrison, saying that it painted a positive picture as criticism of his handling of the pandemic mounted. The circles of the population and the media indicated somehow that the book represented some damage control after Morrison lost popularity.
Among the most lucrative revelations made in the book was the revelation that Scott Morrison had secretly appointed himself to various ministerial portfolios in the course of the pandemic, which came to create a political blaze when it was corroborated later in 2022. Even though the authors insisted that they only presented the facts as they were told to them, the detail brought to account the publication’s responsibility regarding the closeness to power and the media.
That notwithstanding, Plagued managed to wow its markets and currently holds a prestigious position as one of the main accounts of the political story of the pandemic in Australia.
Controversies and Criticisms
Similar to other political journalists who cover in minute detail the internal agendas of political figures, Benson has been attacked on the question of partiality and of being closely linked to political insiders. Some critics have accused him of being sympathetic to leaders of the Liberal Party, especially those of Scott Morrison.
Reacting to this, Benson and his team believe that being close to politicians is the only way of delivering good political reporting. Access journalism is controversial, but it is a long-standing practice in the world, especially in situations where a journalist is reporting from inside the capital of a country.
Nevertheless, the nature of the reporting undertaken by Simon Benson remains a contentious topic of debate, and regardless of the levels of appreciation or criticism, his writing forms an irrefutable part of the way Australians perceive their government and political role models.
Recent Work and Ongoing Influence
As of today, Simon Benson is still employed as a Chief Political Reporter at The Daily Telegraph, and he focuses on large-scale federal affairs, including the cost-of-living crisis, Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, energy and national security. He is also a regular commentator in The Australian, reaching an even wider audience in the conservative-oriented Australian media circles.
In the era of the constantly altering ways of media consumption, Benson is still an old-fashioned journalist as still interested in breaking news, the specifics of policy and intriguing facts beyond government halls. His reports are usually the initial ones to finish in political circles every morning, the tone of the following issues tackled in the newsrooms as well as in parliamentary benches.
Final Thoughts
Simon Benson is a keen and long-term reporter of Australian politics who uses his career to make reports. At the outset of his career as a boy in the press gallery, to the memory of him written down in the pages of The Daily Telegraph and The Australian, he has contributed to how Australians view their governments, elections and national policies. His influence is evident, whether it is in terms of a breaking scoop or a book that causes ripples in society.
At a time when Australia is being forced to live in a post-pandemic political world, Benson continues to come to grips with the changes, like power. Loathe him or love him, Simon Benson has been one of the most powerful political journalists in the country and a person whose contributions have made a significant mark in Australian public life.
