Daily Newspapers
pp. 82-83 · Read in the full issue
Rise And Fall Of Australian Daily Newspapers
Between 1921 and 1961, many quaint and interesting things happened among the Australian metropolitan newspapers, in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
ISAW them happen. In 1921 I was a reporter-turned-executive, and right in among them. In 1961, I am a grizzled publisher, very far re moved from the daily newspaper circus—thank God —but deeply in terested in newspaper events.
So I warmly commend, to other casual onlookers interested in Aus tralian newspapers, the book just writ ten by Claude McKay, This Is The Life. As journalist and publisher, he was contemporary with me; and I knew most of the personalities and politico-newspaper situations he de scribes so entertainingly.
After World War I, Australia’s city newspapers were universally staid and sober —there was not a suggestion of journalistic larrikinism among them.
In their order of sobriety and in fluence, in the main cities, they were: Sydney: Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Evening News, The Sun.
Melbourne: The Argus, The Age, The Herald.
Adelaide: The Advertiser, The Register, and an inconspicuous even ing newspaper.
Brisbane: The Courier, The Tele graph, The Daily Mail.
In 40 years, the changes have been
remarkable. The Melbourne Argm\ which in 1921 was Australia’s leadinp and most highly-respected newspaper is gone. So, also, are Sydney’s Even ing News, Adelaide’s Register anr Brisbane’s Daily Mail (the latter not< merged with Courier) Others (Sy6 ney’s Daily Telegraph and The Sur Adelaide’s Advertiser, Brisbane's Courier ) have in some degr& changed ownership, but remain in thi top rank.
The Sydney Morning Herald, Mes bourne Age, Melbourne Herald am Brisbane Telegraph apparently ar owned much as before, but some have changed character. Melboum Herald, for example, a poor rag i 1921, now is a leading national. Twi newcomers —evening newspapers i Sydney and Adelaide—have been es tablished.
That newspaper world sufferer convulsions in 40 years. The cause; in their order of importance, were The withering and death of stronc personalities among publishers act editors; the arrival and developmeis of fiercely-competitive Sunday papers; the introduction and wi©i adoption of the Hearst type of jouu nalism, which does not hssitate t “angle the news” and sacrifice a dr
of truth in order to get a sensa -1 headline or serve a selfish pur and, more recently, the intro on of radio and television, which :s so much newspaper publishing fluous. aude McKay saw all this happen. >2l he was a pressman who had ferred, as a public relations man, e theatre industry. In 1914-18, elped Joynton Smith (Sydney’s me Lord Mayor) to raise huge funds, which gave Joynton a thood. After the war, when le McKay, and the brilliant > Robert Clyde Packer, launched ■s Weekly, it was Sir Joynton supplied both the capital and the Kay was prominent in the news kaleidoscope of the next 20 He saw his weekly rise to great ss, and his equally successful Guardian disappear into The all-absorbing maw. He saw the fabulously-rich Daily Telegraph 3aper Co. Ltd., go into liquida only the name remaining to ain continuous publication. He the Evening News disappear, he Daily Mirror come into a -specialised existence . , . even reached the point of ting from Joynton Smith, and rarily bringing the formidable rialist “Gunboat” Smith into >wnership, to give “ Smiths” y a backing and a name, all entertainingly told—Claude Y, even as an octogenarian, has quals as a humorous writer— s great fund of anecdotes and al memories will be of incal ; help to the man who. some dll write this century’s history
jstralian newspapers.
R. W.
[?]ON
3 IS THE LIFE, by Claude McKay, ed by Angus and Robertson, Ltd.