Rowan Dean

Rowan Dean
Occupation(s)	Advertising professional, media commentator, editor, author
Years active	1978–present
Known for	Co-host of Outsiders on Sky News Australia; editor of Spectator Australia; panelist on Gruen

Rowan Dean is an Australian advertising professional and conservative media commentator. After working as an advertising copywriter, Dean gained visibility as a panel member on the initial seasons of Gruen. He later contributed commentary to various newspapers and became co-host of the conservative program Outsiders on Sky News Australia. Presently, he holds the position of editor at Spectator Australia and regularly contributes articles. Dean also writes columns for the Australian Financial Review, has authored pieces for The Age, and appeared on the ABC's discussion program Q&A.

Advertising

Dean attended Canberra Grammar School before relocating to England in 1978, where he worked with multiple advertising agencies. He co-created the well-known 'Photobooth' advertisement for Hamlet Cigars and was instrumental in introducing Foster's Lager to the UK market. His work earned him prestigious accolades, including D&AD Awards as well as Gold and Silver distinctions at the Cannes Lions. Upon returning to Australia in 1988, he continued his career in advertising and established Rowan Dean Films in 1995, focusing on producing commercials.

Broadcasting

Beginning in 2008, Dean was a frequent panelist on ABC’s comedic series Gruen. Concurrently, he wrote for News Corp Australia and the Australian Financial Review. In 2014, he was appointed editor of The Spectator Australia.

In 2016, Dean became co-host of Outsiders, a conservative commentary show on Sky News Australia, alongside Mark Latham and Ross Cameron. The program was created as a response to the ABC’s Insiders, which its hosts criticized for embodying an "out-of-touch, inner-city Leftist class". The show has been controversial; notably, in July 2016, guest David Leyonhjelm made inappropriate comments live on air, prompting an apology from Dean and the suspension of a producer. Of the original hosts, Dean remains while his co-hosts have been removed following separate controversies.

Dean is known for his outspoken opposition to political correctness and cancel culture, frequently addressing cultural debates through specials such as The Death of the Aussie Larrikin, which contends that political correctness endangers Australia's larrikin heritage. He has also ridiculed attempts to rename brands or locations considered offensive. In 2016, he attracted criticism for creating a satirical "Poor Me List" targeting notable Australians he viewed as adopting a victim mentality.

Dean has faced allegations of misogyny based on his statements about women and feminism. In December 2018, a column published in Spectator Australia employed sexualized language regarding Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, leading Greens leaders to call for Dean’s removal from Sky News and the Australian Financial Review.

In July 2017, Dean suggested on Sky News that Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane should "leave the country" after Soutphommasane advocated for increased cultural diversity. These remarks were widely condemned as racially insensitive, with several Sky News presenters publicly distancing themselves from them.

A supporter of former US President Donald Trump, Dean attended a Sydney event celebrating Trump's 2016 election victory and described him as "the greatest president since Ronald Reagan". He prematurely forecasted Trump’s re-election in 2020 based on early returns and later faced criticism for repeating discredited allegations of electoral fraud following Joe Biden’s win.

Dean disputes the scientific consensus on climate change, dismissing human-driven climate change as a "hoax". In 2019, he labeled climate activism a "fraudulent and dangerous cult" and referred to youth climate strikes as "child abuse," statements that drew significant backlash.

On 13 December 2020, Dean voiced concerns regarding the Great Reset during an appearance on Sky News Australia, describing it as a serious threat to economic prosperity and individual freedoms.

Bibliography

• Beyond Satire: 290 pages, Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd, 2013 edition.
• Way Beyond Satire: 288 pages, published by Wilkinson Publishing in 2017.
• Corkscrewed: a 320-page volume from Wilkinson Publishing, released in 2017.
• The Best of The Spectator Australia: comprising 368 pages, issued by Wilkinson Publishing in 2017.
• The Canberry Tales: Salacious Satire from the Culture Wars: 288 pages, published by Wilkinson Publishing in 2021.
• The Many Lives of Barry Humphries: A Treasury of Reminiscences: a 240-page book from Wilkinson Publishing, published in 2023.