Sam Cucchiara

Sam Cucchiara is a television journalist for Australia's leading nightly current affairs program, A Current Affair. He focuses on crime, investigations and consumer affairs.

Sam has interviewed everybody from politicians to murderers, with his work leading to criminal charges and the suspension of medical professionals, lawyers and accountants. He was also the only journalist in the world to interview triple mushroom murderer Erin Patterson at length.

He was previously named the Melbourne Press Club's Young Journalist of the Year.  His work has also been published in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers, as well as on 3AW radio.

Warm, energetic and commanding, Sam is a natural storyteller who maintains poise under pressure. Whether it be a charity event, book launch or fundraiser, Sam blends years of live television experience with an ability to understand and connect with audiences - small or large.

Keynote topics include:
•    Collapse of trust: how misinformation and digital media are reshaping society through algorithms that amplify outrage and division
•    Crisis, reputation and the media machine: how stories form and spiral - and how to stop them dead in their tracks
•    Anatomy of an investigation: inside major stories from my TV career, how they were uncovered, why they almost didn't make it to air and what happened after we hit publish (including exclusive insights from major crimes he has covered, such as the Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial)
•    How to talk to and influence anyone (lessons from the road, having met and interviewed thousands of people from murderers to politicians) - why some leaders command trust instantly and others never do, despite being the smartest person in the room

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