The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney 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. Their initial print run reached only 750 copies. The operation began publishing daily in 1840. An Englishman named John Fairfax purchased the newspaper in 1841. He renamed it The Sydney Morning Herald the following year. Fairfax family members controlled the business for nearly 150 years. His editorial policies relied on principles of candour, honesty, and honour. He stated they had no wish to mislead readers or gratify interests through abuse. Donald Murray worked at the Herald during the 1890s. He invented a predecessor of the teleprinter while employed there. A weekly Page for Women launched in 1905 under editor Theodosia Ada Wallace. The front page did not publish news until the 15th of April 1944. Only The West Australian delayed this change longer than the Herald.
Fairfax went public in 1957 and expanded into magazines, radio, and television. The group collapsed spectacularly on the 11th of December 1990 when Warwick Fairfax attempted to privatise the company. He borrowed $1.8 billion to execute this plan. Conrad Black bought the group before it was re-listed in 1992. In 2006, Fairfax announced a merger with Rural Press. This brought John B. Fairfax back as a significant player. From the 10th of December 2018, Fairfax Media merged into Nine Entertainment. The paper became a sister to the Nine Network's TCN station. Fairfax had been the founding owner of ATN, which later became the flagship Seven Network. The organisation moved from Jones Street to new offices at Darling Park. They built a new printing press at Chullora in the city's west. The SMH later moved with other Sydney Fairfax divisions to a building at Darling Island. A Centenary Supplement appeared in 1931 to mark the newspaper's first century.
In May 2007, Fairfax Media announced plans to move from broadsheet to compact format. They abandoned these plans later that year. Fairfax again announced in June 2012 its intention to shift both broadsheet newspapers to tabloid size. This change took effect from March 2013. The Saturday edition remained in broadsheet format until the 22nd of February 2014. It converted to compact format on the 1st of March 2014. The printing plant at Chullora decommissioned in June 2014. Fairfax also cut staff across the entire group by 1,900 over three years. They erected paywalls around the papers' websites using a freemium model. Readers could access a limited number of free stories per month before payment was required. The announcement formed part of an overall digital first strategy. Management sought full integration of online, print and mobile platforms. In November 2025, editor Bevan Shields resigned and handed the job to Jordan Baker. The paper now publishes daily in compact form from Monday to Saturday as The Sydney Morning Herald. Sunday editions appear as The Sun-Herald.
The contemporary editorial stance of The Sydney Morning Herald is generally centrist. It has been described as the most centrist of Australia's three major news publications. In 2004, the newspaper stated that market libertarianism and social liberalism guided its editorial stance. During the 1999 referendum on whether Australia should become a republic, the Herald strongly supported a Yes vote. It also endorsed the Yes vote for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. The newspaper did not endorse the Labor Party for federal office in the first six decades of Federation. It always backed a conservative government during that period. Since then it has endorsed Labor in seven federal elections including 1961, 1984, 1987, 2007, 2010, 2019, 2022, and 2025. At state level, the Herald consistently backs the Coalition. The only time since 1973 that it endorsed a Labor government for New South Wales was Bob Carr's government in 2003. The Herald endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In May 2023, the paper opposed the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States. A poll found 79% of readers opposed his extradition.
As The Sydney Herald, the newspaper reflected racist attitudes within the colony. Its editorial stance urged squatters across Australia to emulate the mass killing of Native Americans. 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. At least twenty-eight unarmed Wirraayaraay men, women and children were murdered by white stockmen during the Myall Creek massacre. The paper published a long letter from a squatter defending the killings. He described Indigenous inhabitants as the most degenerate, despicable, and brutal race of beings in existence. He wrote that civilization destroys them where labor and industry flourish. The Herald's editorialisation on the trials contrasted with other newspapers which were more respectful. They viewed Aboriginal Australians as protected under law as British subjects. In 2023, the paper apologised for its coverage of the massacre and subsequent trials. In June 2022, global backlash followed an attempted outing of actress Rebel Wilson by columnist Andrew Hornery. Editor Bevan Shields defended his since-deleted column before it was removed.
Writers include Waleed Aly, Eliza Ashton, Louisa Atkinson, Julia Baird, Lucian Boz, Mike Carlton, Anne Davies, Peter FitzSimons, Ross Gittins, Richard Glover, Peter Hartcher, Amanda Hooton, Adele Horin, H. G. Kippax, Amy Mack, Louise Mack, Roy Masters, Kate McClymont, Anne Summers, and Michael Visontay. Simon Letch won recognition as one of the year's best illustrators four consecutive times. Current journalists include James Massola, Callan Boys, Paul Sakkal, Lisa Visentin, Angus Thompson, Monique Farmer, and David Swan. After 40 years as art critic, John McDonald was sacked in September 2024. Column 8 first appeared on the 11th of January 1947. It originally occupied the final eighth column of the broadsheet front page. The name comes from this original position. George Richards edited the column for 15 years until retiring on the 31st of January 2004. As at March 2017, Tim Barlass edits the column. He frequently appends reader contributions with puns. Good Weekend launched in May 1978 as part of Saturday's Herald. It became a separate magazine supplement in October 1984. Stephanie Wood, Jane Cadzow, Melissa Fyfe, Tim Elliott, Konrad Marshall, and Amanda Hooton write for it. In March 2024, David Swan won the 2023 Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist of the Year.
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Common questions
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.
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.