The Courier-Mail
Encyclopedia
The Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper
published in Brisbane
, Australia
. Owned by News Limited
, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills
, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie
, in Brisbane's eastern suburbs. It is available for purchase throughout Queensland
, most regions of Northern New South Wales
and parts of the Northern Territory
.
The Moreton Bay Courier was established as a weekly paper in June 1846. It became a bi-weekly in January 1858, a tri-weekly in December 1859 and finally a daily newspaper under the editorship of Theophilus Parsons Pugh
from 14 May 1861. The recognised founder and first editor was Arthur Sidney Lyon
(1817–1861) who was assisted by its printer, the later mayor of Brisbane and member of Queensland Legislative Council
, the hon James Swan
(1811–1891). Lyon, also referred to as the "father of the Press" in the colony of Queensland, had previously served as a writer
and journalist
in Melbourne and he would move on to found and edit journals such as Moreton Bay Free Press, North Australian and Darling Downs Gazette. He arrived in Brisbane
from Sydney
in early 1846 with a plan to establish a newspaper, possibly influenced by Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang
, who had encouraged Lyon to emigrate to Australia. Lyon then persuaded James Swan
, a printer
who had previously worked on Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang
's newspaper
"The Colonialist in Sydney
. The two men established themselves in a garret of a building on the corner of Queen Street, Brisbane
and Albert Street, Brisbane
(a building later known as the North Star Hotel).
The first issue of the Moreton Bay Courier, consisting of 4 pages, appeared on Saturday 20 June 1846 with Arthur Sidney Lyon
as editor
and James Swan
as publisher. It was published weekly on Saturdays.
However, after about 18 months of working together, Lyon and Swan continually disagreed on many aspects of editorial policy, including transportation of convicts and squatting
, and Lyon took over sole control in late 1847. However, Lyon ran into money problems, allowing James Swan to take sole control. Eventually James Swan sold the newspaper to Thomas Blacket Stephens
in 1859.
The Moreton Bay Courier was purchased by Thomas Blacket Stephens
in May 1861, and he soon turned it into a daily newspaper, The Courier. In 1864 it became the Brisbane Courier. In June–July 1868, he floated the Brisbane Newspaper Company, and transferred the plant and copyright of the Brisbane Courier to it. He was the managing director until he retired in November 1873, when the paper was auctioned. The Journal was then from November 1873 to December 1880 managed by one of the new part owners, the Tasmanian born former public servant Gresley Lukin
(1840–1916), in almost the entire period of which Lukin functioned as 'managing editor' whereas the actual writing and editing was in the hands of the Irishman, William Augustine O'Carroll
(1831–1885) with various sub-editors or editors of the 'literay staff' meaning the Queenslander. Most prominat of these were William Henry Traill
(1842–1902), the later NSW politician and editor of the famed Sydney journal 'The Bulletin
', and the Danish born but English and French educated Carl Adolph Feilberg (1844–1887). Carl Feilberg followed William Henry Trail in the function of political commentator and the de-facto editor of the Queenslander from early January to about 1 January 1881, yet he would later succeed William O'Carroll taking position as the editor-in-chief of the Courier from September 1883 to his death in October 1887. Lukin's part-ownership and managing editorship proprietorship changed hands on 21 December 1880 to the former 'Postmaster General' in the first McIlwraith government, Charles Hardie Buzacott (1835–1918), who had previously served as a journalist on the staff and otherwise had a distinguished career as a Queensland newspaper editor and proprietor. John James Knight
(1863–1927) was editor-in-chief of the Brisbane Courier 1906-16 and later managing director and later again chairman of all the company's publications.H. J. Summers, 'Knight, John James (1863 - 1927)', Australian Dictionary of Biography
, Volume 9, MUP, 1983, pp 622-623
The first edition of The Courier-Mail was published on 28 August 1933 after Keith Murdoch
's Herald and Weekly Times acquired and merged the Brisbane Courier and the Daily Mail (first published on 3 October 1903). HWT controlled the paper until 1987 when it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch
's News Limited
. Murdoch also acquired the outstanding shares of Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
and the National Party of Australia
. At the Queensland state elections in 2009, The Courier-Mail opposed Lawrence Springborg
in his tilt to become Premier of Queensland over incumbent ALP leader Anna Bligh
who, along with obtaining the publication's endorsement, went on to become the first popularly elected female Premier in Australia.The Courier-Mail generally supports free market
economic policies and the process of globalisation. It supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
.
.
