In profile: Joey Watson

Joey made a particular mark on St Andrew’s Cathedral School when he was the first male to ever address the UN International Women’s Day Breakfast in Sydney as a Year 11 student. In his rousing speech, he called on men to challenge the cultural notion of manhood and violence, replacing it with empathy and compassion.

The 16-year-old said: “It is my hope that with improved education and activism we will see a generation of men who refuse to do nothing, who will stand up against other men when they are sexist… and will speak out against the wrongful harassment and degradation against women.”

His speech was met with widespread acclaim and was congratulated by the other keynote speakers who included Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Governor Marie Bashir. To watch his full speech, click here.  

After leaving the School, Joey joined the ABC, first as a chaser on Radio National, working his way up to become a long form features producer by 2018. Joey worked on several long form feature documentaries, and shorts, including a three-part series for Radio National on the origins of the Australia-China relationship.

In 2022 Joey began working at The Guardian to help create the chart-topping series Ben Roberts-Smith vs The Media. He also produced high impact in-depth investigations for the Full Story podcast and wrote numerous articles. Joey’s Inside Australia’s secretive torture survival course for elite soldiers was nominated for a Young Walkley award in the long form feature category in 2023.

Nowadays, Joey is the creator and host of the Secrets We Keep S2: Nest of Traitors podcast – a chronicle of the multi-year hunt for the spy who betrayed Australia during the Cold War. Listen to the podcast here.

As part of his research, Joey found himself asking Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the investigation at a press conference on Public Health. Check out the exchange here.