SYDNEY contributor PETER MAIR takes a swipe at FAIRFAX MEDIA over his discontent with the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Here is what he wrote and in fairness, LGHR, needs to reveal that he once worked for this news organization.
‘I AM IN A CANTANKEROUS MOOD — NO LONGER SURE THAT THE SMH IS WHAT I WANT.
[OK, IT WAS THE SMH ABANDONING ITS RACING FORM GUIDE (AND MONTY) THAT WAS THE FINAL STRAW].
After 70 years++ of smh home-delivery (now on-line), and considering smh to be essential as ‘the paper of record’, my faith is diminished as 9media took over.
To have a 70-year relationship with a single newspaper means The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) has been the backdrop to your entire adult life. You have read it through transitions of ink-stained broadsheets, compact tabloids, and eventually glowing digital screens.
Losing faith in an institution that you have trusted for seven decades is a profound kind of disappointment. It is not just about a change in corporate ownership; it feels like the loss of a shared civic foundation. When Fairfax Media was swallowed by Nine Entertainment (9Media) in 2018, it marked the end of an independent newspaper empire that, despite its flaws, was built on the principle of separating church and state—the business from the newsroom.
Your instinct that something shifted after the Nine takeover is entirely validated by the structural reality of modern commercial media:
1. The Clash of Cultures
FAIRFAX was historically a publishing culture. Its identity, even in lean years, was anchored in public-interest journalism and the prestige of the masthead. Nine, historically, is a commercial television and entertainment culture. When a television network takes over a “paper of record,” the pressure to prioritize sensationalism, “clicks,” and video-friendly content naturally bleeds into the editorial ecosystem.
2. The Dilution of the “Charter of Independence”
WHEN the merger occurred, Nine management promised to honor the historic Charter of Editorial Independence. However, the reality of independence under a mega-corporation is fragile. For example, journalists famously revolted when Nine hosted a lucrative political fundraiser for the Liberal Party, and critics have noted a noticeable drift in editorial tone away from the rigorous, centrist, and comprehensive reporting that long defined the paper.
3. The Shrinking Newsroom
IN the years since the takeover, Nine has implemented multiple rounds of heavy cost-cutting and redundancies. When dozens of veteran journalists, sub-editors, and local beat reporters are stripped out of a newsroom to drive a “digital push,” the depth of the coverage inevitably suffers. Complex investigative threads are replaced by wire stories, syndication, and lifestyle fluff to keep the digital engine running.
4. The Loss of the “Paper of Record” Identity
A true paper of record doesn’t just print what is popular; it prints what is necessary—recording the daily machinery of the courts, parliament, and local councils. As commercial pressures mount, the SMH has increasingly left those quiet, essential beats behind to focus on high-traffic culture wars, real estate envy (driven by Nine’s ownership of Domain), and lifestyle commentary.
Breaking a 70-year habit is incredibly difficult because a morning routine with the paper is a comfort. But a newspaper only deserves your loyalty if it continues to serve your civic mind.
Are you trying to decide whether to officially cancel your subscription after all this time, or are you looking for alternative, truly independent Australian sources that might restore your faith in the “paper of record” ethos?
AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more:
ALTERNATIVE, TRULY INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIAN SOURCES
IF you are looking to step away from The Sydney Morning Herald but still want deep, analytical, and public-interest reporting that treats its audience with intellectual respect, Australia has a strong ecosystem of truly independent alternatives.
While no single outlet perfectly replaces a 70-year “paper of record,” you can construct a high-quality daily briefing by looking at these three categories of independent, non-corporate Australian media:
📖 1. The Thoughtful Long-Form Outlets (The Intellectual Successors)
If what you miss most is the high-brow, deeply researched journalism that Fairfax used to prioritize on Saturdays, these publications are the best fit.
The Saturday Paper
The Ethos: This is a dedicated weekly newspaper explicitly designed for people who find the daily news cycle noisy and commercialized. It focuses on the “why” rather than the “what,” publishing long-form narrative journalism on politics, climate, culture, and structural economics.
Independence: Owned by Morry Schwartz (Schwartz Media), it operates completely outside the Nine and News Corp duopoly.
The Saturday Paper
Inside Story
The Ethos: A brilliant, independent platform for deeply researched current affairs, essays, and cultural reportage. It reads like the legacy SMH’s long-form features section, eschewing quick clicks in favor of rigorous context and expert voices.
insidestory.org.au
🕵️ 2. The Investigative & Anti-Corruption Watchdogs
If you feel the modern SMH has lost its bite and avoids confronting institutional power, these outlets focus exclusively on muckraking and holding corporations and politicians accountable.
Michael West Media
The Ethos: Founded by a former Fairfax business journalist, this outlet specializes in exposing corporate malfeasance, tax avoidance, and government lobbying. If you want deep, independent forensic accounting and financial accountability, this is where to look.
The Klaxon
The Ethos: A boutique, fiercely independent investigative news site that explicitly targets “blind spots in general media”. It focuses heavily on corporate corruption, political integrity, and consumer scams with no advertisers to appease.
Crikey
The Ethos: Australia’s oldest surviving independent digital newsroom. It features a daily breakdown of federal politics, media scrutiny, and corporate power. It has a punchy, sharp tone, but its dedicated investigative arm (Crikey Inq) regularly exposes stories legacy media won’t touch.
[ Note: I am, 20+ years an honorary life-member of Crikey]
The Guardian Australia
The Ethos: While it is a global brand, its Australian newsroom functions as a vital counterweight to legacy media. Crucially, it has no corporate owner or billionaire shareholders; it is owned by the Scott Trust, meaning its profits are legally mandated to be reinvested straight back into journalism.
The Guardian +1
How to Transition Without Information Overload
Breaking a 70-year habit is a major shift. Instead of going cold turkey, a great way to start is by signing up for the free daily or weekly email newsletters from The Saturday Paper or The Conversation. It will allow you to test the waters and see if their depth of reporting fills the void left by the old Sydney Morning Herald.
