A unique position in Australian journalism is held by Ean Sanderson Higgins. He wasn’t a broadcaster pursuing fame or a celebrity columnist. Rather, he gradually established his name via perseverance, nuance, and a knack for tales that defied easy resolution. Over the course of more than thirty years in newsrooms, Higgins earned a reputation as a journalist who persisted in tackling challenging issues long after others had moved on.
His investigation into Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370’s disappearance garnered him international notoriety, but it was just one aspect of a career characterised by intellectual rigour, institutional opposition, and a steadfast conviction that media exists to challenge authority rather than to reflect it. To a life already moulded by unsolved mysteries, his abrupt departure in 2020 and the coroner’s discovery four years later that he passed away that year added a last, depressing element.
This page summarises Higgins’ whole life story, including his early years, schooling, career ascent, investigative challenges, unfinished projects, and lasting influence.
Early Life: Cross-Border Childhood
On February 15, 1958, Ean Higgins was born in the United States. His life was influenced by travel across nations and cultures from a young age. Before moving to Australia with his family, he spent a large portion of his early years in Texas and Quebec, Canada. His mother was born in Australia, and the relocation signalling the start of his long-lasting relationship with the nation where he would eventually work as a journalist.
Higgins was exposed to a variety of political systems, social institutions, and attitudes towards authority as a result of growing up abroad. Independence and a comfort level with complexity were cultivated by this early foreign exposure. These characteristics would subsequently characterise his journalistic style, especially when investigating organisations unwilling to provide an explanation.
Formative Influences and Family Background
Higgins’ childhood was influenced by both Australian and North American cultures. His upbringing promoted individualism and curiosity over conformity. His foreign upbringing gave him a viewpoint that defied straightforward national narratives, as friends and coworkers would later observe.
Higgins saw governments and institutions as systems to be questioned, examined, and tested rather than as intrinsically authoritative. His journalism became centred on this perspective.
Early Passions and Interests in Aviation
During his time in Quebec, Higgins became quite interested in flying. He gained experience flying Cessna 150 aircraft when he was a student, including flying aircraft with skis in the winter. Technical proficiency, composed decision-making, and knowledge of how aeroplanes operate under tough conditions were all necessary for this experience.
This was no idle curiosity. Higgins’ reporting on aviation mishaps was subsequently informed by the technical information he acquired while flying. Decades later, he focused on MH370, bringing with him first-hand knowledge of aircraft operations in addition to journalistic expertise.
Education: Developing a Critical Mindset
Higgins focused on international issues while pursuing further education. At the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, which is renowned for promoting critical analysis of power, diplomacy, and international institutions, he earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations.
In order to finish his Master’s degree at the Australian National University, he subsequently went back to Australia. His capacity to relate political choices to actual results was reinforced by his academic expertise, and this talent is obvious in all of his reporting.
Higgins was able to transition between politics, national security, and technically challenging topics like military and aviation with ease because to his educational background.
Getting Started in Journalism: Early Reporting and Cadetship
Higgins began his media career as a cadet at the Australian Financial Review, one of the most prestigious business and political journals in Australia. His talent was soon discovered, and he was appointed as the paper’s first reporter from New Zealand.
Early in his career, the position put him in politically delicate situations and demanded a great degree of independence. Additionally, it reinforced the global perspective he had developed as a young man by exposing him to the reality of reporting outside of Australia.
Before assuming the position that would characterise the most of his career, he gained expertise in a variety of newsroom cultures while working at Times on Sunday, which is a member of the Fairfax group.
Acquiring The Australian: An Extended Career Home
Higgins began working for The Australian in 1988 and remained there until his death. He handled some of the most senior and challenging positions at the publication for more than thirty years.
Among his roles were senior investigative journalist, Sydney Bureau Chief, Europe Correspondent, Inquirer Editor, and Foreign News Editor. His work, which often required in-depth investigation and a continuous commitment, covered topics such as politics, national security, crime, corruption, and aviation.
