The Morning EditionA front-row seat to the biggest story in the world
For the past three years, as North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin has had a front-row seat to the biggest story in the world – the political comeback of US President Donald Trump. Farrah, or more endearingly known as ‘Faz’ around the newsroom, writes that America is a country of frustrating contradictions, where abortions are banned more willingly than assault weapons.
Today, the outgoing reporter reflects on the major stories she’s covered during a whopping 25 years at our papers, and why she’s choosing to stay in a country she once described as a ‘dystopian tinderbox ready to explode’.
You can read Farrah's story here: https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/hit-by-a-car-covering-johnny-depp-s-court-case-it-became-emblematic-of-my-time-in-the-us-20250124-p5l6ya.html
From the newsrooms of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. This is the morning edition. I'm Chris Payne, filling in for Samantha Sellenger Morris. It's Wednesday, January 29th. For the past three years, North America correspondent Farrah Tomazin has had a front row seat to the biggest story in the world. That is, of course, the political comeback of US President Donald Trump. Farrah, or more endearingly known as FAZ around our newsrooms, writes that America is a country of frustrating contradictions where abortions are banned more willingly than assault weapons. Today, the outgoing reporter reflects on the major stories she's covered during 25 years at our papers, and why she's choosing to stay in a country she once described as a dystopian tinderbox ready to explode. Farrah, your infatuation with America began as a teenager in Dandenong, which, if you don't know, Victoria is a working class suburb in outer Melbourne. What was it about America?
Well you're right. I mean, I was raised in a sort of a migrant family in Dandenong, and travel was a luxury my family couldn't afford. And I, I have very distinct sort of recollections of looking at images of the US, you know, Times Square, the Washington Monument, the white House and all of those movies and just sort of, you know, yearning to visit this, you know, big, crazy country, I guess. I mean, Australia takes a lot of its cues from America, and so do other countries. So, yeah, I used to just sort of see these images of, of America and want to go there, but I guess in terms of size and scale as well, this is a big country. I mean, Australia's population is what they say is, what, 25 million people? Um, and that's pretty much the size of Texas or even less than Texas. So we've got here in America, what about 330 million people? And every place just kind of feels like a different country. And yeah, I mean, I've just sort of really been fascinated and fascinated by the place. And they're still, you know, to this day, um, times when I do walk around the, uh, the grounds of the white House and the grounds of the US Capitol and just kind of really pinch myself that. Yeah, this this migrant kid from Dandenong ended up over here.
It's certainly fascinating right now. Tell me, what's a typical day for you over there if there is such a thing in the past few years that you've been our correspondent, do you wake up and just pop into the white House? How does it work?
Oh, mate, there's no such thing as a typical day in America. You can have grand plans to, I don't know, go on a date or go to a birthday party or something. And then suddenly your your phone starts pinging because there's been a mass shooting or, you know, the former president's been assassinated or something. I'm here outside Trump Tower in New York, the city where Donald Trump made history yesterday by becoming the first former US president to get a criminal conviction in the aftermath of that. I mean, I remember when former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd first came to the Washington, DC as the Australian ambassador for the US, and we were all at this sort of function down in downtown DC, and he was giving his first speech, which of course, on any other given day would be a really big story for us. And he's in the middle of it. And then suddenly the phone starts kind of pinging and it's Donald Trump's. I think it was his first indictment in New York.
Nine page indictment accusing the former president of putting the nation's security at risk, leaving highly classified documents.
You know, notifications are going off left, right and centre. The Aussie journos, myself included, are trying to politely make our way out of the out of the function to get to get back and file.
No former president has ever been charged with felony crimes. Today a defiant Trump.
So there's really no such thing as a as a typical day. It usually involves getting up, you know, in the morning, scanning all the newspapers, switching across all the channels to sort of see what everyone else is covering, and then essentially sort of sort of making a bit of a plan similar to what goes on, I guess in Canberra, if I'm in Washington and something big is happening, then I will most certainly pop into the white House or to the US Congress for a congressional hearing or, you know, to the briefing room for a briefing. I try as often as possible if there's a big issue that's happening to get out of Washington, D.C., to get out of the Beltway. So, you know, going back to, for example, the US Supreme Court's decision when they overturned Roe versus Wade, I made it my mission to jump on a plane as soon as I could and head to, you know, states, Republican states like Tennessee and Oklahoma and Mississippi, where the impact was really being felt. These were Republican states where bans were starting to take effect straight away.
