Crikey has listed the journalists that have sold out to work for pollies, companies and PR firms, but we also like to pay tribute to those in the industry with more than 15 years of service who have never sold out to the dark side. Here we present the “lily whites” of Australian media.

The so-called lily whites list is the one that everyone wants to get on. And rightly so. Given that there are now twice as many public relations professionals in Australia than journalists these days, something should be made of those who stayed loyal to a profession devoted to working in the public interest.

We take our Crikey hats off to the lily whites. They have never been lured into the big dollars of PR – a profession that often attempts to manipulate the truth regardless of the public interest.

There are a few interesting definitional issues regarding qualifications for the list.

We have excluded long term sub-editors, sports journalists and those working in regional media just to try and keep it to a manageable size. Besides, those journalists tend to be less likely to be lured into politics and corporate PR.

Some journalists have been left off the list for dabbling with other professions such as stockbroking. Whilst this is certainly nothing like PR, we would be interested in your feedback about this. For instance, should Ian McIlwraith’s one year at stockbroker AC Goode, Alan Kohler’s brief stint at James Capel and Bryan Frith’s early 80s experiment with Macquarie Bank be considered big enough sins to keep them off the list.

And should being paid to train people how to handle the media disqualify the likes Richard Moorcroft and Jill Singer from being on the lily-white list? We think so.

Obviously, being on this list is not the be all and end all. Some time-servers are on it because they could not get a job elsewhere. And many people have left the profession to pursue bigger and better things than journalism. Look at Bob Carr and former Optus chief executive Chris Anderson.

However, many of the legends of the industry are on the list. The likes of Laurie Oakes, Trevor Sykes, Paul Kelly, Terry McCrann and Jim Waley – all of whom have notched up more than 30 years uninterrupted.