Although often claimed to be Brisbane's only daily newspaper since the demise of Queensland Newspapers
' own afternoon newspaper The Telegraph
in 1988, it arguably has had two competitors since 2007. News Corporation
itself has published mX
, a free afternoon newspaper, since 2007, but mX has a relatively low news content. Fairfax Media
has published the online Brisbane Times
since 2007.
s and columnist
s include Terry Sweetman and Mike O'Connor. Its current Editor
is Michael Crutcher. Editor-in-chief for Queensland Newspapers
is David Fagan, who is married to columnist and 612 ABC Brisbane
radio broadcaster Madonna King. Deputy editor is Steve Gibbons, former editor-in-chief of the Australian Provincial Newspapers group and a senior editor at The Age and Sunday Age in Melbourne. Its editorial cartoonist
is Sean Leahy
. For thirty years the paper's senior rugby league football journalist was former Australian vice-captain Jack Reardon
.
From its inception until recently The Courier-Mail was a broadsheet newspaper. On 14 December 2005 it was announced that the paper would change to a tabloid sometime in early 2006, however the term "tabloid" was not used in favour of the term "compact". This linguistic choice was probably related to widespread public view that many tabloids, including those published by News Limited
, were low quality publications (see tabloid for discussion of this size and quality issue). Much emphasis was made that it was merely the paper size that was changing and not the journalistic quality. The last broadsheet edition was published on Saturday 11 March 2006, and the first tabloid edition was published on Monday 13 March 2006. On the same day, the paper's website was revamped and expanded.
The change to a "compact" format brought The Courier-Mail in line with all other News Limited
Australian metropolitan daily newspapers. This followed the change to a tabloid format by The Advertiser
of Adelaide
—another News Corporation newspaper—some years earlier. Despite the claims that there would be no loss of journalistic quality, The Courier-Mail in its "compact" format is not well regarded for its journalism, e.g. Crikey described it as "one of the contestants in a close run field for worst paper in Australia". In August 2011, police and the parents of a murder victim criticized the paper for false accusing their son of a child sex crimes.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Owned by News Limited
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills, Queensland
Bowen Hills is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located 3 km northeast of the Brisbane CBD. It was named after a Governor of Queensland, Sir George Ferguson Bowen.-History:...
, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie
Murarrie, Queensland
Murarrie is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs on the southern bank of the Brisbane River adjacent to the Gateway Bridge.Murarrie has both residential and industrial sections...
, in Brisbane's eastern suburbs. It is available for purchase throughout Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, most regions of Northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and parts of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
History
The history of The Courier-Mail is through four mastheads. The Moreton Bay Courier later became The Courier, then the Brisbane Courier and since 1933 The Courier-Mail.The Moreton Bay Courier was established as a weekly paper in June 1846. It became a bi-weekly in January 1858, a tri-weekly in December 1859 and finally a daily newspaper under the editorship of Theophilus Parsons Pugh
Theophilus Parsons Pugh
Theophilus Parsons Pugh was an Australian journalist, newspaper editor, politician, publisher and public servant, as well as the editor-in-chief of the Moreton Bay Courier, later the Brisbane Courier from 1860 to 1863....
from 14 May 1861. The recognised founder and first editor was Arthur Sidney Lyon
Arthur Sidney Lyon
Arthur Sidney Lyon , was a journalist and newspaper proprietor, who was also known as 'the father of the press in colonial Queensland'...
(1817–1861) who was assisted by its printer, the later mayor of Brisbane and member of Queensland Legislative Council
Queensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
, the hon James Swan
James Swan
James Swan is a bantamweight boxer from Australia, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996.-References:* *...
(1811–1891). Lyon, also referred to as the "father of the Press" in the colony of Queensland, had previously served as a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in Melbourne and he would move on to found and edit journals such as Moreton Bay Free Press, North Australian and Darling Downs Gazette. He arrived in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in early 1846 with a plan to establish a newspaper, possibly influenced by Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang , Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist, was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism.-Background and Family:...
, who had encouraged Lyon to emigrate to Australia. Lyon then persuaded James Swan
James Swan (mayor of Brisbane)
James Swan was an alderman and mayor of the Brisbane Municipal Council and a member of the Legislative Council of Queensland.- Personal life :...
, a printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
who had previously worked on Rev. Dr. John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang , Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist, was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism.-Background and Family:...
's newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
"The Colonialist in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The two men established themselves in a garret of a building on the corner of Queen Street, Brisbane
Queen Street, Brisbane
Queen Street in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia, is one of the city's major streets. It is the city's central road, partly covered by a pedestrian mall called the Queen Street Mall. Queen Street ends at the Victoria Bridge and is bounded by two of the Brisbane River's central reaches...
and Albert Street, Brisbane
Albert Street, Brisbane
Albert Street is a road in Brisbane, Australia. It was named after Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and it runs between George Street and Edward Street, and from Alice Street to Wickham Terrace....
