The Saturday Paper to launch on March 1
The new weekly newspaper being launched by publisher Morry Schwartz is set to debut on March 1, with two Fairfax veterans among the journalists confirmed as section editors.
Schwartz, who also publishes The Monthly, announced The Saturday Paper late last year promising a “quality paper” taking an analytical look at the week’s events, with 25-year-old former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Erik Jensen lined up as the editor.
Former Fairfax stalwarts David Marr and Hamish McDonald have come on board as a columnist and world editor respectively. Both left Fairfax after years of service in August 2012 as part of the first round of redundancies as the publisher looked to downsize.
In a release Schwartz said: “This is a list of big voices and brilliant writers. I am enormously proud to publish each of them. The Saturday Paper is materialising before our eyes as a major force in Australian journalism.”
The launch of the paper coincides with the date Fairfax has chosen to change its Saturday papers in Sydney and Melbourne from broadsheet to compact size.
The release:
Schwartz Media is happy to announce that The Saturday Paper, a quality weekly newspaper from the publisher of the Monthly, will launch in print and online on March 1.
The Saturday Paper can also announce the first of its contributors – a stable of the best writers in Australian journalism, as well as new voices and well known figures who have not previously appeared in print.
David Marr, the country’s finest long-form journalist, joins the paper as a columnist. Hamish McDonald joins as world editor and Kirsty Simpson as business editor. Martin McKenzie-Murray joins The Saturday Paper as chief correspondent in Melbourne and Sophie Morris, formally of the Australian Financial Review, will write as Canberra correspondent. Richard Cooke has been appointed sports editor.
Christos Tsiolkas, the author of The Slap and Barracuda, is The Saturday Paper’s film critic. He is joined by Tim Freedman and Dave Faulkner, who will write as the paper’s music critics. Helen Razer will write on television for the paper
Andrew McConnell, the owner of Cutler & Co., joins as food editor. Women’s Wear Daily correspondent Patty Huntington will work as the paper’s fashion editor and Lucy Feagins from The Design Files will anchor its interiors content. Mungo MacCallum will provide his storied cryptic crossword each week.
More names will be announced as The Saturday Paper approaches its launch on March 1.
Publisher Morry Schwartz said: “This is a list of big voices and brilliant writers. I am enormously proud to publish each of them. The Saturday Paper is materialising before our eyes as a major force in Australian journalism.”
The Saturday Paper’s editor, Erik Jensen, said: “Assembling this team has been a pleasure. Almost 500 journalists applied for positions on The Saturday Paper – people of enormous talent that made choosing our journalists both easy and extremely difficult. I am sure the team we have will produce the best narrative journalism in Australia and, from hard news to lifestyle, will make The Saturday Paper a compulsory read.”
The Saturday Paper is a quality weekly newspaper, dedicated to long-form journalism – to writing that breaks big stories and gets behind the news of the week. It will be available in print in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and as a website and an app everywhere else.
The Saturday Paper is offering a Foundation Subscriber price of $99 for a year’s print subscription. The paper’s cover price is $3.
They should have had a sub read this before it was sent out – then that ‘formally’ in par 3 could have been corrected to ‘formerly’/
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On a more positive note, I am looking forward to reading this. Whilst The Aus still has plenty of good things to read in its Saturday edition, I’ve stopped wasting my money on the SMH as it seems as though they’ve given up. The FT Weekend has some really great content, but at $8 or thereabouts it’s a bit expensive for weekly consumption. Hopefully The Saturday Paper will be a worthwhile investment of $3.
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Yep, great idea – a newspaper as a niche product (albeit one that seems like it will ignore both news & new voices…).
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Man, I love Tsiolkas’ novels but wtf film editor? Continues a strange Schwarz pattern of not appointing someone with proper cinema knowledge writing about film. Bizarre.
And Tim “I make hamburgers, I get all the girls.” Freedman as music critic?
What are the criteria for critical chops now, sales?
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How exciting. The majority of people can now be annoyed by Helen Razer in another medium.
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To claim Marr is ‘the country’s finest long-form journalist’ is an absolute joke. The guy is to the left what Pier Ackerman is to the left. Predictable and boring in his rants as Pier’s or Bolt are in theirs. How about getting rid of Marr and putting in someone who is capable of thinking in terms of the issues and not just in terms of who said it as to whether it is acceptable or not.
Sophie Morris on the other hand is an absolute cracker of an appointment
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Morry has on his ear trumpet. Should be fun when he adds a megaphone.
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Anyone worth their salt knows that Christos Tsiolkas has spent his entire life studying film, has worked at the AFI and has written scripts. He is the best choice for the position of film editor. Not only does he understand them but he will write reviews that are a joy to read. I never usually reply to the comments section but Curmudge’s comment really gave me the pip.
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This sounds like a righteous weekend read. Sadly, I don’t mean ‘righteous’ as in ‘great’ or ‘cool’. I mean ‘righteous’ as in self-righteous and probably right up itself. So sorry, Morry, but I DON’T need that on my weekend!
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“Both left Fairfax after years of service in August 2012 as part of the first round of redundancies as the publisher looked to downsize.”
The 2012 redundancies were hardly “the first round”, you’d have to go back to at least 2008 for that.
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Hope they send a few copies up to Brisbane
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Looks like it will have the same flaws that strangled the old National Times, without the substance of Toohey and so on. At least Wendy Bacon isn’t getting a gig with Marr again.
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I’d love to contribute as gardening /landscape features writer – it looks like it will be a winner!
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I’m looking forward to the launch and some quality reading on the weekend over my eggs.
The problem with SMH and The Age is that I read through it, hoping for some well-written reflections and a bit of light and shade, and I feel like I’m just getting the reheated slops from hacks, many of whom were on the Fairfax payroll previously. Not all of them, but it’s ceased to become an enjoyable weekend read. Very little to make you pause and think.
Good wishes to the SP crew.
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Great pity at not being able to purchase a copy on the Gold Coast. Reading a newspaper is more relaxing than sitting behind a computer.
Good luck, hope you have engaged competent journalist who can report the facts with out fear nor favour.
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what is your regional distribution going to be like because although I am looking forward to this it will require a 19km drive to get one at a small general store that you may decide is beneath you and not worth the trouble.
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