Ben Naparstek appointed Good Weekend editor
The controversial editor of The Monthly Ben Naparstek has been appointed as the new editor of Fairfax Media’s Good Weekend magazine.
Naparstek’s appointment comes just weeks after The Monthly published a hostile profile of News Limited columnist Andrew Bolt.
Good Weekend is inserted on Saturdays in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The departure of previous editor Judith Whelan to another role was announced in July.
Naparstek will take on the role in early February.
Fairfax’s national editor for Metro Media, Garry Linnell, said: “In the past couple of years Ben has emerged as one of the finest editing talents in the country. He has shown a remarkable ability to commission some of Australia’s best writers, been unafraid to tackle controversial and important issues and he’s passionate about great words and great story-telling.
“High-quality, long-form journalism has a bright future in the new media world and Ben’s appointment underlines our commitment to agenda-setting reporting and writing.”
Naparstek said: “It will be a great honour to join Fairfax Media and edit Australia’s leading newspaper-inserted magazine. I’ll look forward to working with the country’s finest writers to set agendas and publish stories that define the times.”
Morry Schwartz, publisher of the Monthly, said: “Ben has been an outstanding editor who has done a brilliant job of maintaining the high standard of writing in the magazine and driving up circulation and readership. I’m sorry to be losing him but trust that he will have an exciting future and wish him well with his plans.”
25. wow. I feel really inadequate now.
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June, I was just about to type the very same thing. Well done Ben, and best of luck witht the new gig.
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Stand by for lots of left-wing rants, dressed-up as “social inclusion” and “environmental awareness” stories! Not to mention the petfood industry sponsored agenda of animal stories once a fortnight. The one thing you can say about Fairfax is that they’re entirely predictable.
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Linnell will love the limelight at fairfax announcing his new appointments. Pat Ingram to Ben Naperstek. Mathews giving him rope.
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Ben/ a star in the making so a top appointment. But is that yet another Editor on Sunday Life?
Where is Kym Williams these days? All fairfax.
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Ben Naparstek is way too young for this job but will be surrounded by experienced hands. The appointment only really makes sense if it’s Garry Linnell’s intention to act as GW’s editor-in-chief. The Sydney Morning Herald has disastrously outsourced its subs and lower paid journos continue to dribble away, but Linnell’s role is yet another of Fairfax’s high-paying, newly invented ones, so he can likely make of what he will.
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This is an exciting appointment but Garry Linnell will need to keep close.
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