Ben Doherty is an award winning journalist who has worked with The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and most recently, The Guardian. Ben has won three Walkley awards for his foreign and immigration reporting. And for those who do not know, the Walkley awards are the pinnacle of achievement for any Australian journalist. He is also a three-time United Nations Media Peace Awards recipient, whose reporting has had significant impact in highlighting injustices throughout the world.

He has written stories about child labour that have seen children freed from bonded labour and placed in schools. He has highlighted abuses within the immigration detention centres that have led to parliamentary inquiries and changes in government policies.

Before starting out on his two-decade long successful career as a journalist, Ben pursued his dream to become a professional Aussie Rules player, where he played for AFL clubs the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons.

As you will discover in this interview, Ben is a University of Oxford alumni and also a gradute of the Conservatorium of Music, with the drums being his instrument of choice. During his time abroad, it wasn't unusual to find Ben playing with a band in a local club or pub.

In fact, it was a chance meeting with a local musician whilst on assignment in India, the inspired Bens launch onto the literary world with his enthralling debut novel, Nagaland — set in the far north-east of India.

These days you can find Ben in Bondi, Sydney, with his wife and two children, where he serves as the Pacific Editor for the Guardian — reporting on issues of importance to the island states of the Pacific region and also around the world, with a particular focus on investagtions into issues around climate change, environmental degradation and human rights abuses.

Online you can follow and contact Ben on Twitter @bendohertycorro, you can also grab a copy of his latest novel, Nagaland at Amazon.

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