Bridget Griffen-Foley, ‘The Names are Familiar’ Menzies and the Media

Robert Menzies’s relationship with the Australian media was complex. He had an intense dislike for journalists, for a long time struggled to gain traction in Sydney, and a media narrative played a key role in his downfall as prime minister in 1941. Nevertheless, no-one who had Menzies’s longevity in politics could succeed without having a certain degree of media savvy and important connections in the press. At the end of the day, Menzies was a master of political communication and exploring his relationship with powerful media entities is highly revealing of their role in Australian democratic life. 

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Bridget Griffen-Foley, historian of Australian media, about Robert Menzies’s relationship with the press. 

Bridget Griffen-Foley is the Director of Research and Innovation in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University. A specialist in the history of the media, particularly the Australian media, she is the author of The House of Packer: The Making of a Media Empire (1999), Sir Frank Packer (2000, 2014), Party Games: Australian Politicians and the Media from War to Dismissal (2003), Changing Stations: The Story of Australian Commercial Radio (2009), which was shortlisted for the Ashurst Business Literature Prize and longlisted for the Walkley Book Award, and Australian Radio Listeners and Television Viewers: Historical Perspectives (2020).