What it’s like to manage Joe Aston
Sean Aylmer reflects on managing controversial columnist Joe Aston, following the news of his departure from The Australian Financial Review last week
Joe Aston, the erstwhile Rear Window columnist was divisive, sometimes difficult to manage, controversial and at times, obstinate. He was also charming, a beautiful writer, relentless, smart and very hungry – all the stuff you want a journalist to be.
I managed Aston for several years at Fairfax and it wasn’t for the faint hearted. His decision last week to leave The Australian Financial Review after 12 years leaves a massive gap in the masthead. Joe has arguably been the best business gossip columnist in Australia. Ever. Period.
But that doesn’t come without angst. Joe sailed close to the wind, particularly around defamation. The lawyers at what was Fairfax, now Nine, would regularly fear that he’d gone too far. Legal costs and payouts show that sometimes he overstepped.
Aston wasn’t always a team player. His column ran on the back page of the AFR, and anyone else writing on that page – the Chanticleer column, other Rear Window writers – had to be ready to add a few hundred words if Joe’s column didn’t turn up. “Friends” were fair game. He could take apart someone in his column and then lunch with them the next day – he was that powerful (among some) in the business community.
He also didn’t worry too much about what his AFR, or broader Fairfax colleagues thought. Some of his early spats were with Sydney Morning Herald coumnists – Mike Carlton and Peter Fitzsimmons. He had a habit of targeting high profile individuals and then taking a shot. Friendly fire, as Fitzsimmons put it in a not-so-friendly manner.
Everyone wanted to know Joe. When I left Fairfax and briefly moved into media relations, the most oft-asked question from the business community was a version of, “What is Joe Aston like and can you help us with him?”
With all the noise around Aston, what was often overlooked was just how good a journalist he was.
Aston was fearless – ask Alan Joyce, Alex Malley or a bunch of News Ltd writers. That didn’t stop News from wanting to hire Aston. They bid for him a couple of times, helping push up his price at Fairfax.
He was well-researched. When he wrote, there was always truth to it. And he could write with wit, humour, bite and sarcasm all in the same sentence.
Aston was also vulnerable. He chronicled his fight with addiction and, in more recent years, his teetotaler status and his need to re-learn ‘small talk’ while sober. It was painful to read, particularly when you knew the person, but maybe it was part of his therapy. He was regulary criticised and he never walked away from a stoush, but sometimes the criticism hurt.
The bottom line: Aston was (and is) a very, very good journalist. He was well read, very hard working, has an acerbic wit, and knows how to work a room. His contact book was enormous, notwithstanding some of those people may not take his call. Given his prose, I hope he shifts into feature writing of some sort.
Aston is also only young and still has a long career ahead of him. Next company to employ him – well done and good luck.
“Joe has arguably been the best business gossip columnist in Australia. Ever. Period.” What a claim to fame….
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I look forward to following him wherever he pops up. He has kept me sane at times.
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