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== Business ==
== Business ==
{{main|Fairfax Media}}
{{main|Fairfax Media}}
Fairfax went public in 1957 and grew to acquire interests in magazines, radio and television. The group collapsed spectacularly on [[December 11]], [[1990]] when [[Warwick Fairfax]], great-great-grandson of John Fairfax, attempted to privatise the group by borrowing $1.8 billion. The group was bought by [[Conrad Black]] before being re-listed in 1992. In 2006, Fairfax announced a merger with [[Rural Press]], which brought a Fairfax family member, [[John B. Fairfax]], in as a significant player in the company.
Fairfax went public in 1957 and grew to acquire interests in magazines, radio and television. The group collapsed spectacularly on [[December 11]], [[1990]] when [[Warwick Fairfax]], great-great-grandson of John Fairfax, attempted to privatise the group by borrowing $1.8 billion. The group was bought by [[Conrad Black]] before being re-listed in 1992. In 2006, Fairfax announced a merger with [[Rural Press]], which brought a Fairfax family member, [[John B. Fairfax]], in as a significant player in the company.<ref>{{cite book | author=[[Ruth Park]] | title=Ruth Park's Sydney | publisher=Duffy & Snellgrove | year=1999 | isbn=1-875989-45-5}}</ref>


'''Column 8''' is a short [[column (newspaper)|column]] published by ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' in which readers who find interesting happenings have their short letters and observations published. Column 8 was first published on [[January 11]], [[1947]].<ref name = "ANHG26">{{cite journal | title = 26.19 Granny George calls it a day| journal = Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter | issue = Number 26 | pages = page 5 | publisher = ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website | location = Queensland | date = February 2004| url = http://www.uq.edu.au/journ-comm/docs/pastissues/anhg26.pdf | id = ISSN 1443-4962 |formate = pdf (20 pages) | accessdate = 2008-01-15}}</ref> The name comes from the fact that it originally occupied the final (8th) column of the [[broadsheet]] newspaper's front page. In a front page redesign in the lead-up to the [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney Olympic Games]] in [[2000]], Column 8 moved to the back page of the first section from [[31 July]] [[2000]].<ref name = "ANHG8">{{cite journal | title = 8.37 Changes in the ''Herald'': Who will make me smile before breakfast? | journal = Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter | issue = Number 8 | pages = pages 17-18 | publisher = ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website | location = Queensland | date = August 2000 | url = http://eprint.uq.edu.au/archive/00000020/01/anjh08.PDF | id = ISSN 1443-4962 |formate = pdf (19 pages) | accessdate = 2008-01-15 }}</ref>

The content tends to the quirky, typically involving strange urban occurrences, instances of confusing signs (often in [[Engrish]]), [[wordplay]], and discussion of more or less esoteric topics.<ref name = "ANHG41">{{cite journal | title = 41.26 Has the world gone mad? Column 8 at 60| journal = Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter | issue = Number 41 | pages = page 8 | publisher = ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website | location = Queensland | date = February 2007| url = http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv.php?pid=UQ:12845&dsID=anhg41_07.pdf | id = ISSN 1443-4962 |formate = pdf (20 pages) | accessdate = 2008-01-15}}</ref>

The column is also sometimes affectionately known as '''Granny''', after a fictional [[grandmother]] who supposedly edited the content. The old Granny logo was used for the first twenty years of the column and is occasionally resurrected for a special restrospective.<ref name = "ANHG26"/> The logo was a caricature of [[Sydney Deamer]], originator of the column and its author for 14 years.<ref>{{ADB|last= Souter |first= Gavin |authorlink= |year= 1983 |id= A130667b |title= Deamer, Sydney Harold (1891 - 1962) |accessdate= 2008-01-15 |quote = Moving to the ''Sydney Morning Herald'', from 1947 to 1961 Deamer was founding editor of 'Column 8', a daily, front-page feature of miscellaneous paragraphs under a symbolic drawing of 'Granny Herald' whose waspish features bore a resemblance to his own. He retired in February 1961.}} </ref><ref name = "ANHG8"/>

