Fairfax boss labels report of closure of print editions ‘fabricated nonsense’
Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood has this morning labelled “fabricated nonsense” a report in The Australian that the publisher is on the verge of closing its weekday print editions of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Hywood sent an all staff email to refute the claim, hinting it came as a result of an agenda from The Australian’s publisher News Corporation.
This morning’s article in The Australian – headlined “Fairfax shortens print timetable” – began “There is growing speculation Fairfax Media will bring forward the date of closure of its Monday to Friday editions in Sydney and Melbourne, amid a weak advertising climate and next year’s planned reduction of the company’s printing capacity.”
The online version of the headline has since been toned down to read: “Hywood says print will stay”, while the story now begins: “Fairfax Media chief Greg Hywood has denied speculation the company will bring forward the closure of its Monday to Friday editions in Sydney and Melbourne.”
Hywood’s email to staff said:
“The Australian’s media section today the writer Darren Davidson has a piece of fabricated nonsense which states Fairfax is bringing forward plans to close the Monday to Friday editions of the SMH and The Age.
“There are no plans to bring forward. Such an option has not even been developed let alone put to me as an option.”
The stoush comes days after Fairfax went on the offence with a 800 word editorial responding to much of the negative coverage around the publication of Pamela Williams’s book Killing Fairfax.
In an editorial published published on Saturday in The Sydney Morning Herald, and then republished today on page two of the both The Herald and The Age, the company responds to coverage of the book, which outlines how the company missed opportunities to be involved in online classified sties.
Today’s editorial is undersigned by Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood who writes:
“There has been much reportedly recently about Fairfax Media’s past with varying levels of accuracy and insight…
“We will not let negative judgements of the past distort our view of a future which with the collective efforts of everyone at Fairfax behalf of our loyal readers and shareholders, is destined to be a bright one.
The editorial claims that Fairfax will be around “for another 182 years”.
The editorial also takes aim at both James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch who participated in Williams’s book and who feature on its front cover.
The newspaper declares:
The greatest compliment a fiercely independent media organisation can receive is condemnation from those who fear free speech and unfailing scrutiny of the rich and powerful.
So the Herald humbly welcomes the hubris and triumphalism of James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch this week at the launch of the book Killing Fairfax: Packer, Murdoch and the Ultimate Revenge.
In doing so we do not accept their false premises that the company which has funded the Herald’s quality journalism for so long is dying, nor that this pair of moguls’ sons can claim credit for any problems Fairfax has faced.
It goes on to say:
Packer and Murdoch rode by chance with some of them, gambling that they could cash in and wreak delicious revenge against Fairfax for daring to expose their families’ power and behaviour to unwanted scrutiny. ”You’d have to say they’ve got thin skins,” was the conclusion of Killing Fairfax author Pam Williams – tellingly, a Fairfax employee.
With glasses raised in toast this week, Packer said: “Fairfax didn’t see any of this coming. They thought it was all beneath them. They thought we were idiots. You know, I think we killed Fairfax.” Murdoch responded: “I think so”.
For the sake of those who value democracy and a proudly Australian voice, let’s hope not. Fairfax made mistakes along the way. No one in the myriad me
The Herald also defends its journalism in the wake of redundancies that have seen more than 400 of its journalists depart the company.
To the chagrin of Packer and Murdoch, the Herald’s team of fearless journalists remains a thorn in the side; a check and balance on the extremes of power; a challenge to the cosy status quo; a rival that cannot be paid off; in essence that most dangerous of ideas, free speech in pursuit of the public interest.
Kate McClymont, Adele Ferguson, Linton Besser, Peter Hartcher and so many more – let no businessman or politician say their work and that of countless other Fairfax journalists has not made this country a better and more civilised place.
The Herald believes Australians will always value quality journalism and keep supporting a business that has a long record of delivering it. While you can now access the Herald’s journalism in many ways, the core promise has not changed.
The editorial comes as The Australian’s Nick Leys reports that Greg Hywood is unhappy with “with the latest fruits of (Williams) labour.” Williams is the editor-at-large of The Australian Financial Review and was given six months leave to write the book which saw her given high level access to people inside Fairfax, News Corp Australia and the Packer empire.
Update 30 July: The Australian has today stated that it stands by its original story. Reporter Darren Davidson today writes he first contacted Fairfax CEO Hywood on July 21 regarding the story and says he did not receive reply, where Fairfax initially declined to comment, until July 28, the day before the story was published. In the wake of the story Hywood went on the record saying “there are no plans to bring forward the timetable” for axing weekday print editions and that “no option has been developed, let alone put to me as an option.”
Nic Christensen
I wonder if in a few years time we’ll see Jamie and Lauchie raising a glass to toast how they killed off Network Ten?
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If it is true that the Darren Davidson story is a piece of fabricated and he knew that before the edition went to print then it would be hard to understand how he could keep his job. He needs to explain. Then again, may be The Australian has given up on journalism and is just running gossip now. It would be sad if that was the case.
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@ Lindsay –
He would have known, he doesnt need to explain.
The Oz gave up on facts years ago, infact it could be questioned as to whether they were ever relevant to any oz story.
the phrase “whatever it takes” comes to mind.
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Poor old Fairfax… I wish they had more good news to talk about =(
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Hywood started this by openly and publicly talking of the end of print. He gave News the edge. Hywood has been foolish on many fronts. Sucking up to Packer was always going to end in tears. But talking down his print business when he has no viable alternative business was plain stupid. The editorials are spin and the spin is thin.
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Corbett and Hywood are feeling the heat and so they should. The idea of reducing costs is hardly novel, but they seem to be actively breaking the business to no purpose.
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It’s good to see Fairfax actually defend themselves for once.
They let so many stories about them here and elsewhere go unanswered.
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Fairfax have always been under medias surveillance,yet again they are..
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