The Lily White Journalists Who Never Sold Out

Sue Ahearn – NZBC, ABC, 3AW, Nine Network, TVNZ, Radio Australia, SIBC
Piers Akerman – Daily Telegraph
Col Allan – Dubbo, Daily Telegraph, Brisbane Sun, Daily Telegraph, New York Post
Tony Allan – ABC Radio
David Armstrong – Bulletin, The Australian, South China Morning Post, Australian, SCMP
Paul Austin – Melbourne Herald, The Australian, The Age
Mark Baker – The Age, Melbourne Herald, The Sunday Herald, The Age
Steve Barratt – Daily Telegraph, Nine, The Australian, Nine
Paul Barry – ABC TV, Seven, SMH, ABC TV, Nine
Stephen Bartholomeusz – The Sun, The Age
Michael Beach – Daily Telegraph (inc stint in New York)
John Beveridge – Herald Sun (including stint in LA)
Peter Blunden – The Australian, The Advertiser, Herald Sun
Pamela Bone – The Age
Paul Bongiorno – Channel 10
David Bray – Courier-Mail, Herald and Weekly Times in London, Freelance.
Malcolm Brown – SMH
Glenn Burge – Daily Telegraph, SMH, Fin Review
Shane Burke – Herald Sun (including stint in LA)
Rowan Callick – Fin Review
Suzanne Carbone – Leader Newspapers and The Age
Richard Carleton – ABC, Nine
Mike Carlton – 2GB, ABC radio, 2UE
Vic Caruso – Leader Newspapers, The Australian, Channel 10, Channel 7, SBS
Nick Cater – Advertiser, News Ltd Hong Kong correspondent, Daily Telegraph
Michael Cave – Geelong Advertiser, Fin Review
Peter Cave – ABC Radio
Peter Charlton – Brisbane Telegraph, The Australian, ABC, Courier-Mail
Neil Chenoweth – The Bulletin, Fin Review
Pilita Clark – West Australian, SMH, The Eye, SMH
Peter Cole-Adams – The Age, Canberra Times, The Reader
Mark Colvin – ABC Radio
Lyall Corless – Sunday Herald Sun
Ross Coulthart – Nine
David Dale – SMH, The Bulletin, SMH
Ken Davidson – The Age, Dissent Magazine
Mark Day – The News, Sunday Mail, The News, NY correspondent News Ltd Aust, Sunday Mail, Daily Mirror, Truth, Daily Mirror, The Australian, Playboy, Australian Penthouse, Truth, 3AW, regional radio, Seven, 2UE, Daily Telegraph, 2GB, The Australian.
Quentin Dempster – ABC TV
Frank Devine – Marlborough Express (NZ), The West Australian, Herald and Weekly Times (foreign correspondent), Readers Digest, Chicago Sun Times, New York Post, The Australian.
Miranda Devine – Boston Herald, Daily Telegraph, SMH
Tim Dodd – Fin Review
Brendan Donohoe – Melbourne Herald, The Age, Seven
Glenn Dyer – Max Newton, Fin Review, Nine, Crikey
Julie Earle – AAP, The Australian, Financial Times
Geoff Easdown – Herald Sun
Margaret Easterbrook – Leader Newspapers, Melbourne Herald, The Age
David Fagan – Courier Mail, The Australian, Courier Mail
Shaun Fewings – 5DN, 3AW, 3AK, 2GB, 2UE, Ten
Barry Fitzgerald – The Australian, The Age
David Fitzsimmons – Daily Telegraph
Peter Flaherty – Herald & Weekly Times
Phil Gardner – Herald Sun, Sunday Mail
Shelley Gare – The Australian, Fairfax magazines
John Gatfield – Nine, Seven, Ten, Sky News
Mike Gibson – Nine, Daily Telegraph, 2GB
Stephen Gibbs – Daily Telegraph, SMH
Ross Gittins – SMH
Robert Gottliebsen – Financial Review, BRW, The Australian
Michelle Grattan – Age, Canberra Times, Financial Review, SMH, The Age
Shane Green – The Australian, The Age
Bruce Guthrie – Melbourne Herald, The Sunday Age, Who Weekly, The Australian Magazine
Gideon Haigh – The Age, The Australian, The Eye, freelance
Peter Harvey – Nine
Leigh Hatcher – 2GB, Seven, Sky News
Rex Haw – Seven, Sunday Times, Sunday Independent, Win-TV, 3AW, Seven, Ten, Nine, Ten
Derryn Hinch – Sydney Sun, Ten, Nine, 3AW, Seven, Adelaide radio, 3AK, 3AW
Peter Hiscock – ABC, Nine, ABC Television
Judith Hoare – Fin Review
Michael Holmes – Daily News, Nine, Britain, CNN
Malcolm Holland – Daily Telegraph
Steve Howard – Daily Telegraph, The Advertiser, Daily Telegraph
Ian Howarth – The Australian, Fin Review
John Hurst – Fin Review
Damon Johnston – Daily News, News Ltd bureau, Herald Sun
Leo Johnston – Sunday Times (Perth)
Roger Johnston – SMH, Australian Business, Fin Review
Tony Jones – ABC TV
Paul Kelly – The Australian
Margo Kingston – SMH, Canberra Times, SMH
Geoff Kitney – Fin Review, SMH, Fin Review
Tony Koch – Courier Mail, The Australian
Christopher Kremmer – ABC radio, SMH/Age
Bernard Lagan: The Dominion, Sydney Morning Herald (sacked for hacking CEO’s email), The Bulletin, The London Times,  freelance
