Stan Grant
Journalist, Author, Moral Philosopher, Film Maker and Communicator
Stan Grant is a renowned journalist, author, moral philosopher, thinker, film maker and communicator.
He has had a groundbreaking four-decade career as one of Australia’s most awarded journalists.
A Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Dharrawal man, Stan has blazed a trail for First Nations journalists. In a career of firsts he was the first Indigenous Political Correspondent, the first Indigenous Foreign Correspondent, he was the first Indigenous person to present a prime time commercial television news and current affairs program. For a decade he was a senior correspondent for American news giant CNN based in Asia and the Middle East. He has reported from more than seventy countries and has lived in London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, and Beijing.
He has seen history turn covering the greatest stories of our age including the end of apartheid in South Africa, the death of Princess Diana, the troubles in Northern Ireland, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflict and unrest Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Timor Leste, Gaza and the West Bank. He has interviewed world leaders and every Australian Prime Minister of the forty years. Stan reported up close the rise of China as a global power travelling to every corner of the country. He is one of the few journalists to have gained entry to the secretive repressive dictatorship of North Korea.
His list of awards include three time winner of Australia’s highest journalism honour the Walkley Award, four time winner of the prestigious Asia TV awards, an Australian TV Logie Award, twice winner of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts award (Australia’s academy awards), twice winner of the US Peabody Award, a recipient of the Columbia University DuPont award (the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), a GQ Magazine Man of the Year award, Hawaii International Film Festival Indigenous Trailblazer award.
He was writer and producer of the acclaimed feature documentary “The Australian Dream” which told the story of the racial vilification of renowned Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes. The film was screened around the world and at last count has claimed more than twenty international film awards.
He is a best-selling author of seven critically hailed and award-winning books covering world affairs, philosophy, theology, political science, Indigenous history.
Stan is currently working on his first novel and a new non fiction book looking at adapting the theories of quantum physics to international affairs and political identity.
He holds a Doctor of Letters from the University of New South Wales and will soon complete his Doctor of Theology with Charles Sturt University.
He continues to write for national and international news publications.
In 2023 he was cast in a Hollywood feature film “Ricky Stannicky” Directed by Academy Award winning director, Pete Farrelly, appearing alongside stars William H Lacey, John Cena and Zac Efron.
Stan has been a professor of Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt University and has recently taken up a new role as Monash University Professor of Journalism and Director of Asia Pacific arm of the Denmark based Constructive Institute dedicated to working with media organisations, citizens and advocacy groups, faith-based organisations, thought leaders and political figures to improve the quality of public discourse.
Stan is fascinated by global affairs, politics, philosophy, theology and science particularly the baffling engrossing world of quantum physics. He is committed to questions of justice. He has been a passionate and courageous advocate for the rights of First Nations people at times incurring vicious racist attack and threats of violence against himself and his family. Stan demands we do better. Rather than seek to divide he seeks to bring peace and unite. He believes we should love and embrace even those who may hate us yet never lose sight of our moral duty to always stand with those afflicted. He believes the language of politics fails us and increases hostility and Stan is dedicated to finding new words and new ways for us to meet each other beyond our differences.
He is a husband to one of Australia’s leading journalists Tracey Holmes who has been a leading voice for the coverage of sports and society. He is father to four children. He lives in Sydney and spends significant time in Melbourne and his beloved Wiradjuri country of central and southwest New South Wales.