Revered journo and TV reporter dies after cancer battle
Jane Hansen, a pioneering female journalist in the world of Australian media, has died after a near two-year battle against an aggressive brain tumour.
Hansen, who most recently worked with News Corp's Sunday Telegraph, died surrounded by her loved ones on the Gold Coast on Tuesday evening.
Her brother confirmed the news of her passing in a statement, saying the former A Current Affair reporter remained her humorous self until the end.
“To all that knew and loved my sister, Jane passed away peacefully at approximately 11.40pm 6 August. Jane put up an amazing fight right till the end and never once complained, and never lost her sense of humour this whole time,” he wrote.
“We will be in touch soon regarding Jane’s funeral arrangements and yes there will be a wake to celebrate this fantastic woman!”
Her brother thanked family and friends for their “extraordinary level of support, love and compassion,” over the past 18 months.
Claire Harvey, now editorial director of The Australian and former deputy editor of The Sunday Telegraph, described Ms Hansen as “the most passionate journalistic crusader” she has ever known.
“She swore a lot. She got outraged a lot. And she laughed a lot – and made me laugh – every time we spoke,” she said.
While making waves with her stellar journalistic career, Ms Hansen's most notable work came in 2008 when she, along with fellow reporter Fiona McKenzie, published the novel Boned under an anonymous name.
The novel, which was believed to be a work of fiction, “blew the lid off the blokey culture of commercial television”, as the title of the book was a reference to the Today show host Jessica Rowe's infamous sacking by Channel Nine.
In a 2017 article revealing herself and Fiona McKenzie as the co-writers, Ms Hansen said she felt like she needed to “take a stand against” the “despicable behaviour of the men in charge”.
“I would not go to pieces if someone pulled their penis out in front of me in the board room (it happened),” she wrote.
“I’ve slept on the floor in the bombed-out “sniper side” at the Holiday Inn, Sarajevo, in the middle of the Bosnian war, bribed murderous Iraqi officials to extend my visa in Baghdad, slept rough without a shower for over a week in the Iraqi desert to be the first to track down Australian troops during the war on terror (only to be asked in a live cross where I was washing my knickers)."
Ms Hansen said after all she had done, defending her position as a seasoned journalist in commercial television was “exhausting and depressing”.
Ms Harvey went on to describe Ms Hansen as a “fiercely loving, protective and joyous mother to her beloved son Sam”, who was her first thought when she first diagnosed with cancer.
“She got to see Sam finish school, and he was by her side when she passed away, surrounded by her loving family and friends, this week,” she said.
“I feel so lucky to have known Jane, and proud that here at News Corp Australia we published her work with the pride and prominence it deserved.”
Image credits: Sky News