The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald, commonly abbreviated as SMH, is a daily newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, by Nine Entertainment Co. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, it is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia and is widely regarded as one of the country’s newspapers of record. The masthead developed from a small colonial weekly into a major metropolitan news organization covering Australian politics, public administration, business, courts, international affairs, sport, culture, science, lifestyle and local communities. The newspaper became daily in 1840 and was acquired in 1841 by John Fairfax, who renamed it The Sydney Morning Herald in 1842. The Fairfax family and its corporate successors retained control for almost 150 years, helping establish the title as the principal Sydney publication of the Fairfax newspaper group. Its editorial tradition has generally combined social liberalism with market-oriented views, although its positions have varied by issue and period. The Herald has endorsed both Coalition and Labor candidates at federal elections, and its editorials have regularly addressed constitutional reform, Indigenous affairs, economic policy, climate policy and civil liberties. SMH publishes a compact-format print edition from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, its principal sister Sunday title is The Sun-Herald. The brand also operates digitally through smh.com.au and associated mobile products, providing continuously updated journalism seven days a week. Its print distribution extends beyond metropolitan Sydney into regional New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and parts of south-east Queensland. The newspaper is closely associated with The Age of Melbourne, another major Nine Publishing masthead. The brand’s content ecosystem includes news sections, opinion pages, investigative reporting, sport, business, arts and entertainment, food, motoring, real estate, employment and personal finance. Long-running features include Column 8, a reader-contributed column about unusual observations and wordplay, and Good Weekend, a Saturday magazine supplement shared with The Age. Other recurring supplements and lift-outs have included Good Food, Domain, Drive, Money, Spectrum, The Guide and MyCareer. The Herald’s transition from print to digital accelerated during the 1990s, when it launched its web edition, smh.com.au. In the 2010s, Fairfax Media introduced a digital-first strategy and paid access arrangements while also changing the newspaper from broadsheet to compact format. The final Saturday broadsheet appeared in February 2014, followed by the compact edition from March. Fairfax Media merged with Nine Entertainment in December 2018, placing the Herald within Nine’s broader publishing and media portfolio. The newspaper has also faced scrutiny over historical and contemporary editorial practices. In 2023 it apologised for its nineteenth-century coverage of the Myall Creek massacre and the trials of those responsible, acknowledging that earlier reporting reflected racist colonial attitudes. In 2022, coverage involving Australian actor Rebel Wilson prompted public criticism and renewed debate about privacy, public-interest journalism and the ethics of publishing information about a person’s sexuality. Despite such controversies, the masthead remains an important participant in Australian public debate and a significant digital news brand.

The Sydney Morning Herald began in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, founded by Ward Stephens, Frederick Stokes and William McGarvie, all former employees of the Sydney Gazette. The original publication was a four-page weekly with a reported circulation of 750 copies. It became a daily newspaper in 1840. In 1841, English immigrant John Fairfax acquired the operation and changed its name to The Sydney Morning Herald in 1842. Fairfax established editorial principles stressing accuracy, candour and independence from personal abuse, principles that became part of the newspaper’s institutional identity. The Fairfax family controlled the newspaper for nearly a century and a half. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Herald expanded its reporting capacity and incorporated new journalistic technologies. Donald Murray, associated with the development of a teleprinter predecessor, worked at the newspaper in the 1890s. A weekly Page for Women was introduced in 1905 under the editorship of Theodosia Ada Wallace. The paper’s front page remained primarily advertising-led for longer than some competitors; it began regularly placing news on the front page on 15 April 1944. A Sunday edition, The Sunday Herald, was launched in 1949. In 1953 it was combined with the acquired Sun newspaper to form The Sun-Herald, which became the Sunday sister publication associated with the Herald and, later, The Age. Fairfax expanded beyond newspapers into magazines, radio and television after the company became publicly listed in 1957. The corporate group experienced a severe financial crisis in 1990 after Warwick Fairfax attempted a highly leveraged privatisation. The assets were subsequently acquired by Conrad Black and Fairfax was relisted in 1992. A merger with Rural Press in 2006 broadened the group’s publishing interests. The Herald entered the digital era in 1995 with the launch of smh.com.au. The online service gradually developed from a web version of the newspaper into a multimedia news platform with continuously updated reporting, video, interactive material, mobile products and subscription services. During the same period, the newspaper moved from its Jones Street premises to Darling Park, established a new printing operation at Chullora and later occupied facilities at Darling Island alongside other Fairfax divisions. Fairfax announced plans in 2007 to reduce the Herald and The Age from broadsheet to compact format, but postponed the change. In 2012 it revived the plan as part of a digital-first strategy that also included significant group-wide job reductions and paid-access arrangements for the newspapers’ websites. The final Saturday broadsheet was printed on 22 February 2014; compact publication began on 1 March, ahead of the Chullora plant’s decommissioning. The newspaper has maintained a prominent role in Australian political and civic debate. Its editorial position is often described as centrist, with market-liberal and socially liberal elements. It has supported republicanism, endorsed different political parties at different federal elections, and published positions on Indigenous recognition, international affairs and civil liberties. In 2023 the newspaper publicly apologised for historical coverage of the Myall Creek massacre and its trials, acknowledging that nineteenth-century reporting reproduced racist colonial assumptions. In 2022 it faced criticism after columnist Andrew Hornery attempted to disclose actor Rebel Wilson’s relationship, producing a wider discussion about journalistic ethics and privacy. Fairfax Media merged with Nine Entertainment on 10 December 2018. The Sydney Morning Herald consequently became part of Nine Publishing, alongside The Age and other Australian media properties. The masthead continues to publish in print and online, with digital journalism operating seven days a week and the compact print newspaper appearing Monday through Saturday.