I don't accept this ruling. We're not going to go back. What changed since 1973? What changed? A corrupt court. It's a corrupt court.
In terms of the border crisis. We're all hearing a lot about that now with Donald Trump at the helm. I've spent a bit of time at the US Mexico border, talking to everyone from Border Patrol agents to migrants who have come in from Venezuela. They've walked, you know, for months with their kid and their wife to basically come to find the American dream, only to discover that it's not that easy. And it's certainly going to be a lot harder now under, under the new regime. So bottom line is, guys, there is no such thing as a typical day. Every day you're just sort of flying by the seat of your pants. You've got to pretty much have a backpack by your door, just in case you need to jump on a plane and head to a mass shooting or some other crazy, you know, disaster. It's wild and it's exciting. Um, and, uh, yeah, there's just no such thing as a typical day. Whatever happens, it's going to be a pretty wild ride ahead.
Could you just tell our listeners a little bit about what it's like being a correspondent for an Australian publisher? Of course, you're in Washington, DC, but your editors are based in Sydney and Melbourne. It's quite a time difference. Have you had a good sleep in the last three years.
Mate? What's sleep? I don't know what sleep is. There's just. It's been. I think that's probably the hardest thing about being a correspondent in the United States. So our daytime is your night time. Our night time is your daytime. You know, winter is summer and all the, like, navigating that time zone and just kind of, you know, making sure you don't burn out, um, especially when the days are so long. It's a tough thing kind of working across multiple time zones, but, you know, eventually you get used to it. And to answer your question, no, I don't sleep anymore, but I'm very much looking forward to it very soon.
And then just when you want to go to bed, we ask you to do a podcast. So we're always grateful for that. There is one name that says a lot about your time in this role, and that is Donald Trump. Of course, even though he wasn't in office for almost all of it. Our producers did a quick search, and you've had 360 new stories and 33 features published in print and much more on our sites. When you started as correspondent in 2022, during the Biden presidency, you wrote that America kind of felt like it had taken a Valium. What does that mean?
Well, I mean, I guess because I'd been here previously. So I started this gig in January 2022. But prior to that, I was brought here on a brief secondment to help cover the 2020 election. So Trump versus Biden, part one. And coronavirus is raging. So this country was the epicenter of the global pandemic. At the same time, you guys might recall that we'd just had protests erupting over the murder of black man George Floyd. And we had Trump versus Biden. And every single day that got closer to the election in 2020, the anxiety just built up. I remember sort of saying to, you know, people, this this place was like a powder keg, you know, it's ready, it's ready to explode. And soon enough, we had the election. Donald Trump was not voted back into power and I went back to Australia, went into Melbourne's very brutal lockdown for another year, and when I finally returned in 2022, it really did feel like, you know, America had taken a Valium and we had Joe Biden as America's oldest president. Things were kind of back to normal, and I remember her saying to me at the time, how are you going to be going back to America after you've experienced what happened in 2020? And, you know, my response was, I guarantee you he'll be back, because back then, his shadow was still all over the Republican Party. He still had a grip. He wanted to be back. That was well known from all of the sort of insiders that I spoke to, and it was only kind of going to be a matter of time because you might recall, back in 2020, he didn't believe the election was actually, um, legitimate. He believed, and certainly his supporters believed that he was robbed of the presidency. And it was always his mission to get back. And he sure did.
Tell me what it's like being an Australian reporter in America. I know Americans are quite taken with the Australian accent. Has it helped you?
Oh, absolutely. You know, people are genuinely fascinated by Australians here. As I've said, they they you know, they're sometimes their knowledge of us is a little bit limited because there is this kind of, you know, thing called American exceptionalism, where, you know, Americans sort of generally view that, you know, they are the center of the universe and they are unique to other nations in the world and don't quite know how much we in other countries take our cues from them. But there is a genuine, genuine warmth towards Australia. And so I've, you know, a lot of my job involves flying to far flung countries, parts of this country and just, you know, really knocking on doors, sitting in bars by myself, chatting, striking up conversations at a bar or, you know, down the street and just trying to kind of engage and, and speak to people. And I've always been so relieved and, you know, grateful that people are generally welcoming, welcoming and happy to speak to us. Um, what usually happens is, provided they know that you are not from part of what they consider to be their version of fake news. Um, once they hear your accent, they're pretty fine. Americans are very friendly, chatty bunch. Um, many of them have. Many of them have watched Crocodile Dundee or know Steve Irwin. There's you know, there.