Anne Lampe – Fin Review, SMH
Sandra Lee – Melbourne Herald, Daily Telegraph, freelance, Marie Claire, Sunday Telegraph
Deborah Light – Fin Review, Bulletin
Sally Loane – SMH, ABC Radio
John Lyons – Melbourne Herald, SMH, The Bulletin, Nine
Malcolm Maiden – Fin Review, The Age
Richard Macey – SMH
Mark Maley – ABC TV, Investorweb, ABC
Mel Mansell – Daily Telegraph, Adelaide Advertiser
David Marr – The National Times, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, SMH
Ray Martin – ABC Television, Nine Network
Brett McCarthy – Brisbane Sun, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times
Terry McCrann – Melbourne Sun, National Times, The Age, Herald Sun
James McCullough – The Australian, Courier Mail
Bruce McDougall – Daily Telegraph
Richard McGregor – SMH, ABC Radio, The Australian, Financial Times
Phil McLean – Daily Telegraph, Sun Herald
Geoff McMullan – Nine, freelance
Peter Meakin – Nine, Seven
Michael Millett – SMH
Glenn Milne – Brisbane Sun, The Australian, Seven, Sunday Telegraph
Chris Mitchell – The Australian, Courier Mail, The Australian
Neil Mitchell – The Age, Melbourne Herald, 3AW
Ian Moore – Daily Telegraph, Sunday Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph
Mark Morri – Daily Telegraph
Linda Morris – SMH
Paul Mullins – Ten
Mike Munro – Nine
Lindsay Murdoch – The Age (since 1977)
Paul Murray – West Australian, 6PR
Sally Neighbour – 3DB, ABC Television
Laurie Nowell – West Australian, London Daily Star, Herald Sun, Sunday Herald Sun
Laurie Oakes – Sydney Mirror, Melbourne Sun, Ten, Nine, Melbourne Sun, Nine
Tom Ormonde – The Age
Richard Owen – The Australian, Courier Mail
Giles Parkinson – AAP, Fin Review, freelance
Tony Parkinson – Melbourne Herald, The Australian, The Age
Michael Pascoe – Nine, Seven and Sky
Janine Perrett – Nine, Fairfax
Matthew Pinkney – Herald Sun (including London stint)
Ben Potter – Fin Review, The Age, London Daily Telegraph, The Eye, Fin Review
Steve Price – The News, Melbourne Herald, 3AW, 2UE
Campbell Reid – Daily Telegraph, The Australian, Daily Telegraph
Ros Reines – Sun Herald, Sunday Telegraph
Julian Ricci – Daily Telegraph, Northern Territory News
Deborah Richards – ABC TV, SBS
Stephen Rice – Nine
Mark Riley – Newcastle Herald, Sydney Morning Herald, Seven
Hugh Riminton – Nine, CNN
Brian Robbins – SMH
Steve Romei – Daily Telegraph, The Australian
John Rudd – West Australian, Seven, internet start-up, Seven
Allan Russell – Leader Newspapers, ABC, Channel 10
Colleen Ryan – National Times, SMH, Fin Review
Brad Schmidt – Nine
Mal Schmidtke – The Age, The Australian, Fin Review, The Age
Liz Sexton – Fin Review, Bulletin, SMH
Errol Simper – The Australian
Neil Shoebridge – BRW, Fin Review
Russell Skelton – Melbourne Herald, ABC TV, The Age
Vickie Smiles – Nine
Paul Smith – Ten
Geoff Stead – Courier Mail, Daily Telegraph
Tony Stephens – SMH
Matthew Stevens – The Age, BRW, The Australian
Michael Stutchbury – Fin Review, The Australian
Candace Sutton – Sun Herald
Trevor Sykes – The Advertiser, SMH, Reuters (London), SMH, Melbourne Sun, Fin Review, Bulletin, Australian Business, Fin Review
Eliot Taylor – The Australian
Brian Toohey – National Times, Fin Review
John Trevorrow – Herald Sun
David Uren – BRW, The Australian
Ian Verrender – SMH
Jim Waley – 2TM, Nine, UPITN London, Nine
Frank Walker – SMH, News Ltd New York, National Times, Sun-Herald
Max Walsh – ABC TV, SMH, The Bulletin
Nicholas Way – BRW, The Australian, BRW
Chris Webb – Fin Review, Melbourne Herald, The Age, the Eye, The Age
Di Webster – Time magazine, Seven, SE Asia freelance, Nine, Who magazine
Jana Wendt – Ten, Nine, Seven, SBS, Nine
John Westacott – Nine
Greg Wilesmith – ABC
Marian Wilkinson – National Times, ABC TV, The Australian, SMH
Pam Williams – ABC TV, Fin Review
Bruce Wilson – News Ltd foreign correspondent since early 70s
John Wilson – various
Peter Wilson – The Sun, News Ltd Tokyo, Herald Sun, The Australian
Warren Wilton – ABC, Nine, Ten, Seven, SBS
Charles Wooley – Nine
Tony Wright – Canberra Times, Age, Bulletin

Those included on the list have more than 15 years experience, are not subs or sports journalists and have never done spin doctoring, media training and political work. All corrections and additions to boss @ crikey.com.au.