Stephen Crittenden
Stephen Crittenden | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, broadcaster |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Known for | Religious topics journalism on ABC Radio National |
Stephen Crittenden is a well-known Australian journalist and broadcaster specializing in religious topics, associated with ABC Radio National.
Early career
Crittenden's broadcasting journey started during his school years at Sydney's classical FM community station 2MBS-FM. Between 1986 and 1988, he worked as a policy officer within the NSW Cabinet Office before joining the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1989 as a reporter for ABC Radio Current Affairs.
ABC Radio journalist and presenter
Between 1995 and 1996, he served as the national arts correspondent for the 7.30 Report and subsequently co-hosted Express, a weekly arts magazine program produced in Melbourne. In 1999, Crittenden was named Executive Producer of ABC Radio's Religion division, a role he fulfilled until 2002. Afterward, he resumed on-air duties as the presenter of The Religion Report.
2008 suspension
In October 2008, Crittenden faced suspension from the ABC with full pay following his public disclosure that several specialist programs had been discontinued by the network. These included The Ark, In Conversation, Media Report, Perspective, Radio Eye, Sports Factor, Short Story, Street Stories, and The Religion Report. He publicly opposed this move, arguing it would diminish Radio National's relevance and effectively terminate religion-focused programming at the ABC.
Return to air
After a three-month hiatus, Crittenden rejoined ABC as a reporter for ABC Radio National's current affairs show Background Briefing, later contributing as a producer for Late Night Live. From 2014 until 2017, he occupied a senior policy position with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.