Are it's basically a documentary about Australia.
Exactly. Well, yeah, sometimes their views are different, but it's our job to kind of listen to all sorts of, um. A couple of years ago I went to the town of East Palestine, Ohio. I remember having a chat with a woman who was pleasant enough, and soon enough it sort of, you know, dawned on me that, um, she was a QAnon conspiracy theorist. And, and part way through, she sort of says to me, well, is that an accent I hear? And I'm like, well, yeah, it is. And she's like, where are you from? And I'm like, Australia. And she's like, no, that can't be right. Because, I mean, I'm of Filipino descent, of Asian Television appearance. And she's like, you don't sound like you look. And, you know, she was so, like, kind of shocked at the fact that I came from Australia and, you know, sounded, I suppose, white. Then she grabs her husband from across the way and is like, John, John, come over here. She doesn't sound like she looks. And you know, to this day, my mates, you know, sort of, you know, they wince and sort of think, oh, God, that's horrible. I'm so sorry, Farrah. That's so racist. We're not all like that. And there's a lot of apologies and whatnot, but I just found it to be a really kind of interesting and fascinating insight into this country and some of its people, and the fact that, you know, people do believe what they hear on the in the dark corners of the, of the internet, whether it be conspiracy theories about Joe Biden and others are well aware of us who've travelled to the country and are genuinely very fascinated. But I think the overwhelming feeling has been one of, you know, just interest in who we are and a general warmth towards towards us. And our alliance.
Never hurts to just really amp up that g'day o.
Twang. Absolutely. I believe me when I'm. When I'm in mid America, I'm like, g'day, how's it going?
We'll be right back. One of the biggest issues that has become synonymous with the USA in recent decades is mass shootings. Of course, in your three years you saw many while you were there and covered them. Can you tell me about the first one that you covered and how you found that experience?
Yeah. Um, so the first one that I covered was in May 2022. Uh, I'd been in the country for a little while, and it was it involved a gunman inspired by New Zealand's Christchurch massacre. So instantly that was going to be of interest to us. And basically, this 18 year old bloke entered a supermarket in Buffalo. He had an AR 15 assault rifle. His sole purpose was to kill black people and live stream it on the internet. And that was very much out of the Christchurch massacre playbook.
New photos of the suspect's rifles. I mean, it gives you chills. Look at this. The writing on the weapon, including the phrase white lives matter. Federal prosecutors. It was awful.
It was difficult. You know, covering mass shootings, covering grief generally is really, really tough when there is an element of white supremacy layered over that. It's particularly awful. But obviously, you know, this is this is the job. When I first started talking to people, their their their pain, you could feel it. You take on that grief. Um, one woman, basically, she was she was really lovely, but she just held my hand and she just started crying on my shoulder as she tried to make sense of her senseless tragedies. We both tried to make sense of a senseless tragedy. And unfortunately, these things happen so often. Too often in this country. Um, less than two weeks later, an even deadlier shooting took place in Uvalde, Texas, which people will recall. Um, another 18 year old kid with an assault weapon basically went into a school, Robb Elementary, and started going down. Kids. And, um, you know, 19 students and two teachers died that day.
And tonight, there are serious questions about how long it took for law enforcement to respond and take out the gunman in the Uvalde elementary school massacre.
The extent of the injuries were such that that parents couldn't even identify their kids because of the scale of the, um, you know, the the massacre. Um, to this day, I still think about some of the victims in that there's one girl in particular who I will never forget. Um, covered herself with blood of her dead friend. Um, so that she could, um, avoid shooter. Hoping that, you know, he'd think she was dead. And she's she's alive now. But I often think about her and what she must be going through. And the trauma that she will no doubt be living with. It is just one of the things that I will never understand about this country, particularly coming from a country like ours where we had the, you know, massacre back in Tasmania and, and a conservative government. And I explain this to Americans all the time. It can be done. A conservative government, you know, basically remove guns with bipartisan support. Um, but it's not something that's likely to happen here. I've had, on top of mass shootings, um, things get a little close to home. I live in this really cool corridor in Washington, DC called the U Street corridor. It's, you know, where lots of restaurants, bars and I'll never forget sort of on the Juneteenth public holiday, which is a holiday for the emancipation of slavery. Gunshots rang out down on my, you know, safe, bustling, fun street. And when I went downstairs, the area was cordoned off with police tape and, um, blood was all over the sidewalk. And as it turned out, a 15 year old kid had gunned down, you know, another teenager and cop and other such things. And it was just it was awful. So that is the grim kind of reality of life in America, where the Second Amendment is embraced and, um, people who are unable to actually get alcohol because they're not old enough are still able to get AK 47 or AR rifles. And, and, you know, guns are not banned, whereas abortions are. It is something that flabbergasts me and just, you know, confounds me to this day. So it's it's probably one of the things that I struggle with the most in this country.
