Karen Middleton
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Karen Middleton is a well-known political journalist in the Canberra Press Gallery who covers the Australian Parliament in Canberra, the country's capital. She was born in Ottawa, Canada, to Australian parents and grew up in Canberra, where she attended Belconnen High School and Hawker College. Middleton began her career in 1984 as a copyperson at the Canberra Times and became a cadet there in 1986. She has worked in the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery since 1989 and was president of the press gallery from 2005 to 2008. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2008.
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- Profession
- Politician
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- Date of Birth
- February 24, 1966 (age 52 years)
- Nationality
- American
- Education
- Mount Holyoke College (1988)
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Career
Middleton worked for SBS Television as the Chief Political Correspondent and Canberra Bureau Chief. She had a weekly radio spot on James O'Loghlin's Evening Show on ABC Radio across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, as well as appearances on Perth radio 6PR, Sydney radio 2GB, and ABC Radio National, and TV appearances on Sunrise on the Seven Network, Meet the Press on the Ten Network, and ABC TV's Insiders. She has done commentary and analysis for CNBC and Al Jazeera and is a fortnightly commentator on Radio New Zealand.
Middleton was the Chief Political Correspondent for the Saturday Paper from 2016 until February 2024, when she left to become Political Editor of Guardian Australia; she departed that role in March 2025. She previously worked as a political correspondent for The West Australian, The Age, and the Herald Sun, a weekend writer for the Canberra Times, and an occasional contributor to the New York Times. In October 2016, Middleton wrote about her experiences of being sexually harassed as a journalist while covering Australian politics. Later, she spoke about the strong response she received for her story and how some people described it as "jaw-dropping" or "profoundly uncomfortable" after reading it.
Estimated Net Worth
Karen Middleton's net worth has not been publicly disclosed, and no reliable financial reporting on her personal wealth is available.
March 2007 in Afghanistan
In March 2007, Middleton and other Australian journalists were travelling in an Australian Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it was targeted by at least one rocket-propelled grenade while on duty in Afghanistan. Middleton's SBS colleague, cameraman Jamie Kidston, stood on the helicopter's back ramp and captured footage of the RPG passing behind the Chinook. When he was watching and editing the film, he observed the missile passing by. The story was covered by various television and radio networks as well as newspapers around the country.
This tour was well planned to coincide with the unannounced visit of Prime Minister John Howard and Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief of the Australian Defence Force, to meet with Australian troops. Howard also visited with Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan.
