Jump to content

The Sydney Morning Herald

From Alfawiki
The Sydney Morning Herald
Company typeDaily newspaper
IndustryMedia, Publishing
Founded1831
FounderWard Stephens, Frederick Stokes, William McGarvie
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Area served
Sydney, regional New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South East Queensland
Key people
James Chessell (executive editor), Bevan Shields (editor), Tory Maguire (national editor), Monique Farmer (life editor), Chris Janz (publisher/chief digital officer)
OwnerNine Entertainment
Websitesmh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald (abbreviated as SMH) is a daily tabloid newspaper based in Sydney, Australia, under the ownership of Nine Entertainment. Established in 1831 originally as the Sydney Herald, it holds the distinction of being Australia's longest-running continuously published newspaper and boasts the largest national readership.[1] Acknowledged as a newspaper of record within Australia,[2]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name it occupies a prominent position in the nation’s media environment.

Produced in a compact format from Monday through Saturday under the title The Sydney Morning Herald, its Sunday edition is issued as its sister publication, The Sun-Herald. Additionally, it provides digital versions accessible via its website and mobile application every day of the week.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name The printed newspaper is distributed extensively throughout Sydney, regional New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and South East Queensland.

Overview

The Sydney Morning Herald includes a variety of supplements such as Good Weekend (featured on Saturdays) and Sunday Life. Its supplemental sections frequently partner with online classified platforms:

  • Mondays feature The Guide (television)
  • Tuesdays include Good Food (culinary) and Domain (property)
  • Wednesdays present Money (personal finance)
  • Fridays showcase Drive (automotive) and Shortlist (entertainment)
  • Saturdays offer multiple lift-outs including News Review, Spectrum (arts), Domain, Drive, and MyCareer (employment)

Leadership within the editorial team comprises executive editor James Chessell, editor Bevan Shields, national editor Tory Maguire, life editor Monique Farmer, and publisher/chief digital officer Chris Janz.

Among past editors are distinguished individuals such as Amanda Wilson—the first female editor appointed in 2011—as well as William Curnow, Andrew Garran, Frederick William Ward, Paul McGeough, and Lisa Davies.

History

Founded in 1831 under the name The Sydney Herald by Ward Stephens, Frederick Stokes, and William McGarvie, the publication commenced daily issues in 1840. It was acquired by John Fairfax in 1841 and rebranded as The Sydney Morning Herald in 1842. The Fairfax family maintained ownership for nearly a century and a half, upholding editorial values centered on transparency and integrity.

Among its early technological advancements was the employment of Donald Murray in the 1890s, who developed an early version of the teleprinter. In 1905, the newspaper introduced a weekly "Page for Women," curated by Theodosia Ada Wallace.

The paper transitioned to featuring news on its front page in 1944 and inaugurated its Sunday edition in 1949. This Sunday edition later merged with the acquired Sun newspaper in 1953 to create The Sun-Herald, which remains in circulation today. Competition heightened following Rupert Murdoch’s launch of The Australian in 1964.

To mark the Herald’s 150th anniversary in 1981, Fairfax commissioned Sydney’s Tank Stream Fountain sculpture.

The digital era began for the publication in 1995 with the launch of smh.com.au, evolving into an interactive multimedia platform. The company relocated its offices to Darling Park and modernized printing operations at Chullora before subsequently moving to Darling Island.

In May 2007, Fairfax revealed intentions to convert both the Herald and The Age from broadsheet to compact/tabloid formats; although initially shelved, this plan was revived in June 2012 with implementation commencing March 2013. Simultaneously, Fairfax announced workforce reductions totaling 1,900 positions over three years alongside introducing paywalls based on a freemium subscription model aimed at boosting digital revenue. This formed part of a "digital first" approach integrating print, online, and mobile platforms.

The final broadsheet Saturday edition was printed on 22 February 2014; by March all editions had adopted compact formatting ahead of closing the Chullora printing facility in June.

In June 2022, controversy arose internationally after columnist Andrew Hornery attempted to reveal actress Rebel Wilson's personal information; this was supported editorially by Bevan Shields. Wilson preempted this exposure via Instagram. The episode generated internal dissent and public criticism that impacted the publication’s reputation.

Daily Life Woman of the Year

The Daily Life section introduced the Woman of the Year (WOTY) awards in 2012, a concept developed by editor Sarah Oakes as a response to the sexism encountered by former prime minister Julia Gillard. Winners were determined through a combination of public votes and selection by a Fairfax-appointed panel. Distinguished honorees include:

Editorial stance

The Sydney Morning Herald generally adopts a centrist editorial perspective, regarded as the most politically balanced among Australia’s major non-tabloid newspapers, alongside The Australian and The Age. Its editorial focus has traditionally combined market libertarian principles with social liberal values. The newspaper supported a Yes vote in both the 1999 Australian republic referendum and the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.

Historically, for six decades after Federation, the Herald consistently backed conservative federal governments but has shifted over time to endorse Labor candidates in seven federal elections, including those held in 1961, 1984, 1987, 2007, 2010, 2019, and 2022. It refrained from endorsing any party in 2004 but resumed political endorsements thereafter. Following support for the Coalition in the 2013 and 2016 federal elections, it switched to endorse Labor leader Bill Shorten in 2019 after leadership changes.

At the state level, the publication has predominantly favored the Coalition, with its sole Labor endorsement being Bob Carr’s New South Wales government in 2003. Occasionally, it has chosen not to endorse any party during state elections.

On international matters, it endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential race. For the 2023 New South Wales state election, it backed the Liberal-National Coalition.