It was edited for 15 years by George Richards, who retired on [[January 31]], [[2004]].<ref name = "Ramsey">{{cite news |first= Alan |last= Ramsey |authorlink= Alan Ramsey |title= George has moved on but his Granny still lives |url= http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/03/1075776061127.html |work= |publisher= Sydney Morning Herald |date= 4 February 2004|accessdate= 2008-01-15}} </ref><ref name = "ANHG26"/> Other editors besides Deamer and Richards have been Duncan Thompson, Bill Fitter, Col Allison, Jim Cunningham, and briefly, Peter Bowers and Lenore Nicklin.<ref name = "Ramsey"/> The column is currently edited by Pat Sheil.<ref>{{cite journal | title = 32.31 Column 8 Changes Style | journal = Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter | issue = Number 32 | pages = | publisher = ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website | location = Queensland | date = May 2005 | url = http://www.uq.edu.au/journ-comm/docs/pastissues/number32.pdf | id = ISSN 1443-4962 |formate = pdf (20 pages) | accessdate = 2008-01-15 |quote = The Column 8 has a new editor, Pat Sheil, and he is changing the style of the 58-year-old ''Sydney Morning Herald'' column. “I am trying to make it a bit edgier than it was,” he told ''[[MediaWeek]]'' (11 April 2005, p.6). “Basically, Column 8 should be like a chat, without making it too trite or stupid.” George Richards edited Column 8 for fifteen and a half years before retiring early last year (see ANHG 26.19). James Cockington edited it until handing over to Sheil in February this year.}}</ref>

Several volumes collecting highlights have been published:
*{{cite book | editor = Richards, George (editor) | year = 1995| title = The best of Column 8 | publisher = Sydney Morning Herald Books | location = Sydney | id = ISBN 186290104X }}<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an000011845919 Libraries Australia record for 1995 edition of volume 1]</ref>
*{{cite book | editor = Richards, George (editor) | year = 1996| title = More of the best of Column 8 | publisher = Sydney Morning Herald Books | location = Sydney | id = ISBN 186290104X }}<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an000012291194 Libraries Australia record for 1996 edition of More of the best of]</ref>
*{{cite book | editor = Richards, George (editor) | year = 2006 | title = Column 8 : the best of Column 8 | publisher = Fairfax Enterprises | location = Sydney | id = ISBN 1921190051}} - publication to coincide with the ''Sydney Morning Herald'''s 175th birthday<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an000040207724 Libraries Australia record for 2006 edition]</ref>
*{{cite book | editor = Richards, George (editor) | year = c. 2006 | title = Column 8 : the best of Column 8. Volume 2 | publisher = Fairfax Enterprises | location = Sydney | id = ISBN 192119006X}}<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an000040333103 Libraries Australia record for 2006 edition of volume 2]</ref>

Other journals have adopted the Column 8 style, following the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' lead.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Next issue... how YOU can help! | journal = aqua.regia | issue = Issue 2 Weeks 3-4, Semester 1, 2005 | pages = page 4 | publisher = University of Sydney Union | location = | year = 2005 | url = http://www.sci.soc.usyd.edu.au/documents/aqua/aqua_wk3.pdf |format = pdf (4 pages) | id = |quote = We’re thinking of having a Column 8 style section in the upcoming Aquas. Send in your weird and wonderful snippets of uni life that you go through in the first couple of weeks | accessdate = 2008-01-15}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 68: Line 85:
* [[Earth Hour]]
* [[Earth Hour]]


==Notes==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book | author=[[Ruth Park]] | title=Ruth Park's Sydney | publisher=Duffy & Snellgrove | year=1999 | isbn=1-875989-45-5}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.smh.com.au/column8/index.html Column 8 website]

* [http://www.smh.com.au/ smh.com.au]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/ smh.com.au]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/aboutsmh/ History of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'']
* [http://www.smh.com.au/aboutsmh/ History of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'']
* [http://www.smh.com.au/specials/campaign4sydney/ Campaign for Sydney]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/specials/campaign4sydney/ Campaign for Sydney]
* [http://earthhour.smh.com.au/ Earth Hour]
* [http://earthhour.smh.com.au/ Earth Hour]



{{Fairfax Media}}
{{Fairfax Media}}

Revision as of 04:31, 20 January 2008

File:Sydney morning herald masthead.png
The front page of The Sydney Morning Herald
on March 30, 2007.
TypDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Fairfax Media
HerausgeberAlan Oakley
Gegründet1831
HauptsitzAustralien 201 Sussex Street,
Sydney, NSW, Australien
ISSN0312-6315
Websitewww.smh.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. The newspaper's Sunday edition, The Sun-Herald, is published in tabloid format. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in the country.