Higgins was characterised by colleagues as precise and diligent. He was renowned for challenging presumptions and picking up stories that others had given up on. He saw journalism as a service to the public, not a show.
Reputation in the Newsroom and Work Ethic
Higgins had a reputation for perseverance in the newsroom. He preferred tales that required patience and technical knowledge above everyday controversy. He was often looked up to by younger journalists as an example of how to do investigative work without spectacle.
He preferred depth above ease of use and precision over speed. Higgins stuck to long-form reporting at a time when short news cycles were shaping the news more and more.
The Investigation That Shaped a Late Career: MH370
The inquiry that defined Higgins’ subsequent career was the 2014 missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which had 239 passengers. Higgins’s concerns regarding the nature of the investigation and the reasons being provided grew as the worldwide search progressed.
He asked why, in spite of other clues, the search was limited to a certain region of the southern Indian Ocean. He looked at technical data that pointed to a controlled fall as opposed to an uncontrolled spiral dive, including debris like the flaperon.
Higgins thought official judgements were not being sufficiently harmonised with important evidence. His findings cast doubt on the notion that the plane’s last moments were unpiloted, posing questions about the plane’s potential range and if the search area was too small.
Professional Cost and Institutional Opposition
Higgins faced opposition as he conducted his investigations. In order to get clarification on search choices, international collaboration, and the management of technical data, he filed Freedom of Information requests. Many of these petitions were turned down.
His perseverance eventually resulted in his exclusion from several press briefings, which is not common for a veteran journalist. Rather than any lack of trust in his work, the removal was a reflection of institutional unease with prolonged examination.
Still, Higgins went on. He felt that silence and rejection were responses in and of themselves that had to be recorded.
Global Politics and the Search for MH370
Higgins also looked at the global politics of MH370. Despite the large number of Chinese passengers on board, he questioned China’s little involvement in the search. He examined the actions of a Chinese ship that was anchored in Fremantle for long stretches of time while the search was underway.
He also brought attention to the dismissal of the head of GeoResonance, an Australian ocean search business, without a public hearing. According to Higgins, these rulings suggested that the probe was influenced by both politics and the facts.
The Search for MH370: A Significant Task
Higgins compiled years of reporting into a single, comprehensive story in 2019 with the publication of The Hunt for MH370. The book looked at unanswered technological problems, political restrictions, and search tactics.
Strong reviews were given to the book, which was included to the Walkley Book Award longlist. Paul Whittaker, chief executive of Sky News Australia, praised the book’s ability to solve a challenging riddle and called Higgins “relentless in the pursuit of the truth.”
Author Trent Dalton referred to it as detailed and scary, while businessman Dick Smith characterised it as dramatic and captivating.
Public Commentary and Broadcasting
For the documentary MH370: The Untold Story, which aired in February 2020, Higgins collaborated closely with Sky News Australia. The show exposed new viewers to the unanswered issues Higgins had been posing for years and rekindled public interest in the case.
Peter Stefanovic, a Sky News host who collaborated with Higgins on the project, subsequently said that Higgins was essential to sustaining the probe, stating that “no amount of government obfuscation kept him at bay.”
Honours and Recognition for Professional Achievement
Throughout his career, Higgins received praise for his work. For his coverage of the 2013 southern NSW bushfires, which destroyed much of the state, he was awarded a Kennedy Award. In keeping with his global influence, he was also awarded a Quebec Grand Prise for an opinion essay on language policy.
Chief Editor of The Australian Later, Michelle Gunn praised his love of storytelling and his enthusiasm for journalism, calling him a “first-rate journalist and a much-loved member of staff.”
Influence, Interests, and Personality
Higgins was regarded by colleagues as passionate yet kind, serious about journalism but friendly in conversation. He respected enquiry and liked to argue. International affairs, politics, and aviation continued to be lifetime passions.
He demonstrated to aspiring journalists that perseverance and nuance were still important by mentoring them by example rather than by teaching them.
