Journalists should be driven by their "optimistic search for truth" amid a growing distrust of institutions, media doyenne Ita Buttrose says.
The 82-year-old industry identity held a sweeping discussion on media and the law in front of some of the country's most influential and recognisable women in Sydney on Friday.
In conversation with prominent Federal Court Justice Michael Lee, Ms Buttrose posited: "Both journalism and the law are an optimistic search for truth, aren't they?"
Justice Lee agreed but noted it was "truth in a different way".
"The journalistic search for the truth is very different from what the court system does," he said.
"The job of the judge is not to work out the truth ... it is to assess materials others put before you, evaluate it and determine whether you are satisfied to a particular standard."
Justice Lee notably presided over Bruce Lehrmann's defamation trial earlier this year and found, on the balance of probabilities, the former political staffer had raped Brittany Higgins because she had been too intoxicated to consent.
Turning to the former ABC chair, he noted: "Your job is to really seek out objective truth".
Ms Buttrose, who was on stage in a seating aid, showed she is still quick on her feet.
"I'm not the chair any longer," she joked to the audience at one point.
Ms Buttrose raised concerns over public distrust in the law and pointed towards research suggesting just 30 per cent of Australians have faith in the courts and justice system.
Justice Lee said he was "troubled" by the revelations but believed it to be "reflective of a general distrust of institutions."
After starting work in media at 15 as a copy girl for the Australian Women's Weekly, Ms Buttrose blazed a trail for women in the industry, becoming the first female editor-in-chief of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper.
She was appointed as head of the public broadcaster in 2019 as she continued to help shape the Australian media landscape and break down boundaries for women.