Übersicht

The Sydney Morning Herald is considered to be Sydney's "newspaper of record". The paper is historically credited with high standards of journalism, however in recent years it has been accused of "dumbing down" editorial content, with more space allocated to larger photographs and lifestyle-based stories.[1]

The Saturday edition includes an in-depth features section called News Review, and arts and entertainment guide Spectrum. The SMH publishes a variety of supplements, including the magazines Good Weekend and the(sydney)magazine; and the lift-outs The Guide (television), Good Living (lifestyle), Metro (entertainment) and Radar. The lift-outs Domain (real estate), Drive (motoring) and MyCareer (employment) are co-branded with Fairfax Media's successful online classified advertising sites.

The Sydney Morning Herald has the second-highest circulation in Sydney, behind the tabloid Daily Telegraph. In 2007 the paper sold an average of 212,700 copies per weekday and an average 364,000 copies on Saturdays.[2]

The editor is Alan Oakley. Former editors include George Richards and Peter Luck. [citation needed]

History

Three employees of the now-defunct Sydney Gazette, Alfred Stephens, Frederick Stokes and William McGarvie, founded the The Sydney Herald in 1831. The four-page weekly had a print run of 750. In 1840, the newspaper began to publish daily. In 1841, an Englishman named John Fairfax purchased the operation, renaming it The Sydney Morning Herald the following year. Fairfax, whose family were to control the newspaper for almost 150 years, based his editorial policies "upon principles of candour, honesty and honour. We have no wish to mislead; no interest to gratify by unsparing abuse or indiscriminate approbation."

Frederick William Ward was editor 1884 to 1890.[3]

The SMH was late to the trend of printing news rather than just advertising on the front page, doing so from 15 April 1944. Of the country's metropolitan dailies, only The West Australian was later in making the switch. In 1949, the newspaper launched a Sunday edition, The Sunday Herald. Four years later, this was merged with the newly-acquired Sun newspaper to create The Sun-Herald, which continues to this day.

One of the newspaper's best-loved features is Column 8. The column, which was first published on January 11, 1947, publishes reports from readers of interesting observations, such as confusing signs or amusing trends. Column 8 takes its name from its former position in the eighth column of the front page. In 2000, to the consternation of some readers, the column was moved to the back page.

In 1995, the company launched smh.com.au, the newspaper's web edition. The site has since grown to include interactive and multimedia features beyond the content in the print edition. Around the same time, the organisation moved to new offices at Darling Park and built a new printing press at Chullora, in the city's west.

In 2000, the newspaper was radically redesigned by Sydney-based publication design group de Luxe & Associates. [citation needed]

In 2007, the CEO of Fairfax Media, David Kirk announced that the Herald would be reducing its broadsheet size as a cost-cutting measure and a reflection of more classified advertising moving to the internet. It is unclear whether staff will be affected by this change. [4]

Political viewpoint

Historically, the SMH has been a conservative newspaper as evidenced by the fact that it did not endorse the Australian Labor Party at any election until 1984, or state election until 2003. Its parent company, Fairfax, is currently run by a high profile former member of the Liberal party, Ron Walker.

The newspaper has in recent years attempted to spearhead political campaigns, including the "Campaign for Sydney" (planning and transport) and "Earth Hour" (environment).

In a surprise move, the SMH declined to endorse a party at the 2004 Federal election in line with a decision to "no longer endorse one party or another at election time." The newspaper noted that the policy might yet be revised: "A truly awful government of any colour, for example, would bring reappraisal."[5] The Herald subsequently endorsed the Coalition (conservatives) at the 2007 NSW State election [6], but endorsed the Labor at the 2007 Federal election[7].


Notable contributors

Business

Main article: Fairfax Media

Fairfax went public in 1957 and grew to acquire interests in magazines, radio and television. The group collapsed spectacularly on December 11, 1990 when Warwick Fairfax, great-great-grandson of John Fairfax, attempted to privatise the group by borrowing $1.8 billion. The group was bought by Conrad Black before being re-listed in 1992. In 2006, Fairfax announced a merger with Rural Press, which brought a Fairfax family member, John B. Fairfax, in as a significant player in the company.[8]


Column 8 is a short column published by The Sydney Morning Herald in which readers who find interesting happenings have their short letters and observations published. Column 8 was first published on January 11, 1947.[9] The name comes from the fact that it originally occupied the final (8th) column of the broadsheet newspaper's front page. In a front page redesign in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Column 8 moved to the back page of the first section from 31 July 2000.[10]

The content tends to the quirky, typically involving strange urban occurrences, instances of confusing signs (often in Engrish), wordplay, and discussion of more or less esoteric topics.[11]

