Michelle Grattan (born 30 June 1944) is an Australian journalist who was the first woman to become editor of an Australian metropolitan daily newspaper. Specialising in

political journalism Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power. Political journa ...

, she has written for and edited many significant

Australian newspapers This is a list of newspapers in Australia. For other older newspapers, see list of defunct newspapers of Australia. National In 1950, the number of national daily newspapers in Australia was 54 and it increased to 65 in 1965. Daily newspape ...

. She is currently the chief political correspondent with ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Robe ...

'', Australia's largest independent news website.

Career

Grattan was educated in

Kew, Victoria Kew (;) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km east from Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Kew recorded a population of 24,499 at the 2021 census. A city ...

Ruyton Girls' School , motto_translation = Upright and Faithful , established = 1878 , type = Independent, single-sex, day school , denomination = Non-denominational , key_people = , chairman ...

. She completed a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

, majoring in politics, and then worked as a tutor at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has ...

for a period before deciding to pursue journalism as a career. Grattan was recruited by ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' newspaper in 1970, and joined the

Canberra Press Gallery The Canberra Press Gallery, officially called the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, is the name given to the approximately 180 journalists and their support staff, including producers, editors and camera crews, who report the workings of the A ...

in 1971. In 1976, she was appointed the Chief Political Correspondent for ''The Age'', a position she would hold until 1993. After leaving ''The Age'' in 1993, Grattan was appointed the Editor of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'', becoming the first female editor of a metropolitan daily newspaper in Australia. After two years in this position she was sacked and returned to ''The Age'', where she became the political editor. In 1996, Grattan joined ''

The Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

'' as a senior writer, and three years later, was appointed Chief Political Correspondent at ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''. She returned to ''The Age'' in 2002 as a columnist, and was made Political Editor and Bureau Chief in 2004. On 4 February 2013 she announced her resignation from ''

'' to take up a position as professorial fellow at the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. U ...

. and to become the Chief Political Correspondent of ''

''. Grattan has co-authored several books, including ''Can Ministers Cope?'', ''Back on the Wool Track'' and ''Reformers'', and has edited collections such as ''Australian Prime Ministers'' and ''Reconciliation''.

Honours

In 1988, Grattan was awarded the

Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award The Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year Award, often known simply as the Graham Perkin Award, is one of Australia's pre-eminent prizes for journalism. It was established and named in honour of Graham Perkin, who was editor of ''The ...

. In 2002 she was elected a Fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Austr ...

. In the

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port ...

Honours in 2004, Grattan was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AO) for her long and distinguished service to Australian journalism. She won a

Walkley Award for Journalism Leadership The Walkley Award for Journalism Leadership is an Australian award that recognises outstanding acts of courage and bravery in the practice of journalism, in the prestigious Walkley Awards series. The inaugural award, for Excellence in News Leader ...

in 2006. She is an adjunct professor at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

's School of Journalism and Communication. Grattan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 2017.

Notes

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References

Sources

External links

Grattan's opinion pieces in "The Age"

Grattan's pieces for "The Conversation"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grattan, Michelle 1944 births Living people University of Canberra faculty Australian book editors Australian newspaper editors Australian political journalists Australian women editors Australian women journalists Walkley Award winners Officers of the Order of Australia Place of birth missing (living people) Women newspaper editors People educated at Ruyton Girls' School Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia University of Melbourne alumni The Sydney Morning Herald people People from Kew, Victoria Journalists from Melbourne