Black Witness

Book excerpt: From one of this country' s leading Indigenous journalists comes a collection of fierce and powerful essays proving why the media needs to believe Black Witnesses. Amy McQuire has been writing on Indigenous affairs since she was 17 years old. Over the past two decades, she has reported on most of the key events involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including numerous deaths in custody, the Palm Island uprising, the Bowraville murders and the Northern Territory Intervention. She has also exposed the misrepresentations and violence of the mainstream media' s reports, as well as their omissions and silences altogether in regards to Indigenous matters. Black Witness showcases how journalism can be used to hold the powerful to account and make the world a more equitable place. This is the essential collection that we need right now &– and always have.