So life for you, beyond being a correspondent for us, you're actually planning to stay in the States despite everything you've just described, the volatility of Trump. I don't mean to make light of this, but are you sure you want to stay?
It's okay. You're not making light of it. Everybody asks me this. Um, look, I do, I do. I mean, I, I love Melbourne, I've lived there most of my life. I've had an incredible, um, career with, you know, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, particularly the Melbourne newsroom. We are so blessed to work with some of the, you know, the finest journalists in the country. And I spent a lot of time in state politics. Reporter. Um, back in, you know, the Spring Street days, um, covered a lot of, you know, I think eight state and federal election campaigns overall. I've had a great innings over there and done things that for which we can be really proud of, you know, uh, exposing the extent of gay conversion therapy, which ended up resulting in Victoria and other states since, um, banning that practice, you know, exposing these Australia's biggest education rort, which resulted in a government apology and students getting their loans waived, um, exposing the extent of paedophile rings in the Catholic Church, which gave a voice to the voiceless. We've done some great things and I've loved my career, um, back home. But I don't know, man. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with this absolutely bonkers country. And it's I'm still learning every day. I'm still learning in this country. It's not a perfect country. And there are days when I do wonder what the hell the next four years going to entail. I mean, you know, looking at the things that things that Donald Trump has done in his first week. Um, you know, governing through retribution, um, trying to overhaul the military. So trans people, uh, basically, you know, taken out and, you know, putting, putting in loyalists to his cabinet who will do his bidding. Um, you know, the Supreme Court not providing the necessary checks and balances, uh, the Congress being, you know, basically unified government for him. When I say it like this, it sounds crazy, right?
Crazy. But true.
But look, I do think this country is bigger than one man. We, you know, people, we've got a midterm election coming up in, uh, two years. And, um, if people don't like what he's done, they can vote with their feet. He might even surprise us. Who knows? I mean, I don't know, I'm willing to keep an open mind. I'm willing to, you know, jump into the to the great unknown, as they say. Um, it is a country with so many frustrating contradictions. Um, but it is also a country that I think, you know. You you are dare to dream big. You you you know, it does light a fire in my belly. And, um, you know, if there's one thing that the last few years have taught us in terms of the pandemic and, and whatnot, it's that, you know, life can flip on a dime and you might as well take a chance while you can. So that's what I'm doing. I'll miss you guys, though.
Well, fans, we're not going to say goodbye, but we will say congratulations on an amazing career at our papers and the last three years as North America correspondent. You've always been so insightful and generous with your time. And thank you today, as always, for coming on the podcast. Oh my.
Absolute pleasure. And can I just say, guys, thank you also to the readers and the subscribers. I mean, being a foreign correspondent is not easy and it's not cheap. And we could not do what we do without the support of everybody who, you know, subscribes to us and lets us get out there to be the eyes and ears on the ground. So thank you to them. And yeah, it'll, uh, hopefully catch up with you guys soon.
Well said. Thank you so much. Enjoy a break.
Thank you. I'll sleep for Australia. Take care.
Today's episode of The Morning Edition was produced by Julia Katzel with technical assistance from Taylor Dent. Our executive producer is Tammy Mills. Our head of audio is Tom McKendrick. The Morning Edition is a production of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoy the show and want more of our journalism. Subscribe to our newspapers today. It's the best way to support what we do. Search The Age or Smh.com.au. Subscribe and sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter to receive a comprehensive summary of the day's most important news, analysis and insights in your inbox every day. Links are in the show. Notes. I'm Chris Payne. This is the morning edition. Thanks for listening.
