What an extraordinary week.
When I briefed a few of theHerald’s senior leaders a couple of months ago about how I thought we should mark the masthead’s approaching 190th anniversary,it was with a mix of excitement and trepidation. We know “anniversary journalism” can be a turn-off for readers,so it seemed even less likely to work given it would be about ourselves. But 190 years of continuous publishing felt significant enough to take the risk.
And it seems we were right. Our online data says you’ve lapped it up,from the reflections on theHerald from,, and our youngest staff member,to our stories on Sydney -,Jill Dupleix and Terry Durack’s;and. (That was a tough commission - only 10?!)
There’s:Malcolm Knox has written a wonderful piece on the,and in Saturday’sSpectrum,four essays from acclaimed writers like Tom Keneally and Tara June Winch on our cultural identity and how it has changed.
Perhaps most wonderful has been the feedback from readers.
You had already sent in via our callout a few weeks ago,but there has been more this week. My favourite was this:
May the Herald flourish for a further 190 years. We owe it a great debt. It has in its time contributed inestimable value to the quality of our society. As Humphrey Bogart observed in one of his movies,journalism may not be the oldest profession in the world,but it is the best.Peter Thomas,Rose Bay
As part of our birthday week,I hosted a cocktail party at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday night. As I said in my speech,I had been asked a few times why we were celebrating 190 - some deeply cynical wags on Twitter suggesting it was because we didn’t think we could make 200 years. Far from it. We wanted to show just how far we had come and make a statement of strength about where we are going.
As I said in my remarks,our rich history in this city,our contribution to the national debate over almost two centuries and our unwavering commitment to pursuing the stories that matter to our readers is undoubtedly worth celebrating.
Our invited guests agreed,including,former prime minister John Howard,Premier Gladys Berejiklian,Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brooks,former premier and federal foreign minister Bob Carr,former and current lord mayors Lucy Turnbull and Clover Moore,and sporting administrators like Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’Landys (rugby league,racing) and interim Cricket Australian CEO Nick Hockley.
There will be many who raise an eyebrow that Lachlan Murdoch,co-chair of News Corporation,and his senior Australian lieutenants including Michael Miller were invited - and attended. We have worked together in recent times to secure the for the industry and on the. Democracy is more robust with a strong and financially viable media,and our differences can be celebrated.
But it has been theHerald’s week. Chris Janz,Nine’s chief digital and publishing officer,revived theHerald’s nickname in his remarks to guests:“She may be the country’s oldest Granny,but there’s a long life ahead of her yet.”
So from all of us - thank you for your continued support. Bring on the double century!