Also farewelling his newsroom (this weekend) after an incredible 31 years – and two Gold Walkeys – is the AFR’s investigative reporter Neil Chenoweth.
Last year Chenoweth and Edmund Tadros took home Gold after uncovering the PwC tax leak scandal.
Chenoweth has also been dogged in his pursuit of News Corp’s financial accounts over decades, attracting criticism from the Murdoch empire for his efforts. The Australian once accused him of having made a career out of “trading conspiratorial stories”. Chenoweth is retiring but will remain a contributor.
Yesterday was my last day at the Fin after 31 years. A great sadness to leave so many friends & splendid colleagues. But no one does a farewell card like the great @roweafr pic.twitter.com/VzXuzckQvW
— Neil Chenoweth (@NeilChenoweth) November 29, 2024
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Former AFR Rear Window columnist Joe Aston will launch his own subscription-based news publication next year.
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Top editor Lisa Muxworthy joins Nine’s metro mastheads
Experienced media executive Lisa Muxworthy has been appointed to the newly created role of Head of Growth Content at Nine’s metro mastheads.
Muxworthy, who drove record numbers at news.com.au during her four years as editor-in-chief, brings her expertise and leadership to The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAtoday.
As Head of Growth Content, Muxworthy will drive a growth content strategy to attract new audiences across Nine’s market-leading mastheads.
Muxworthy will take responsibility for a new Growth Content reporting team and editor, social media teams, as well as search, audio and video content.
“I am thrilled to join the talented team of editors and journalists at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and have the opportunity to execute strategies for growing audiences and push the boundaries of content discovery and distribution,” Muxworthy said.
The Sydney Morning Herald is the nation’s most-read masthead, while The Age is the second most read title in the country.
“Lisa is the complete package when it comes to digital publishing,” Executive Editor Luke McIlveen said.
“Under her editorship, News.com.au won the Gold Walkey in 2022 for the Britanny Higgins story and Lisa was part of the team that drove important editorial campaigns including Let Her Speak, which led to the abolition of sexual assault victim gag laws in Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
“Lisa is respected across the industry as an exceptional leader who builds high-performing teams with incredible culture and has a proven track record of growing audiences and engagement.
“She’s a passionate editor who puts the audience first and I’m delighted to have Lisa on my leadership team.”
Muxworthy will commence her new role on February 3, 2025.
Lisa Muxworthy joins Nine Publishing
Lisa Muxworthy, who drove record readership numbers at news.com.au, has been appointed to the newly-created role of head of growth content at Nine’s metro mastheads.
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‘Disgraceful’: Newspaper’s unforgivable front page Gout Gout blunder
In a story relating to Gout’s absurd multimillion-dollar deal with Adidas, The Sunday Age unfortunately used an image of Bol, 30, on the front page.
The blunder of using Bol in place of Gout appears to have come from images of when the pair trained together in Melbourne in early December.
A spokesperson from The Age apologised for the error in a statement provided to news.com.au on Monday.
“A correction and apology will appear in tomorrow’s newspaper, and the incorrect photo is being removed from the digital edition of the Sunday Age.
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Greg Baum penned a column in The Age today, looking back at his 45-year career in journalism.
Colleague Robert Craddock (News Corp cricket writer) posted on social media that Baum received a standing ovation in the MCG media centre yesterday following the end of the Australia-India cricket test.
Baum will work until the conclusion of Australian Open tennis in late January before departing The Age.
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Tennis, brought to you by Good Weekend magazine, serves up a grand slam of Australian Open features
As a roll-call of the world’s best tennis players descend on Melbourne Park for the Australian Open, a special magazine celebrating the 2025 Summer of Tennis will be published through The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this Saturday, January 11, produced by Good Weekend. It will also appear online on these mastheads, as well as the Brisbane Times and WAtoday.
Tennis is a must-read for any fan of the furry yellow ball, packed with features that give a unique insight into the lives of some of the most well-known elite athletes in the world.
With a new generation of tennis stars conquering Centre Court, journalist Greg Baum asks whether the Sinner/Alcarez era is set to usurp the Federer/Nadel/Djokovic one. Alan Attwood delves into the game behind the game, with a feature called The Mind Game, which explores the role of the brain in separating the best from the rest. Attwood has also compiled a list of the players to keep an eye on this Australian Open.