Disappearance: The Last Chapter Without Answers
Higgins, who is sixty-two, was last seen on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. He was known to visit coastal locations including Curl Curl and Watsons Bay, and his phone was last seen close to Manly Heads.
The hush that followed was odd. His disappearance received minimal media coverage for over 21 months. His company and coworkers accepted his family’s desires, which were reflected in this absence. His absence was eventually discovered by many Australians in a subsequent MH370 documentary.
Coronial Inquest and Conclusions
The NSW Coroner’s Court in Lidcombe had a three-day inquest in July 2024, from July 29 to July 31. Attendees included journalists, coworkers, and relatives.
On October 2, 2024, NSW Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan concluded that Higgins most likely passed away on or soon after the day he was last seen in July 2020. No hint of suspicious circumstances was uncovered by the court.
After years of doubt, the discovery brought much-needed closure.
Family Thoughts and Goodbye
During the inquest, Higgins’ son spoke to the court, thanking the witnesses and stating that the family wanted to preserve his father’s legacy. He said that the discoveries freed them from worrying about Higgins’ disappearance and let them to celebrate his life and contributions.
Uncompleted Tasks and a Wider Background
Higgins said in The Hunt for MH370’s epilogue that he planned to carry out further research into the disappearance and urged anybody with information to come forward so that they might be on the “right side of history.”
He knew that chasing for MH370 would cost him both personally and professionally. Higgins himself pointed out similarities with other individuals involved in the case whose passing contributed to the enigma surrounding the enquiry.
Legacy
The legacy of Ean Higgins is perseverance. He demonstrated that when journalism defies power, rejects easy fixes, and opposes pressure, it still counts.
His efforts changed the public’s perception of MH370 and reaffirmed the value of investigative bravery in Australian media.
Conclusion
Ean Higgins’ life was shaped by curiosity, discipline and a refusal to accept easy explanations. From an international childhood to senior roles in Australian journalism, he built a career grounded in asking hard questions and staying with stories that resisted closure. His work on MH370 demonstrated not only technical understanding, but a belief that accountability matters even when answers are uncomfortable.
The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and the later coronial finding brought a quiet end to a life spent pursuing clarity. Yet his influence endures through the standards he set and the questions he insisted be asked. Higgins showed that journalism, at its best, is not about certainty or approval, but persistence and the courage to keep searching when others stop.
FAQs
Was Ean Higgins found?
Ean Higgins was reported missing in July 2020. In October 2024, the NSW Coroner’s Court found that he died on or shortly after the day he was last seen. The finding brought closure to the case, although no public recovery details were outlined.
Has MH370 been found?
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has not been found in full. Despite extensive international search efforts across the southern Indian Ocean, the main wreckage of the aircraft has never been located.
Has the MH370 black box ever been found?
No flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder from MH370 has been recovered. The absence of the black boxes remains one of the main reasons the aircraft’s final moments are still unclear.
What is the biggest mystery of MH370?
The biggest mystery is how and why the aircraft changed course and disappeared without a distress call. Key questions remain about the plane’s final flight path, pilot actions and why the search did not locate the wreckage.
Are there any bodies from MH370?
No bodies have been recovered from MH370. Some aircraft debris has washed up on shores in the Indian Ocean region, but no human remains have been officially identified.
What were the last words of the captain of MH370?
The last recorded transmission from MH370’s captain was: “Good night, Malaysian three seven zero.” After this message, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off and communication was lost.
Did MH370 families get money?
Families of passengers received compensation through legal settlements and insurance processes involving Malaysia Airlines and its insurers. The amounts varied depending on legal jurisdiction and individual agreements.
Why is MH370 so hard to find and what is the black box?
MH370 is difficult to locate because it is believed to have crashed in a remote and deep part of the Indian Ocean. A black box is a flight recorder that stores aircraft data and cockpit audio, designed to help investigators determine what happened during a flight.