(a building later known as the North Star Hotel).
The first issue of the Moreton Bay Courier, consisting of 4 pages, appeared on Saturday 20 June 1846 with Arthur Sidney Lyon
Arthur Sidney Lyon
Arthur Sidney Lyon , was a journalist and newspaper proprietor, who was also known as 'the father of the press in colonial Queensland'...
as editor
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
and James Swan
James Swan (mayor of Brisbane)
James Swan was an alderman and mayor of the Brisbane Municipal Council and a member of the Legislative Council of Queensland.- Personal life :...
as publisher. It was published weekly on Saturdays.
However, after about 18 months of working together, Lyon and Swan continually disagreed on many aspects of editorial policy, including transportation of convicts and squatting
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, and Lyon took over sole control in late 1847. However, Lyon ran into money problems, allowing James Swan to take sole control. Eventually James Swan sold the newspaper to Thomas Blacket Stephens
Thomas Blacket Stephens
Thomas Blacket Stephens was an alderman and mayor of Brisbane. His middle name is often written as Blackett.-Personal life:Thomas Blacket Stephens was born on 5 Jan 1819 at Rochdale, Lancashire, England, the son of Rev. William Stephens and his wife Elizabeth Blacket...
in 1859.
The Moreton Bay Courier was purchased by Thomas Blacket Stephens
Thomas Blacket Stephens
Thomas Blacket Stephens was an alderman and mayor of Brisbane. His middle name is often written as Blackett.-Personal life:Thomas Blacket Stephens was born on 5 Jan 1819 at Rochdale, Lancashire, England, the son of Rev. William Stephens and his wife Elizabeth Blacket...
in May 1861, and he soon turned it into a daily newspaper, The Courier. In 1864 it became the Brisbane Courier. In June–July 1868, he floated the Brisbane Newspaper Company, and transferred the plant and copyright of the Brisbane Courier to it. He was the managing director until he retired in November 1873, when the paper was auctioned. The Journal was then from November 1873 to December 1880 managed by one of the new part owners, the Tasmanian born former public servant Gresley Lukin
Gresley Lukin
Gresley Lukin Australian public servant, newspaper owner, company manager and newspaper editor, most prominently the part-proprietor of the Brisbane Newspaper Company from November 1873 to December 1880, then and still the leading journal in Queensland under the name the Courier-Mail.Lukin was...
(1840–1916), in almost the entire period of which Lukin functioned as 'managing editor' whereas the actual writing and editing was in the hands of the Irishman, William Augustine O'Carroll
William Augustine O'Carroll
William Augustine O'Carroll was an Irish nationalist, radical liberal, journalist and Queensland newspaper editor.O'Carroll was the son of a ship's captain and born in a family bakery In Patrick Street, Cork. He joined the Fenians in 1858 and was a contributor to the Nationalist journal Irish...
(1831–1885) with various sub-editors or editors of the 'literay staff' meaning the Queenslander. Most prominat of these were William Henry Traill
William Henry Traill
William Henry Traill was an Australian journalist and politician. He was an early editor and in a period the principle proprietor of The Bulletin.-Early life:...
(1842–1902), the later NSW politician and editor of the famed Sydney journal 'The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
', and the Danish born but English and French educated Carl Adolph Feilberg (1844–1887). Carl Feilberg followed William Henry Trail in the function of political commentator and the de-facto editor of the Queenslander from early January to about 1 January 1881, yet he would later succeed William O'Carroll taking position as the editor-in-chief of the Courier from September 1883 to his death in October 1887. Lukin's part-ownership and managing editorship proprietorship changed hands on 21 December 1880 to the former 'Postmaster General' in the first McIlwraith government, Charles Hardie Buzacott (1835–1918), who had previously served as a journalist on the staff and otherwise had a distinguished career as a Queensland newspaper editor and proprietor. John James Knight
John James Knight
John James Knight was an Australian journalist and newspaper editor.Knight was born at Shelton, Staffordshire, England, the son of James Knight, potter and printer, and his wife Louisa, née Blagg. Knight was taken to New Zealand whilst young and at 11 years of age left school to work in the...
