Charlotte Grieve on Journalists' Duty to Warn

What does it take to investigate a celebrated surgeon—and defend the reporting in court?

Investigative journalist Charlotte Grieve joins Tina Quinn to discuss her book, Duty to Warn, and the investigation into Dr Munjed al Muderis that led to a landmark Australian defamation case.

Grieve endured six days of grueling cross-examination before the Federal Court ultimately dismissed the surgeon’s case, upholding the defences of contextual truth and public interest. The judgment marked the first successful use of Australia’s public interest defence, introduced in 2021.

From protecting sources to challenging reputations the media helped build, we explore the pressures of investigative journalism—and what the public loses when legal threats keep stories untold.

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