John Sweeney is a writer and reporter, old school. His philosophy is: ‘I poke crocodiles, if crocodiles they be, in the eye with a stick.’
He’s helped free seven people falsely accused of killing babies, starting with Sally Clark, reported on wars, revolutions and trouble around the world, gone undercover to Zimbabwe, Chechnya, twice, and North Korea. He upset Donald Trump by asking him about his links with the mob – Trump walked out on him – and upset Vladimir Putin by asking him about Russia’s role in the shooting down of MH17. But he is probably best known for shouting at the Church of Scientology. After 17 years at the BBC for Panorama and Newsnight, he is now a free spirit, up for the right kind of trouble. He has written twelve books, including the best-selling novel set in the war in Burma, Elephant Moon and a co-authored investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Murder On The Malta Express, which in December 2020 won a national book award in Malta. His latest thriller is The Useful Idiot, about fake news in Stalin’s Moscow in 1933.
His latest adventure is into the world of podcasts. Hunting Ghislaine, produced by LBC and Chalk & Blade, hit number one on the Apple UK podcast chart and has been downloaded one million times.
He loves a limoncello.
You can find out more about John here: https://www.johnsweeney.co.uk
Even in the darkest of situations, humour can help bring joy and resilience in the face of fear.
Warmest,
Paul x