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Grattan promises to bridge academia and journalism

Grattan at a press conference announcing her departure from The Age last week.

Veteran political reporter Michelle Grattan has started her new role with The Conversation taking up a “cubbyhole” in the offices of Keating Media in the Press Gallery.

This morning, Grattan told Mumbrella she was enjoying the move.“I feel very good”, said Grattan, “it’s always an adjustment settling into a new job but of course I’ve worked with Andrew (Jaspan) before and I’m looking forward to getting into my stride.”

Last week Grattan announced her departure as political editor of The Age, instead taking up a role with the University of Canberra and would also write for The Conversation. The publication edited by former editor of The Age Andrew Jaspan.

Despite concerns of a lack of room for Grattan within the parliamentary building Grattan has told Mumbrella she has taken up a desk within the offices of Keating Media.

“It’s the old Rob Chalmers office where he wrote (the newsletter) ‘Inside Canberra’ from,” she said. “I did a bit of throwing out (last week), but my books and material will have to go home as it’s a very small cubbyhole.”

Grattan says the vision for the political coverage on the site will be to combine an academic and daily journalism approach.

“The idea Andrew Jaspan has is in an election year is to have coverage which perhaps bridges an academic approach and a more daily journalist approach.”

“Real time coverage, now obviously I’m one person only, and the extent to which I cover news must therefore be limited but there will be some news and then there will be lots of news analysis combining commentary and analysis.

“It will be a work in progress — I don’t have any glib lines for how the coverage will go. It will be what I can do and what the editors of The Conversation seek.”

Grattan also commented on the departure of Fairfax journalists Lenore Taylor and Katharine Murphy, who today announced they were moving to The Guardian’s new Australian operation.

“They will be greatly missed… I think they are both extremely good and broad journalists,” she said.

“The Guardian exercise is a very interesting one and it is very important, I believe in the diversity of media voices, and anything that adds to them is good.”

She declined to comment on suggestions in today’s editon of The Australian that Fairfax was “in crisis” over the three journalists’ departures from its Canberra bureau.

“I have a long term attachment to The Age. I wish The Age well and wish Fairfax well.”

Nic Christensen

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