Paul James Barry (born 24 February 1952) is an English-born, Australia-based journalist, newsreader and television presenter, who has won many awards for his investigative reporting.

[2] Barry started his journalistic career in London as an economics correspondent for the weekly magazine Investors Chronicle.

However, in August 2010, Barry acted as the temporary host of Media Watch for three months while Jonathan Holmes took long-service leave.

[5] On 3 July 2013, Barry returned as the host of Media Watch following the Jonathan Holmes's decision to leave the show.

[6][7] On 6 August 2021, Barry was injured when he was hit by a car while bicycling to work, causing him to take some time off Media Watch to recover from his injuries.

[15] During October 2009, Barry was the subject of criticism from Australian business identities for his 2009 unauthorised biography of media and gambling mogul James Packer.

"[22] Conservative broadcaster Andrew Bolt described Barry as "of the Left" upon his re-appointment to the Media Watch program in 2013.

I believe in the free market, I believe in freedom of speech, I believe actually in privatisation, I believe in an awful lot of things that would make me a free-marketeer and, you know, a Liberal.In 2014, Barry told Media Watch he had voted for Liberal Malcolm Turnbull as his local MP in the 2013 election.

Barry denounced a "cabal of conservative commentators" including Tony Abbott supporters Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Paul Murray, Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt and Rowan Dean for criticising Turnbull's leadership.