One of the most exciting young players Australia has recently produced is Alexei Popyrin. Brook Turner profiles the rising star, who is currently placed 24th on the ATP Rankings. Snapping at his heels is Australian doubles champ Jordan Thompson, ranked 26th on the singles rankings. David Leser spends an afternoon with Thompson, observing how the 30-year-old Sydneysider – who is the highest-ranking Australian doubles player – is now taking on the singles circuit.
Elsewhere in the issue, Konrad Marshall chats with Jelena Dokic, who has won a legion of new fans since the former player became one of the 9Network’s star commentators. Marshall also talks to junior stars, siblings Hayden and Emerson Jones, about their relationships on and off the court.
“This is the third year in which Good Weekend has published Tennis, a magazine devoted to the sport that has us transfixed in the second half of January,” said Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland. “And it’s an exciting time, with Australian players like Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson rising from the pack, No. 1 players Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka returning to defend their 2024 AO titles, and junior sibling duo Hayden and Emerson Jones underlining the depth of talent in the next generation of Aussie players.”
Tennis illustrates the broad scope of Nine’s assets spanning Total Publishing, Television, Audio and Digital. Nine is uniquely placed to provide brands with optimal access to the action, with an enviable media ecosystem that allows marketers to call game, set and match on their campaigns.
“There is no better illustration of how Nine can create opportunities to share the stories of athletes than a quality magazine such as Tennis, brought to you by some of Australia’s most highly-regarded journalists on Good Weekend,” said Jo Clasby, Nine’s director of sales – publishing.
“As the official broadcaster of the Australian Open through to 2029, we are thrilled with the extension of our partnership into a print insert in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, as well as for online readers of those mastheads together with Brisbane Times and WAtoday.”
Good Weekend’s regular Saturday magazine returns on January 25.
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Key appointments to bolster the Financial Review’s lifestyle coverage
The Australian Financial Review has bolstered its lifestyle coverage with four key appointments. The appointments follow readership growth for both of the Financial Review’s glossy titles, defying the broader downturn in readership for newspaper inserted magazines.
Lauren Sams has been appointed as editor of Fin Magazine, the Financial Review’s seasonal glossy magazine. Sams has been the Financial Review’s fashion editor since joining the masthead in 2019 and will replace Matthew Drummond who will continue as editor of the monthly AFR Magazine.
“Fin Magazine is the Financial Review’s glossy guide to the finer things in life,” said Sams. “If AFR Magazine is about success, then Fin Magazine is about reaping it. We’ll travel the world to bring readers the very best in absolutely everything, guiding them from discovery to obsession”
“In 2025, we’re introducing new formats and features including beauty and wellness. And we will continue to lead the way when it comes to fashion, culture, motoring, watches and jewellery.” Before joining the Financial Review Sams was features director at ELLE Australia and has worked at Cosmopolitan and delicious.com.au.
Anna McCooe has been appointed to the role of senior travel writer at the Financial Review. In this newly-created role, McCooe will oversee travel content across the masthead including afr.com, the daily newspaper, Life & Leisure, AFR Magazine and Fin Magazine. McCooe brings a wealth of experience to the Financial Review and has 12 years experience in travel journalism. She has most recently been deputy editor of Gourmet Traveller. Before that she was the travel and lifestyle editor for Marie Claire. In 2019 she launched Marie Claire Lifestyle.
Jessica Beresford has been appointed as associate editor of Life & Leisure, the Financial Review’s weekly lifestyle insert. Beresford joins the Financial Review from the Financial Times where she has been a contributing editor and also fashion features editor for that title’s luxury glossy, HTSI. She has also been the managing editor of The Rake, based in London. Beresford will be based in the Financial Review’s Sydney newsroom and will work alongside Charis Perkins as editor of Life & Leisure.
Also joining the team is Maria Shollenbarger who’ll write a regular column on travel for AFR Magazine. As well as being a regular contributor to both AFR Magazine and Fin Magazine, Shollenbarger is the travel editor for HTSI at the Financial Times.
“These appointments demonstrate our commitment to ensure the Financial Review’s lifestyle offering has the same authority as the rest of our award-winning journalism,” said AFR Magazine editor Matthew Drummond. “As we gain greater data-led insights into the habits of our subscribers, we can see the need to build upon and broaden our coverage across travel, fashion, jewellery, watches, wellness and other lifestyle categories.”
