Acclaimed Journalist Liz Jackson Reveals her Battle with Parkinson’s
Tuesday, 1st November 2016

WALKLEY-award winning ABC TV journalist Liz Jackson has revealed she has Parkinson’s disease. In tonight’s Four Corners episode Liz opens up on her battle with Parkinson’s disease after being diagnosed in 2014.

Jackson graduated from the University of Melbourne before studying law in London.

She joined the ABC’s Radio National in 1986, and from 1993 worked on Four Corners, with a year as presenter of Media Watch in 2005.

Among many other awards and accolades, Jackson won nine Walkley awards, including the 2006 Gold Walkley.

Her most recent Walkley, the 2017 Documentary Award, was for one of her bravest pieces of work: A Sense of Self, telling her own account of her descent into Parkinson’s disease.

“In many ways, this is the hardest film I’ve made, and I’ve made some tough ones over the years,” Jackson said of her documentary.

“The response was overwhelming and I was touched so many people commented and congratulated me, saying it was amazing and fabulous and brave,” she said of sharing the news of the piece with her Facebook friends.

This powerful story has been a collaboration between Liz, her partner Martin Butler and his colleague Bentley Dean, both highly acclaimed film makers.

“These are really devastatingly traumatic times for her, but she’s got the courage, the strength to show it like it is, you’ve got to tell it like it is.” Martin Butler.

Sadly Liz passed away in June 2108 while on holiday in Greece with her husband, Martin Butler, by her side.

In a statement, her family said they were deeply saddened by the loss of a loving partner, mum and grandma.

“She is deeply loved. We are overwhelmed with grief at her loss,” the statement said.

“Liz was an inspiration to many and a legendary figure at the ABC, committing her life to public interest journalism. We are enormously proud of her work.

 

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