The News (Adelaide)

The News (Adelaide)
Name	The News (Adelaide)
Caption	Front page, c. 1950s
Type	Daily newspaper (historical)
Format	Broadsheet
Founded	1869
Ceased	1992
Headquarters	Adelaide, South Australia
Language	English

The News (Adelaide) The News was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Adelaide, South Australia, from the 19th century to the late 20th century. It competed with other Australian newspapers such as The Advertiser (Adelaide), influenced public debate on issues involving South Australia, Adelaide Festival of Arts, and industrial disputes, and reflected changing media ownership patterns seen across publications like The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Australian Financial Review.

History

Founded in the 19th century amid the growth of colonial press institutions like The Times, The Scotsman, and The Manchester Guardian, The News emerged in a media landscape that included The Advertiser (Adelaide), Kapunda Herald, and colonial papers associated with figures such as Robert Torrens, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and Charles Sturt. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries The News covered events including the Federation of Australia, the South Australian Mining Boom, and the social movements tied to figures like Catherine Helen Spence, William Gilbert Rees, and Sir Thomas Playford. In the interwar and postwar periods The News reported on international events such as the First World War, the Second World War, and the Cold War, and on domestic developments involving Sir Donald Bradman, Dame Enid Lyons, and industrial relations disputes like those associated with Australian Workers' Union, Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union, and the Whitlam Government. The late 20th century saw The News affected by trends that influenced newspapers like Tribune (New South Wales), Truth (Sydney), and Sunday Mail (Brisbane).

Ownership and Management

Ownership of The News changed hands among media entrepreneurs and companies comparable to those behind David Syme, Keith Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, Frank Packer, and corporations such as Fairfax Media, News Corporation, and Australian Consolidated Press. Management decisions reflected boardrooms akin to Bond Corporation and executives with ties to institutions like Commonwealth Bank of Australia, AMP Limited, and regulatory frameworks influenced by bodies such as the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and policies debated in the Parliament of South Australia. Corporate strategies followed models used by owners of The Herald (Melbourne), Melbourne Herald Sun, and proprietors associated with John Fairfax.

Editorial Content and Features

The News featured reportage and columns on subjects that intersected with public figures including Don Dunstan, Liberal Party of Australia, Australian Labor Party, and cultural coverage linked to events like the Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival of Arts, and performances at venues such as Adelaide Festival Theatre and Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide. Its sports pages covered athletes and teams like South Australian National Football League, Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Football Club, Sir Donald Bradman, and cricket tours involving England cricket team and West Indies cricket team. The newspaper ran features in the style of supplements seen in The Sunday Times (Perth), investigative pieces reminiscent of reporting by David Leigh and Nick Davies, and opinion columns that debated policies promoted by leaders like Robert Menzies and Gough Whitlam.

Circulation and Distribution

Circulation patterns for The News mirrored those of afternoon papers such as The Sun (Sydney), with distribution networks extending across metropolitan Adelaide, suburbs like Morphettville and Glenelg, and regional centres including Mount Gambier, Whyalla, and Port Lincoln. Its print operations involved typesetting and production practices comparable to printers working for The West Australian and logistical arrangements touching on freight and rail services employed by entities like Commonwealth Railways and carriers used by ANL (company). Competitive circulation battles echoed those involving The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and readership demographics resembled audiences targeted by Truth (Melbourne) and The Mercury (Hobart).

Controversies and Impact

The News was implicated in public controversies paralleling stories from outlets such as The Bulletin (Australia), with reporting that sometimes clashed with institutions including South Australia Police, industrial groups like Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, and political figures such as Sir Thomas Playford and Don Dunstan. Its editorial stance influenced debates on planning issues involving Adelaide Oval redevelopment and infrastructure projects connected to agencies like Department of Transport (South Australia). The closure of The News reflected structural shifts comparable to the decline of other titles like Sunday Times (Perth) and prompted discussions in forums attended by representatives from Australian Journalists Association, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, and commissions similar to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Notable Staff and Contributors

Journalists, editors, photographers, and columnists associated with The News included professionals whose careers intersected with broader Australian media figures such as E. H. "Ted" Roberts, John Henningham, Clem Christesen, and photographers working in the tradition of Helmut Newton and Tracey Moffatt. Contributors covered politics, sport, and culture in ways that connected them to contemporaries like Maggie Beer, Barry Humphries, Hugh Stretton, and critics who later wrote for outlets such as The Australian, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Category:Newspapers published in Adelaide Category:Defunct newspapers of South Australia