In the latest Roy Morgan readership figures, for the September quarter, the Financial Review had a combined print and digital readership of 3.5 million. AFR Magazine has a print readership of 502,000, up 1 per cent year-on-year and now over three times larger than its main competitor. Fin Magazine has a readership of 101,000, up 7 per cent year-on-year.*
*Source: Roy Morgan Research; People 14+ for the 12 months ending September 2024
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The Sydney Morning Herald expands newsroom with opening of Parramatta bureau
The Sydney Morning Herald is establishing a Parramatta bureau, as the city’s longest-serving masthead looks to the geographical heart of Sydney to drive subscriber growth.
With investment including funding for office space in the Parramatta central business district and a marketing campaign, the bureau will ensure the Herald is in the beating heart of a city undergoing rapid transformation.
The expansion doubles down on the masthead’s enhanced coverage over recent years of the important issues and exciting changes playing out in western Sydney. Set to operate by March, the Parramatta team will cover urban affairs, education, health, culture, sport, politics, transport and any other issues worthy of coverage.
As the population surges in Parramatta and its surrounding suburbs, the region is undergoing a once-in-a-generation boom. The building of the Powerhouse Parramatta represents the largest cultural investment in Sydney since the Opera House in 1959, Metro West and light rail are reshaping the area, and the food and culture scene is rapidly evolving.
The team – which will be recruited externally and internally – will report to the Herald’s associate editor and state topic editor Kathryn Wicks. Journalists from the masthead’s North Sydney newsroom will also undertake short-term rotations in the bureau.
“The opening of our new bureau in Parramatta is one of a number of new investments across the publishing business designed to drive growth,” said Herald editor Bevan Shields.
“A big part of the Herald’s success of late has been our exceptional coverage of Sydney, and this expansion allows us to double down on that winning formula. I am excited to see how our Parramatta team will push the boundaries of editorial innovation.
“Sydney readers are hungry for quality coverage of their suburb and we are ready to meet that demand. This strategy will also allow us to better reflect the diversity of our city, which is an important focus for the Herald.”
Save some money, tell them to WFH.
We don’t need northern Sydney wankers or inner west wankers moving out west. We have enough wankers has it stands.
The Herald has made previous attempts at securing a foothold in western Sydney. According to former Herald journalists, there have been two Parramatta bureaus and one Blacktown bureau in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
The first Parramatta outpost was run by writer and celebrated artist Collinridge Rivett in the 1970s for about a decade.
A new office in Blacktown was opened at the end of the 70s and was run by former Herald science reporter Richard Macey until around 1990, when it was shut.
Then Herald editor-in-chief John Alexander, keen to attract new advertisers and readers in the area, decided to recreate the Parramatta editorial office in the mid-1990s and Macey was again dispatched to run it.
The Age and SMH will include a Good Food page on its weekday edition from January 27.
Maybe Mr White doesn’t realise that not everyone is a fan of his sport? I’m not, and I think Premier Minns could be putting that money towards other purposes, does that make me a fucking wimp?
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The Financial Review and Keypath Education partner launch innovative AI-enabled short course platform for business professionals
Keypath Education Australia, the global EdTech leader, has partnered with The Australian Financial Review to launch AFR Short Courses, powered by Keypath’s StudyNext platform – offering business professionals access to world-leading flexible, high-quality learning options.
The AFR Short Course platform will feature courses from leading institutions across Australia and New Zealand, including Microsoft, CPA Australia, UNSW, The University of Sydney, Melbourne Business School, The University of Queensland, The University of Auckland, and more. These courses will focus on high-demand skills, equipping busy professionals with practical knowledge for today’s evolving business landscape.
Commencing with offerings across AI and Data, it is targeted at addressing the vast upskilling needs of busy working professionals through the compelling power of the StudyNext platform.
Designed to provide a simplified experience to search for trusted educational upskilling options, AFR Short Courses range from two-hour courses to six-week programs. The initial offerings focus on AI and Data, with future portfolios expanding into areas such as finance, leadership, communication, and Environmental, Social, and Governance.
