Vale Creighton Burns

Former editor of The Age Creighton Burns has died aged 82.
Creighton was editor from 1981-1989.

He lost his battle with cancer on Saturday night and passed away at Cabrini Hospital. He is survived by his longtime companion, Natasha, and children Creighton (Tam), David, Rebecca and Jonathan.

Creighton joined The Age in 1964 as a foreign correspondent, serving in Singapore and Vietnam. Between 1967 and 1975, he worked as The Age's diplomatic and defence correspondent, then as assistant editor and later as associate editor. In 1975 he became The Age's Washington correspondent, holding the post for more than five years before becoming editor in 1981. In 1984 Creighton won the Graham Perkin Award for Australian Journalist of the Year for his courageous and sustained leadership and outstanding investigative journalism into organised crime, namely publishing tapes of illegal NSW police phone taps.

Age editor-in-chief Andrew Jaspan said: "Creighton made a critical contribution to reinforcing The Age's total commitment to independent journalism with his courageous stand on the 'Age Tapes' affair, which was a landmark in Australian judicial-political history ... He helped mould the modern paper's adherence to the high values of balance, fairness and integrity and enhanced its international reputation as a newspaper of the highest standards ... He will always be remembered as an outstanding editor of our paper." Creighton’s funeral was held on Friday, January 25, at 11am at Ormonde College (Melbourne University), College Crescent, Parkville. A private cremation followed.



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GALLERY
Funeral at Ormonde College

Source: The Age
Release Date: 25 Jan 2008 00:00