(1863–1927) was editor-in-chief of the Brisbane Courier 1906-16 and later managing director and later again chairman of all the company's publications.H. J. Summers, 'Knight, John James (1863 - 1927)', Australian Dictionary of Biography
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 9, MUP, 1983, pp 622-623
The first edition of The Courier-Mail was published on 28 August 1933 after Keith Murdoch
Keith Murdoch
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch was an Australian journalist and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and Chairman of News Corp.-Life and career:Murdoch was born in Melbourne in 1885, the son of Annie and the Rev...
's Herald and Weekly Times acquired and merged the Brisbane Courier and the Daily Mail (first published on 3 October 1903). HWT controlled the paper until 1987 when it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's News Limited
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
. Murdoch also acquired the outstanding shares of Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Political position
Unlike most newspapers owned by News Corporation, it does not sympathise with the conservative Liberal Party of AustraliaLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and the National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
. At the Queensland state elections in 2009, The Courier-Mail opposed Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence Springborg
Lawrence James Springborg is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party...
in his tilt to become Premier of Queensland over incumbent ALP leader Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
who, along with obtaining the publication's endorsement, went on to become the first popularly elected female Premier in Australia.The Courier-Mail generally supports free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
economic policies and the process of globalisation. It supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
Circulation
The Courier-Mail has the fourth-highest circulation of any daily newspaper in Australia with 224,689 sales Monday to Friday, and 326,767 on Saturdays (June 2006 figures). Around three-quarters of the paper's readership is located in the Brisbane metropolitan areaMetropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
.
Although often claimed to be Brisbane's only daily newspaper since the demise of Queensland Newspapers
Queensland Newspapers
Queensland Newspapers is the Queensland, Australia-based subsidiary of News Corporation. Queensland Newspapers is responsible for publishing the The Courier-Mail daily newspaper....
' own afternoon newspaper The Telegraph
Telegraph (Brisbane)
The Telegraph was a Brisbane evening newspaper first published on 1 Oct 1872. The final edition appeared on 5 Feb 1988. In its day it was recognised as one of the best news pictorial newspapers in the country...
in 1988, it arguably has had two competitors since 2007. News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
itself has published mX
MX (newspaper)
mX is an Australian free afternoon daily newspaper in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, owned and produced by News Limited. Targeted at commuters, its main channels of distribution are inner-city railway stations, tram and bus stops, and major CBD intersections.-Beginnings:The first mX...
, a free afternoon newspaper, since 2007, but mX has a relatively low news content. Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
has published the online Brisbane Times
Brisbane Times
Brisbane Times is an Internet-based news site for Brisbane and Queensland, Australia. It was launched on 7 March 2007 by then-Queensland Premier Peter Beattie....
since 2007.
Editors
- Jun 1846 – Dec 1847: Arthur Sidney Lyon (first editor)
- Dec 1847 – c. 1850: James Swan
- early to mid 1850s: William Wilks
- 1860: Richard Belford (former editor of Ballarat Star and later editor of the North Australian)
- 1860–1863: Theophilus Parsons PughTheophilus Parsons PughTheophilus Parsons Pugh was an Australian journalist, newspaper editor, politician, publisher and public servant, as well as the editor-in-chief of the Moreton Bay Courier, later the Brisbane Courier from 1860 to 1863....
(also the creator and publisher of Pugh's Almanac) - 1864–1866: David Frederick Tudor Jones
- 1867–c. 1869: William O'Carroll (Queensland journalist)
- 1869–1873: George Hall ("the Bohemian")
- 1873–1875: Gresley LukinGresley LukinGresley Lukin Australian public servant, newspaper owner, company manager and newspaper editor, most prominently the part-proprietor of the Brisbane Newspaper Company from November 1873 to December 1880, then and still the leading journal in Queensland under the name the Courier-Mail.Lukin was...
(assisted by William O'Carroll) - 1875 – Dec 1880: William O'Carroll (as the de facto editor, officially edited by the managing editor Gresley Lukin)
- Jan 1881- Sep 1883: William O'Carroll (as the de facto editor, although officially edited by the managing editor Charles Hardie Buzacott)
- Sep 1883 – Oct 1887: Carl Adolph Feilberg
- Oct 1887 – Dec 1887: Edmund John T Barton (later author of the Jubilee History of Queensland)
- Jan 1888 – Jun 1891: William Kinnaird Rose
- Jan 1894 – Nov 1898: Frederick William WardFrederick William WardFrederick William Ward was an Australian journalist, newspaper editor and Methodist minister.Ward was born in New Zealand the fourth son of the Rev. Robert Ward, a Primitive Methodist clergyman and was sent to Brisbane, Australia around 1867 as a Methodist minister...
