About

Steve Lillebuen (LILL-ah-BEW-en) has written for the Guardian, The Globe and MailThe Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, among other publications.

Throughout his journalism career he has reported on everything from the police beat to the campaign trail in both hemispheres.

He’s interviewed criminals, heads of government, celebrated actors and disgraced officials, and covered elections, sporting scandals, environmental disasters, and many high-profile court cases.

He is a recipient of the Arthur Ellis Award for The Devil’s Cinema, a narrative non-fiction exploration of a filmmaker who turns his horror script into reality. The book was internationally published to critical acclaim and shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award. Australia’s largest newspaper, the Herald Sun, declared how Lillebuen “can stand proudly alongside the best journalists in the world.”

Born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised on an acreage on the Canadian prairie, Lillebuen studied film and television production and later earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Alberta in literature and media studies before moving to Australia.

He’s been a contributing writer for Good Weekend, Maclean’s, CNN.com, the National Post, and many other publications. He spent nearly five years at Australian Associated Press as a reporter and chief of staff, and has past experience as a reporter for The Canadian Press, a staff writer for the Edmonton Journal, and as a co-founding editor of Metro in Alberta. He’s also been a commentator on crime and justice issues for well-known media outlets, including Dateline NBC and CBS 48 Hours.

Lillebuen is currently working on his next book after completing a PhD in journalism at Monash University. His research interests include journalism ethics, media accountability, policing and criminal law. 

He is a dual Canadian-Australian citizen.