Flat Earth: War zones and Amazons
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A NEW book - Battling for News by former Reuters correspondent Anne Sebba - about the rise of women reporters, particularly those with a bent for difficult and dangerous assignments, contains a large contingent of women from the Antipodes. Apart from such veteran warriors as Clare Hollingworth (British) and Martha Gelhorn (American), stars of the book include Kate Webb, a chain-smoking New Zealander who went missing, presumed dead, during the war in Cambodia in 1971, and lived to tell the tale of her imprisonment (she was lucky to be captured by the North Vietnamese rather than the Khmer Rouge); and the BBC's own Iron Curtain correspondent, Diana Goodman, who is about to leave Berlin for a new assignment to Moscow.
Contemplating this phenomenon on Australia Day, it occurred to us that there has always been an element of the pioneer in the Antipodean woman, despite the suburban sloth you see on Neighbours. You know the sort of thing - heading for the bush, boiling a billy can, shearing sheep, milking cows, coping with wild animals. These 'pioneers' also have a commanding presence, as a glance at Germaine Greer will show.
Perhaps in view of last week's incident in Sydney, it would be advisable to hand over security for the rest of the Prince of Wales's tour to a detachment of Anzac women.
(Photograph omitted)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments