The Sydney Morning Herald has been ‘Celebrating 175 Years’ all year. The words adorn every front page; the Herald ran a number of commemorative features to mark the actual anniversary on April 18; and The Big Picture: Diary of a Nation, consisting of essays by journalists and photographs from the Herald’s magnificent photographic library, has been published (see John Thompson’s review in the March issue).

Australia’s oldest surviving newspaper and its publisher, Fairfax, have also been making news. Many column inches have been expended covering the appointment of a new chief executive, David Kirk, and Herald editor, Alan Oakley. News reports have been supplemented by gossip, disquiet and even venom in various newspapers, online newsletters, and pubs. Will the British import Andrew Jaspan survive as editor of TheAge as he presides over falling circulations and morale? What of the apparently oversubscribed voluntary redundancy offer to the staffs of the Herald, the Sun-Herald and TheAge, a cost-cutting measure initiated at the same time as Fred Hilmer departed as CEO with a $6 million payout? What are we to make of the former political connections of Kirk (chief policy adviser to New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger), chairman Ron Walker (Liberal Party federal treasurer) and editorial director Mark Scott (Liberal Party staffer)? Did Walker, a friend of the late Kerry Packer, play a role in the Herald’s decision to refer to Julie Trethowan as Packer’s ‘close friend’? How were negotiations conducted for the Herald’s wrap-around Commonwealth Games feature on March 16, given Walker was also head of the Games organising committee?