The column is also sometimes affectionately known as Granny, after a fictional grandmother who supposedly edited the content. The old Granny logo was used for the first twenty years of the column and is occasionally resurrected for a special restrospective.[9] The logo was a caricature of Sydney Deamer, originator of the column and its author for 14 years.[12][10]

It was edited for 15 years by George Richards, who retired on January 31, 2004.[13][9] Other editors besides Deamer and Richards have been Duncan Thompson, Bill Fitter, Col Allison, Jim Cunningham, and briefly, Peter Bowers and Lenore Nicklin.[13] The column is currently edited by Pat Sheil.[14]

Several volumes collecting highlights have been published:

  • Richards, George (editor), ed. (1995). The best of Column 8. Sydney: Sydney Morning Herald Books. ISBN 186290104X. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)[15]
  • Richards, George (editor), ed. (1996). More of the best of Column 8. Sydney: Sydney Morning Herald Books. ISBN 186290104X. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)[16]
  • Richards, George (editor), ed. (2006). Column 8 : the best of Column 8. Sydney: Fairfax Enterprises. ISBN 1921190051. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help) - publication to coincide with the Sydney Morning Herald's 175th birthday[17]
  • Richards, George (editor), ed. (c. 2006). Column 8 : the best of Column 8. Volume 2. Sydney: Fairfax Enterprises. ISBN 192119006X. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)[18]

Other journals have adopted the Column 8 style, following the Sydney Morning Herald lead.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ ""Calling them to account"". Peter Manning. University of Technology Sydney. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  2. ^ "State of the News Print Media in Australia 2007: Circulation". Australian Press Council. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  3. ^ Kathy Moignard (1990). "Ward, Frederick William (1847 - 1934)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12. MUP. pp. pp 382–383. Retrieved 2007-09-23. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  4. ^ "In pursuit of readers, Fairfax plans to shrink its papers". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  5. ^ "It's time for a vote of greater independence". Editorial. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-10-07.
  6. ^ "Why NSW cannot afford four more years of Labor". Editorial. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2007-03-22.
  7. ^ "The more they stay the same …". Editorial. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2007-11-24.
  8. ^ Ruth Park (1999). Ruth Park's Sydney. Duffy & Snellgrove. ISBN 1-875989-45-5.
  9. ^ a b c "26.19 Granny George calls it a day" (PDF). Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter (Number 26). Queensland: ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website: page 5. February 2004. ISSN 1443-4962. Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |formate= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b "8.37 Changes in the Herald: Who will make me smile before breakfast?" (PDF). Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter (Number 8). Queensland: ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website: pages 17-18. August 2000. ISSN 1443-4962. Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |formate= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "41.26 Has the world gone mad? Column 8 at 60" (PDF). Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter (Number 41). Queensland: ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website: page 8. February 2007. ISSN 1443-4962. Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |formate= ignored (help)
  12. ^
    Error: Template:ADB is ambiguous; use instead: {{Cite ADB}} (for the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie), or {{Australian Dictionary of Biography}}
  13. ^ a b Ramsey, Alan (4 February 2004). "George has moved on but his Granny still lives". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  14. ^ "32.31 Column 8 Changes Style" (PDF). Australian Newspaper History Group Newsletter (Number 32). Queensland: ANHG via the University of Queensland’s School of Journalism & Communication Website. May 2005. ISSN 1443-4962. Retrieved 2008-01-15. The Column 8 has a new editor, Pat Sheil, and he is changing the style of the 58-year-old Sydney Morning Herald column. "I am trying to make it a bit edgier than it was," he told MediaWeek (11 April 2005, p.6). "Basically, Column 8 should be like a chat, without making it too trite or stupid." George Richards edited Column 8 for fifteen and a half years before retiring early last year (see ANHG 26.19). James Cockington edited it until handing over to Sheil in February this year. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |formate= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Libraries Australia record for 1995 edition of volume 1
  16. ^ Libraries Australia record for 1996 edition of More of the best of
  17. ^ Libraries Australia record for 2006 edition
  18. ^ Libraries Australia record for 2006 edition of volume 2
  19. ^ "Next issue... how YOU can help!" (pdf (4 pages)). aqua.regia (Issue 2 Weeks 3-4, Semester 1, 2005). University of Sydney Union: page 4. 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-15. We're thinking of having a Column 8 style section in the upcoming Aquas. Send in your weird and wonderful snippets of uni life that you go through in the first couple of weeks {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)

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