Ten years of The Guardian in Australia: Finding a niche next to Fairfax and News Corp

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.Today’s edition features the story of the first ten years of The Guardian Australia .Tim Burrowes talks to editor Lenore Taylor and managing director Dan Stinton about how The Guardian found its place within the Australian media establishment after arriving in May 2013.Using a loan from philanthropist Graeme Wood, the publication assembled a team of some of the country’s best journalists, many of whom were refugees from Fairfax Media following the mass redundancies of 2012.Taylor says that the tenth anniversary has inspired a deluge of gratitude from readers in her inbox with many arguing that The Guardian has indeed fulfilled a “much needed” niche in Australia’s media landscape.Stinton, who will shortly move to the Perth-based tech platform Health Engine after five years running the business side of the operation, explains the Guardian’s funding model. The company’s ‘diversified’ revenue - which has almost tripled in the last three years - is generated through a combination of reader support (which has been a ‘rocketship’ for the publication) and other philanthropic funding, digital advertising, and licensing revenue, via the News Media Bargaining Code.Taylor recalls former Fairfax Media boss Greg Hywood’s dismissal of the launch, asserting that there would only ever be two Australian news brands that would matter - Fairfax and News Corp.The interview also covers some of the highlights of The Guardian’s reporting, including its ‘Life on the Breadline’ series which focused on Australians living in poverty, and the Snowden spying revelations. Taylor also points to the discovery of new writing talent including columnists like Van Badham and Greg Jericho.She also addresses the topic of transexual politics, which has divided the newsroom of The Guardian’s head office in the UK.According to Ipsos, The Guardian is currently Australia’s sixth biggest digital news brand.The podcast was recorded in The Guardian’s Sydney studio and edited by Abe’s Audio.The interview was recorded before yesterday’s apology from The Guardian after staff in the UK office used the phrase “gone walkabout” to describe the [email protected] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unmade.substack.com