When did The Sydney Morning Herald first appear?
The Sydney Morning Herald first appeared on the 18th of April 1831. Three men named Ward Stephens, Frederick Stokes, and William McGarvie started the paper as a four-page weekly publication.
Questions about The Sydney Morning Herald
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who purchased The Sydney Morning Herald in 1841?
An Englishman named John Fairfax purchased the newspaper in 1841. He renamed it The Sydney Morning Herald the following year.
What format changes did The Sydney Morning Herald undergo in 2013 and 2014?
The change to tabloid size took effect from March 2013. The Saturday edition converted to compact format on the 1st of March 2014.
Which political parties has The Sydney Morning Herald endorsed since Federation?
The newspaper always backed a conservative government during the first six decades of Federation. Since then it has endorsed Labor in seven federal elections including 1961, 1984, 1987, 2007, 2010, 2019, 2022, and 2025.
How did The Sydney Morning Herald respond to the Myall Creek massacre in 1836?
The front page on the 26th of December 1836 read: If nothing but extermination will do, they will exterminate the savages as they would wild beasts. In 2023, the paper apologised for its coverage of the massacre and subsequent trials.