James McCluskie, Nine’s Client Director for Education & Workplace, Finance & Technology said: “Following on from the successful launch of the AFR Executive Education platform in November last year, we are thrilled to be able to again partner with Keypath Education on the launch of the AFR Short Courses Platform on afr.com. This platform, powered by StudyNext, provides our monthly digital audience of 2.5 million the ability to source information on a wide range of the highest quality short courses provided by some of our leading business schools & Universities.
“Combined with the authoritative leadership and careers editorial content of The Australian Financial Review, the platform makes the researching and decision-making process around taking the next step in your management career easier than ever before.”
Financial Review Editor-in-chief James Chessell said: “The AFR Short Courses platform powered by StudyNext is the ideal destination for those who wish to get ahead, a one-stop shop for the latest trends in upskilling as well as a pathway to future career growth.
“The Financial Review strives to be the ‘The daily habit of successful people’ and with the launch of this platform, we seek to partner with Keypath Education and Australia institutions to help make the Financial Review the daily habit of successful careers.”
Commenting on behalf of Microsoft, Yasminka Nemet, Future Skills Lead, Education, said: “Microsoft is delighted to be able to provide our globally developed course material for AFR Short Courses alongside the prestigious institutions that are already contributing to StudyNext. This collaboration will also help reach our goal of providing one million people across Australia and New Zealand with the education and tools they need to flourish in the new AI economy by 2026.”
Keypath Education Asia Pacific CEO, Ryan O’Hare said: “By providing high-quality, career-relevant courses in high-demand fields; Keypath, in partnership with the AFR, is excited to help, guide and empower, professionals via the StudyNext platform to streamline their learning choices, gain valuable skills and advance their careers.”
This partnership builds on the success of the AFR Executive Education StudyNext platform, launched in November 2024. The platform provides information on over 1,000 postgraduate business courses, helping professionals research and find study options that align with their career goals and lifestyles.
To find out more and get access to the AFR Executive Education StudyNext Short Courses platform, visit: afr.studynext.com
Put the money for NSW’s abysmal rail network.
The Herald and The Age launch new subscription licence for university students
The independent and award-winning journalism in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age will be made available to university students and campus staff in a new premium subscription licensing deal announced by Nine today.
Campus Access gives universities access to the Herald and The Age, and is the first time Nine Publishing has developed a direct to student/faculty licence that allows complete access to a premium digital subscription.
With plans to make the licensing deal available to universities around Australia, the first institution to enter into an arrangement is the University of Sydney, which will launch during Welcome Fest this week from Wednesday, 19 February.
The Campus Access partnership will allow students and staff to access a complimentary subscription to the Herald via the university’s portal. With personalised subscription access, students and staff can download the Good Food and news apps, enjoy puzzles, browse Today’s Paper and stay informed with independent coverage of news, politics, business, world, food, travel and culture.
Supported with a marketing campaign and an on-the-ground presence during Welcome Fest, including an activation featuring Herald journalists, photographers, free merchandise and prizes, the initiative is the latest strategic move to engage audiences with quality, objective journalism.
Bevan Shields, editor of the Herald, said: “The arrangement between The Sydney Morning Herald and the University of Sydney will make our award-winning journalism more available to an audience which may otherwise struggle to access it. In the process, we hope to help tackle one of the biggest challenges facing all publishers around the globe: how to encourage more young readers to engage with our content.”
Ashleigh Thomas, Director of Commercial Growth for Nine Publishing, said: “We are excited to introduce Campus Access, a new institutional licence that provides university students and staff with seamless access to the trusted journalism found in our Publishing portfolio. Never before have we been able to offer this type of licence at scale and this marks a significant step in making quality journalism more accessible to the next generation.”
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott, said: “We’re delighted to give our students and staff access to the Herald’s independent news coverage and their apps. We hope our community makes the most of this opportunity to access accurate and timely news and analysis, whatever their many and varied interests.”
University of Sydney Vice-President External Engagement, Kirsten Andrews, said: “It is more important than ever our community has access to the media to keep informed about important issues and stay across diverse voices and opinions. We encourage students to come to the SMH stall at Welcome Fest where they can meet senior Herald reporters, have a free professional headshot taken by a newsroom photographer and gain insights into journalism and the media industry.”
James McCluskie, Nine’s Client Director of Education, Workplace, Finance and Technology, said: “We look forward to sharing the benefits of Campus Access with other universities across both NSW and Victoria with a long term view to grow the number of partner institutions.”
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