He has delivered papers at many public forums and written book chapters on areas as diverse as press freedom, the High Court of Australia, public administration and the Petrov Affair.
Waterford faced criticism when the then Chief Police Officer for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Audrey Fagan, killed herself two weeks after he wrote an editorial criticising the Australian Federal Police and their media management practices.
Waterford received the Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award in 1985.
[2] He was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2007 Australia Day Honours, "for service to journalism, particularly as a commentator on national politics, the law, to raising debate on ethical issues and public sector accountability, and to the community in the area of Indigenous affairs".
Presenting the award, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said Waterford was a champion of many causes and a leading figure in his trade.