Michelle Gunn, the editor in chief of The Australian, currently has the best job in the world.
She thought the same when she started as a cadet journalist in 1988 at The Australian, when she was social affairs editor, Weekend Australian editor and when she was the editor of the whole title.
“Every job I held, I thought it was the best job,” she told AdNews in an interview for the 60th anniversary of The Australian. Australia's national newspaper was first was published July 15, 1964.
The Australian, as part of its birthday celebrations, has a new brand campaign coming, Welcome to the contest of ideas.
“I'm really excited about that because I think it speaks to that need that we have in Western liberal democracies around the world right now to really grapple with the big issues and not retreat into our silos, but to have a real contest of ideas,” Gunn said.
“And that's what we strive to host on our digital platforms and in print every day.”
The Australian has been running a series, six decades in six weeks.
“We didn't bombard them (readers) with too much but we gave them enough to really revel in it.
“And it's been a great joy for us to do it. We were conscious as we approached this 60th birthday that we have to recognise our past.
“But we also want it to be a celebration to focus on where we are right now and to be forward looking as well.”
The Australian published a 104-page 60th Anniversary Collector’s Edition magazine, featuring the most influential people of the past 60 years.
“One thing that I'm particularly keen on in that magazine is a series of essays that look at courage, freedom, the importance of democracy, history, science that speak to some of the foundational values of the paper,” she said.
She agrees the advertising market is challenged, structurally and cyclically.
However, she sees a bright, but different, future, especially for publications like The Australian.
And she also feels it’s her responsibility to look after young journalists.
“The future of our masthead depends upon my ability to to really foster the next generation,” she said.
Gunn believes a successful journalist has to have curiosity.
“But you need more than that, you need doggedness and determination,” she said
But the demands on reporters now are greater than when she started.
“With 360 degree storytelling, they need to be proficient at video and audio, and they need to file many times a day and very, very quickly,” she said.
“But they still need the old craft, the old elements of journalism, the craft of interviewing people, and giving people trust to tell their stories and to trust that you will represent that story fairly and accurately, and with emotional intelligence.
“All these things are as true today as they were in 1988.”
Among the interviews for the 60th is one with Rupert Murdoch, the founder of The Australia. He was interviewed by Paul Whittaker, the chief executive of Sky News Australia and a former editor-in-chief of The Australian.
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