In May 2023, the Herald publicly opposed extraditing former WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange to the United States, conducting a poll that revealed 79% of respondents were against his extradition.

Myall Creek coverage and apology

During its early years as The Sydney Herald, the newspaper’s editorial line sometimes mirrored racist colonial viewpoints, encouraging squatters to replicate the mass extermination of Native Americans. On December 26, 1836, its front page declared: "If nothing but extermination will do, they will exterminate the savages as they would wild beasts." After the Myall Creek massacre, where at least twenty-eight unarmed Wirraayaraay men, women, and children were murdered by white stockmen, the paper published a letter justifying these killings. The squatter author described Indigenous Australians as "the most degenerate, despicable, and brutal race," asserting "they will, and must become extinct – civilization destroys them – where labor and industry flourish, they die!" The Herald's editorial position on these trials stood in contrast to other newspapers that acknowledged Aboriginal Australians’ legal rights as British subjects. In 2023, the newspaper formally apologized for its historical coverage of both the massacre and ensuing trials.

Notable contributors

Writers

Illustrators

  • Simon Letch has been recognized as one of the top illustrators for four consecutive years.

List of journalists

Current journalists

Below is a list of journalists currently working at The Sydney Morning Herald.Template:Incomplete list

Name Role Additional roles Start year at Nine / Fairfax
James Massola National affairs editor Former South-East Asia correspondent
Callan Boys Good Food Guide editor (SMH)
Restaurant critic for Good Weekend
Good Food writer
Paul Sakkal Federal political reporter Same role at The Age
Lisa Visentin Federal political reporter Same role at The Age
Angus Thompson Federal political reporter (industrial relations) Same role at The Age
Monique Farmer National Managing Editor Same role at The Age
David Swan Technology Editor Same role at The Age

Former journalists

Among notable former staff is John McDonald, who served as art critic for four decades before leaving in September 2024.

Name Role Additional roles Start year at Nine / Fairfax
Gail Williams Food columnist Also held same position at The Sunday Times

Ownership

Fairfax Media became publicly listed in 1957 and expanded into magazines, radio broadcasting, and television. However, it suffered a significant collapse in 1990 when Warwick Fairfax attempted a $1.8 billion privatization. Subsequently acquired by Conrad Black and re-listed in 1992, Fairfax merged with Rural Press in 2006—bringing John B. Fairfax back as a major shareholder. On December 10, 2018, Fairfax Media merged with Nine Entertainment Group, integrating the newspaper with Nine Network’s TCN station and reuniting it with television assets originally connected to its founder.

Content

Column 8

Column 8 is a brief column showcasing readers’ observations of unusual or quirky occurrences. It first appeared on January 11, 1947. The title originated from its initial position as the eighth column on the broadsheet front page. Ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, it was relocated to the back page of section one on July 31 that year. As of February 2024, it runs as the final column within Opinion pages.

This feature spotlights odd urban events, puzzling signage (often involving humorous language errors), wordplay, and obscure topics. Sometimes referred to as Granny's Column—named after a fictional grandmother editor—its original logo was a caricature of Sydney Deamer who founded and authored it for fourteen years.

George Richards managed Column 8 for fifteen years until retiring in January 2004. Subsequent editors have included Duncan Thompson, Bill Fitter, Col Allison, Jim Cunningham, Pat Sheil, Peter Bowers, and Lenore Nicklin. Since March 2017, journalist Tim Barlass has edited this column; under his leadership publication frequency decreased from six days weekly to weekdays only while often incorporating puns into reader submissions.

Opinion

The daily Opinion section concentrates on political, legal, and cultural discourse. Regular contributors include political editor Peter Hartcher and economics commentator Ross Gittins, alongside occasional pieces submitted by readers. Sydney barrister Charles C. Waterstreet—whose life inspired the TV comedy series Rake—contributed a humor column on a regular basis.

Good Weekend

First published in May 1978 as a Saturday magazine supplement to both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Good Weekend typically contains around four feature-length articles per issue covering subjects such as cuisine, wine culture, and fashion trends. Contributors include Stephanie Wood, Jane Cadzow, Melissa Fyfe, Tim Elliott, Konrad Marshall, and Amanda Hooton.

Recurring segments include "Modern Guru," which offers humorous advice columns by writers like Danny Katz, alongside a Samurai Sudoku puzzle and "The Two of Us," profiling pairs of friends or colleagues.

As of January 2024 Katrina Strickland holds the editor position; previous editors have included Ben Naparstek, Judith Whelan (2004–2011), and Fenella Souter.

Digitisation

Portions of the newspaper have been digitized through the Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program managed by the National Library of Australia to improve access and preserve archival content.

Awards

In March 2024 David Swan—technology editor for both SMH and The Age—was awarded the prestigious Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist of the Year at that year's IT Journalism Awards. He also won Best Technology Journalist and Best Telecommunications Journalist awards while receiving high commendation for Best Technology Issues coverage. Both publications earned Best Consumer Technology Coverage honors along with high commendation for Best News Coverage.

See also

Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 359: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Readership
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0

Further reading

  • Merrill, John C., and Harold A. Fisher. The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers (1980), pp.314–319
  • Gavin Souter (1981) Company of Heralds: a century and a half of Australian publishing by John Fairfax Limited and its predecessors, 1831–1981, Carlton: Melbourne University Press
  • Gavin Souter (1992) Heralds and angels: the house of Fairfax 1841–1992, Ringwood: Penguin Books

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=The_Sydney_Morning_Herald&oldid=49878"