Peter Cave
Encyclopedia
Peter Cave is an Australian journalist. He is Foreign Affairs Editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
.
. He grew up in Waratah
as one of four children of Frederick David and Betty Cave. His father was an industrial galvaniser and his mother was a nurse.
He attended Newcastle Boys High School.
in Sydney. By 1974 he was working for Radio 2GB when he was flown-in to Darwin
to cover the aftermath of Cyclone Tracey.
He then re-joined the ABC where one of his first major assignments was the Coconut War
in The New Hebrides
. His first overseas posting was to Japan in 1983.
He later became the chief correspondent for Europe and the Middle East based in London and then bureau chief in Washington.
He returned to Australia to be the presenter of AM (ABC Radio)
before his current appointment.
In his career with the ABC he has also reported on the end of apartheid in South Africa, the Palestinian intifada in the Occupied Territories, glasnost
and perestroika
in the former Soviet Union, the break-up of the former Yugoslavia
and wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Lebanon, two Gulf war
s, the fall of President Suharto in Indonesia, the first Bali Bombing, three Fijian Coups, the troubles
in Northern Ireland, the revolution in Egypt and the civil war in Libya.
Peter has helped his fellow foreign correspondents with trauma training and peer support. He "helped pioneer the ABC's groundbreaking peer trauma support scheme." In 2009 he was awarded an Ochberg Fellowship by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
attending the Atlanta, George fellowship meeting and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
conference.
half-hearted attempts" by the military to disperse the demonstrators and had a room with a balcony overlooking Beijing's Tiananmen Square. He has later said: "Just about everyone else had decided it was over and packed up," when at "about one in the morning I got a phone call from a colleague who had seen them run over a couple of people. I pulled back the blinds and saw an armoured personnel carrier go up and over a barricade and kill two people on bikes." He and Watson drove to the Square but were caught between two columns of troops and abandoned the car. With gunfire in the background he reported on the Tiananmen Square massacre. Cave won two awards for his reporting: the best radio news report award and the currents affairs award. Cave "was commended for outstanding journalism under particularly difficult circumstances." He was also nominated for the Gold Walkley.
. His coverage won him his third Walkley, this time for best news report.
used some of the footage in Fahrenheit 9/11
. Cave won two Walkley Awards for the story: one for the radio news report, another for his television news report .
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
Early Life and Education
Peter Cave was born in 1952 in Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. He grew up in Waratah
Waratah
Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...
as one of four children of Frederick David and Betty Cave. His father was an industrial galvaniser and his mother was a nurse.
He attended Newcastle Boys High School.
Career
At 18 he gained a cadetship with the then Australian Broadcasting CommissionAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in Sydney. By 1974 he was working for Radio 2GB when he was flown-in to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
to cover the aftermath of Cyclone Tracey.
He then re-joined the ABC where one of his first major assignments was the Coconut War
Coconut War
The Coconut War was a brief clash between Papua New Guinean soldiers and rebels in Espiritu Santo shortly before and after the independence of the Republic of Vanuatu was declared on 30 July 1980.- Background :...
in The New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. His first overseas posting was to Japan in 1983.
He later became the chief correspondent for Europe and the Middle East based in London and then bureau chief in Washington.
He returned to Australia to be the presenter of AM (ABC Radio)
AM (ABC Radio)
AM, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship current-affairs radio program, is one of Australia's longest-running productions. Its tagline is Ensure you are informed.-History and timeslots:...
before his current appointment.
In his career with the ABC he has also reported on the end of apartheid in South Africa, the Palestinian intifada in the Occupied Territories, glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
and perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
in the former Soviet Union, the break-up of the former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
and wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Lebanon, two Gulf war
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
s, the fall of President Suharto in Indonesia, the first Bali Bombing, three Fijian Coups, the troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland, the revolution in Egypt and the civil war in Libya.
Peter has helped his fellow foreign correspondents with trauma training and peer support. He "helped pioneer the ABC's groundbreaking peer trauma support scheme." In 2009 he was awarded an Ochberg Fellowship by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma is a resource center and think tank for journalists who cover violence, conflict and tragedy around the world...
attending the Atlanta, George fellowship meeting and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, , was established on March 2, 1985 in Washington, D.C. for professionals to share information about the effects of trauma...
conference.
Walkley Awards
Cave has won five Walkley Awards, Australian journalism's most prestigious accolades.1989 Awards
Cave was an ABC Radio reporter in Beijing with fellow ABC Radio correspondents Trevor Watson and Tony Hill in June 1989. Cave had been there for about a month interviewing the students, intellectuals and labour activists and had filed reports on "twohalf-hearted attempts" by the military to disperse the demonstrators and had a room with a balcony overlooking Beijing's Tiananmen Square. He has later said: "Just about everyone else had decided it was over and packed up," when at "about one in the morning I got a phone call from a colleague who had seen them run over a couple of people. I pulled back the blinds and saw an armoured personnel carrier go up and over a barricade and kill two people on bikes." He and Watson drove to the Square but were caught between two columns of troops and abandoned the car. With gunfire in the background he reported on the Tiananmen Square massacre. Cave won two awards for his reporting: the best radio news report award and the currents affairs award. Cave "was commended for outstanding journalism under particularly difficult circumstances." He was also nominated for the Gold Walkley.
1990 Award
Cave was the London based European correspondent for the ABC when he reported from Berlin on the fall of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. His coverage won him his third Walkley, this time for best news report.
2004 Awards
Cave was on assignment in Iraq for the ABC on the outskirts of Baghdad when he, his cameraman, Michael Cox, and the driver and translator, were ordered by armed masked men to approach their car: in the back seat was an American hostage, Thomas Hamill a civilian truck driver. "The only thing that saved us was the quick thinking of our fixer , who told them we were Russians so they'd use us for propaganda rather than as hostages." Cave was allowed to speak to Hamill and the resulting report was an international exclusive; Michael MooreMichael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
used some of the footage in Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
. Cave won two Walkley Awards for the story: one for the radio news report, another for his television news report .