Peter Cave
Peter Cave | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 1970–2012 |
| Known for | Foreign Affairs Editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Peter Cave (born 1952) is a retired Australian journalist who served as the Foreign Affairs Editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation until his departure in July 2012.
Early life and education
Cave was born in 1952 in Newcastle, New South Wales and raised in Waratah West. He was one of four siblings born to Frederick David, who worked as an industrial galvaniser, and Betty Cave, a nurse. He completed his secondary education at Newcastle Boys High School.
Career
At the age of 18, Cave began his career with a cadetship at the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Sydney. By 1974, he was reporting for Macquarie National News, covering the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin.
He returned to the ABC where his first significant international report was on the Coconut War in the New Hebrides. His initial overseas assignment took him to Japan from 1983 to 1986. Subsequently, he was appointed chief correspondent for Europe and the Middle East based in London between 1987 and 1992, followed by a tenure as bureau chief in Washington from 1996 to 1997.
Upon returning to Australia, Cave became the presenter of AM before being promoted to Foreign Affairs Editor.
Throughout his time at ABC, Cave reported on numerous major international developments including the collapse of apartheid in South Africa, the Palestinian intifada, glasnost and perestroika reforms within the Soviet Union, the dissolution of Yugoslavia and its ensuing conflicts, both Gulf Wars, Indonesia’s political turmoil, unrest in East Timor, the 2002 Bali Bombings, multiple coups in Fiji, Northern Ireland’s Troubles, as well as the 2011 uprisings in Egypt and Libya.
He played a key role in establishing trauma support programs for foreign correspondents at ABC and was instrumental in launching the broadcaster’s peer trauma support initiative. In recognition of his work in this area, he was awarded an Ochberg Fellowship by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma in 2009.
Walkley Awards
Cave has been honored with six Walkley Awards, which represent Australia’s highest accolades in journalism.
1989 Awards
While reporting for ABC Radio from Beijing during June 1989, Cave covered the Tiananmen Square massacre directly from a vantage point overlooking the square. Unlike many journalists who left, he remained on site amid hazardous conditions as military forces violently quelled protesters. For this courageous reporting, he received two Walkley Awards that year: one for best radio news report and another for current affairs excellence.
1990 Award
As ABC’s European correspondent based in London at that time, Cave reported from Berlin on the fall of the Berlin Wall. His coverage earned him his third Walkley Award recognizing outstanding news reporting.
2004 Awards
During an assignment near Baghdad, Cave and his team encountered armed captors holding an American hostage named Thomas Hamill. Thanks to their fixer’s quick thinking—claiming they were Russians—they were released unharmed and able to provide exclusive coverage of Hamill’s ordeal. This report gained international prominence with footage featured in Fahrenheit 9/11. For this story, Cave received two Walkley Awards: one for radio news and another for television news reporting.
2012 Award
Cave was honored with the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism.
Family life
Peter Cave is married and has two grown sons.