Vale Paul Murphy

Australian journalist Paul Murphy, best known for his decade-long tenure as host of the ABC's PM program as well as being the first host of SBS's Dateline, has died aged 77. He was in the host's chair at PM when Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison, and during the Tiananmen Square protests. Murphy first joined the ABC in the late 1960s and became a political reporter in the Canberra press gallery, before joining the ground-breaking ABC television current affairs show This Day Tonight. In 1994 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to public broadcasting and to journalism. In 2000 he was awarded the Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. 'The best political interviewer we've ever had' Former 7.30 host Kerry O'Brien described Murphy as a role model to him as well as a dear friend.