1. 2018Fairfax joins Nine Entertainment

   Fairfax Media merged into Nine Entertainment, creating the newspaper’s present corporate ownership structure.

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2. 2014Compact print format introduced

   The Saturday broadsheet was replaced by a compact-format edition.

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3. 1995smh.com.au launched

   The newspaper established its web edition, later developing it into a major digital news platform.

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4. 1953The Sun-Herald created

   The Sunday Herald was combined with the Sun to create The Sun-Herald.

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5. 1949Sunday edition launched

   The Sunday Herald began publication.

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6. 1842The Sydney Morning Herald name adopted

   The title was renamed The Sydney Morning Herald.

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7. 1841John Fairfax acquires the newspaper

   John Fairfax purchased the operation, beginning the long Fairfax family association with the title.

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8. 1840Daily publication begins

   The newspaper changed from weekly to daily publication.

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9. 1831Sydney Herald founded

   Ward Stephens, Frederick Stokes and William McGarvie founded the Sydney Herald as a weekly newspaper.

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A mainstream, centrist-leaning Australian newspaper of record combining metropolitan reporting, national journalism, investigative work, opinion and lifestyle content across print and digital channels.

• The Sydney Morning Herald print editionNewspaper1831

  The core compact-format newspaper is published Monday through Saturday. It contains national and international news, Sydney and New South Wales reporting, politics, business, courts, sport, culture, opinion and recurring specialist lift-outs.

• smh.com.auDigital news1995

  The Herald’s digital platform provides continuously updated journalism, multimedia reporting, analysis, newsletters and subscription access. It extends the masthead beyond the daily print cycle and is available through the web and associated mobile products.

• Good WeekendMagazine supplement1978

  Good Weekend is a Saturday magazine supplement shared by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. It focuses on long-form features, food, wine, fashion, personal stories, interviews and recurring humor and lifestyle sections.

• The Sun-HeraldSunday newspaper1953

  The Sun-Herald is the Sunday sister newspaper associated with The Sydney Morning Herald. It was created in 1953 through the combination of The Sunday Herald and the Sun and continues the group’s weekend news and feature publishing.

• Column 8Newspaper feature1947

  Column 8 is a long-running reader-contributed feature built around unusual observations, urban incidents, confusing signs, puns and eccentric topics. First published in 1947, it is an enduring part of the Herald’s informal relationship with readers.

• 2012Daily Life Woman of the Year

  Australia

  The Daily Life section established Woman of the Year awards, combining public voting with judging by a Fairfax-appointed panel. Reported recipients included Julia Gillard, the RAAF cadet known as ADFA Kate, Rosie Batty, Gillian Triggs and Mariam Veiszadeh.

  Outcome. The awards became a recurring recognition program associated with the newspaper’s women’s and lifestyle coverage.

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• 2018Merger with Nine EntertainmentM&A

  Fairfax Media pursued a combination with Nine Entertainment as the Australian media sector consolidated.

  What changed. Fairfax Media merged into Nine Entertainment on 10 December 2018.

  Aftermath. The Herald became part of Nine Publishing and operated alongside The Age and other Nine media assets.

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• 2012Decision to convert the newspaper to compact formatGeneration change

  Fairfax sought to reduce dependence on large-format print production while integrating print, web and mobile publishing.

  What changed. The company announced that The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age would move from broadsheet to compact format and introduced a broader digital-first plan.

  Aftermath. The last Saturday broadsheet appeared in February 2014, with compact editions beginning the following month.

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• 1995Launch of the digital editionProduct launch

  Growing internet use created an opportunity to distribute the Herald outside the print production and delivery cycle.

  What changed. Fairfax launched smh.com.au as the newspaper’s web edition.

  Aftermath. The service expanded into a continuously updated multimedia and subscription news platform.

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• 2022Rebel Wilson outing controversyControversy

  A column by Andrew Hornery attempted to disclose information about actor Rebel Wilson’s relationship. Wilson announced the relationship herself before publication, and the episode generated international criticism concerning consent, privacy and editorial judgment.

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• 1836Historical coverage of Indigenous violence and the Myall Creek massacreControversy

  As the Sydney Herald, the newspaper published colonial material advocating or defending violent treatment of Indigenous Australians and later produced hostile coverage connected with the Myall Creek massacre and prosecutions. In 2023 the newspaper apologised for this historical reporting.

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• 2025Editor Bevan Shields resigns

  Bevan Shields resigned as editor, with political editor Jordan Baker identified as his successor from the beginning of 2026.

  Leadership change
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• 2023The Herald supports the Indigenous Voice referendum

  The newspaper editorially supported the Yes position in Australia’s referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

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• 2018Fairfax Media merges with Nine Entertainment

  Fairfax Media became part of Nine Entertainment, bringing The Sydney Morning Herald into Nine’s integrated publishing and media group.

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• 2014The Herald completes its move to compact print format

  The Saturday edition appeared in broadsheet for the final time in February, with compact-format publication beginning in March.

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1. The Sydney Morning Herald
2. The Sydney Morning Herald official website