The Guardian Australia announces its New Zealand coverage and lifestyle offering led by Alyx Gorman
The Guardian Australia has expanded its reporting to New Zealand, in a move that international news editor, Bonnie Malkin, described as “percolating for a quite a long time”.
Speaking at an event last night, Malkin said the expansion came about after the publication noticed an appetite for the Guardian’s content in New Zealand.
“We noticed that a lot of readers in New Zealand read our stories about New Zealand and there’s an appetite in the country for Guardian journalism,” Malkin said. “And so last year when we decided that we were going to start thinking about the strategy for the Guardian Australia, New Zealand seemed like a natural fit.”
Currently the reporting team consists of one full time and one part time journalist, and the publication is also hiring freelancers to write some news, commentary and features.
The topics Malkin has identified as key for the New Zealand market are social justice, social inequality, indigenous affairs, environmental issues, politics and sport.
The Guardian’s lifestyle section has also been launched, led by new lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman. Gorman has been with the title since August 2019.
The new section will feature original Australian content from Guardian writers, as well as a list of contributors including Masterchef winner Adam Liaw, restauranteur Palisa Anderson, director of EARL Canteen Jackie Middleton, and global personalities Yotam Ottolenghi and Nigel Slater. Fashion contributions will be made by stylist Emma Read, sustainability expert Clare Press and fashion features writer Georgina Safe.
Gorman said in a statement that the lifestyle section will provide content written to the high standards of the Guardian Australia, that goes deeper than just celebrity gossip.
“Guardian Australia’s readers want Australian lifestyle stories written to the high editorial standards Guardian Australia is known for and fun new voices in addition to our excellent international lifestyle writing. This move to create a dedicated hub for all lifestyle journalism is giving them just that,” Gorman said.
“Lifestyle sections often focus on celebrity gossip and spurious wellness trends whereas we know Guardian Australia readers want to go deeper and they crave more meaning – so that is exactly what we are going to give them.
“Guardian readers can expect more discussion and analysis on the lifestyle issues that matter, new local and global faces, and brilliant experts on food, fashion and trends. These stories will appeal to audiences of all ages, but particularly younger people. We’ll also be putting a Guardian spin on local travel, with guides that have incredible, socially and environmentally conscious experiences at their heart.”
Gorman has returned to Australia from New York City, where she was most recently the engagement lead for Time Out Group. She was previously the editorial director for Time Out Sydney, and has worked at Mamamia’s former beauty website, The Glow, Bauer Media and The Saturday Paper.
Gorman has returned to Australia from New York
Also promoted at the event was the Guardian’s new culture and lifestyle newsletter that will be sent out on Saturdays, positioned as a “Saturday supplementary for the digital world”.
Curated by culture editor, Steph Harmon, the newsletter, titled ‘Saved for Later’, will compile all of the Guardian’s best stories of the week, and also interesting pieces from publications around the world, and books, television and audio recommendations.
Gorman said that Saved for Later is a “young, fresh, funny guide to the zeitgeist”.
Guardian Australia editor, Lenore Taylor, commented on the new lifestyle and culture offering: “Our new section will be lifestyle done in a Guardian way, looking at all the elements of a well-lived meaningful life, and having some fun along the way. We want to look at the decisions Australians make in their day to day lives, the trends and motivations, including on fashion and beauty and travel and food and relationships, but without getting too earnest about it.”
Managing director, Dan Stinton, added: “This launch provides an exciting new vertical for advertisers to reach our unique and highly engaged audience with some of the best lifestyle journalism from Australia and around the world.”
topics
Alyx Gorman
Bonnie Malkin
Dan Stinton
Guardian Australia
Lenore Taylor
New Zealand
The Guardian Australia
Gorman, you perennial under-achiever!
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All hail the Queen.
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