- Dec 1898 – Apr 1903: Charles Brunsdon Fletcher
- April 1903–1906: Edmund John T Barton (later author of the Jubilee History of Queensland)
- 1906 – Jun 1916: John James KnightJohn James KnightJohn James Knight was an Australian journalist and newspaper editor.Knight was born at Shelton, Staffordshire, England, the son of James Knight, potter and printer, and his wife Louisa, née Blagg. Knight was taken to New Zealand whilst young and at 11 years of age left school to work in the...
- Jun 1916 – Jun 1919: John MacGregor
- Jun 1919 – 1932?: R. Sanderson Taylor
- 1932 - Dec 1933: Firman McKinnon
- Jan 1934 - Sep 1936: Reginald Tingey Foster (also Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail, The Queenslander)
- late 1936 - 1938: Charles E Sligo (news editor, acting editor)
- Apr 1938 - late 1941: Jack C Waters (also Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail, The Queenslander (to 1939))
- 1942 - 1968: Theodor Charles Bray (later Sir Theodor) (after 1953 also Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail)
- 1968 - 1969: Alan F Cummins
- 1969 - 1979: John R Atherton
- 1979 - 1984: Kevin J Kavanagh
- Mar 1984 - Mar 1987: David C Smith (Feb 1986 - Mar 1987 also Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail)
- Mar 1987 - Apr 1991: Greg Chamberlin
- Apr 1991 - Apr 1995: Des Houghton
- Apr 1995 - Jun 2002: Chris Mitchell (also Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail)
- Jun 2002 - Mar 2010: David Fagan (Mar 2010 - Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail)
- Mar 2010 - - Michael Crutcher
- Mar 1987 - Apr 1991: Ron Richards (managing editor)
- Apr 1991 - Apr 1995: Jack Lunn (Editor-in-Chief The Courier-Mail, The Sunday Mail)
Journalists
Prominent journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
s include Terry Sweetman and Mike O'Connor. Its current Editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
is Michael Crutcher. Editor-in-chief for Queensland Newspapers
Queensland Newspapers
Queensland Newspapers is the Queensland, Australia-based subsidiary of News Corporation. Queensland Newspapers is responsible for publishing the The Courier-Mail daily newspaper....
is David Fagan, who is married to columnist and 612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane is an ABC Local Radio station in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of the largest stations in the network, serving as a base for Queensland programming - many programs are broadcast across the ABC Local Radio network in regional and rural areas of Queensland when those stations are...
radio broadcaster Madonna King. Deputy editor is Steve Gibbons, former editor-in-chief of the Australian Provincial Newspapers group and a senior editor at The Age and Sunday Age in Melbourne. Its editorial cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
is Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy is an Australian cartoonist working for the Courier Mail in Brisbane, Australia. He draws political cartoons for the paper, and also his own comic strip, Beyond the Black Stump, which is distributed in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.-Background:In 1974, Sean Leahy...
. For thirty years the paper's senior rugby league football journalist was former Australian vice-captain Jack Reardon
Jack Reardon
Jack Reardon was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s and 40s who later became a sports journalist. An Australian international and both a New South Wales and Queensland representative centre, he played club football in country New South Wales before moving to Queensland and playing...
.
Change to tabloid
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
, were low quality publications (see tabloid for discussion of this size and quality issue). Much emphasis was made that it was merely the paper size that was changing and not the journalistic quality. The last broadsheet edition was published on Saturday 11 March 2006, and the first tabloid edition was published on Monday 13 March 2006. On the same day, the paper's website was revamped and expanded.
The change to a "compact" format brought The Courier-Mail in line with all other News Limited
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
Australian metropolitan daily newspapers. This followed the change to a tabloid format by The Advertiser
The Advertiser (Australia)
The Advertiser is a daily tabloid-format newspaper published in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. First published as a broadsheet named "The South Australian Advertiser" on 12 July 1858, it is currently printed daily from Monday to Saturday. A Sunday edition exists under the name of the Sunday...
of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
—another News Corporation newspaper—some years earlier. Despite the claims that there would be no loss of journalistic quality, The Courier-Mail in its "compact" format is not well regarded for its journalism, e.g. Crikey described it as "one of the contestants in a close run field for worst paper in Australia". In August 2011, police and the parents of a murder victim criticized the paper for false accusing their son of a child sex crimes.
See also
- The Sunday MailThe Sunday Mail (Brisbane)The Sunday Mail is Brisbane's only Sunday newspaper. The Sunday Mail is published in tabloid format, comprising several sections that can be extracted and read separately.-Publishing:...
- List of newspapers in Australia