There are two quality 'broadsheet' newspapers in Australia, The Australian (run by news limited) and The Age (with a sister the Sydney Morning Herald - run by Fairfax).
Now as a soft leftie, I should be loving the The Age, it is, after all renowned for being a bit of a soft leftie newspaper. I should also be hating the Australian, if its not enough that its a pretty right wing publication, one also has to deal with its being published by the son of Satan himself, Rupert Murdoch.
And yet I tend to read the Australian - why?
Basically its because its columnists are better. Yes there are some execrable ones like Janet Albrechtsen, Australias Anne Coulter (perhaps the most horrid journalist on the planet - and at Fox thats saying something) wannabe. But there are so many other really, really good ones. That doesnt mean I agree, I often dont. I tend to think Greg Sheridan, for example, tends to look for the Liberal Party advantage a little to often and also falls prey to the Great Man theory of history. But still, I like to read his, and other people I disagree with because, frankly, its well written and engaging.
Over at The Age there are a couple of really good writers like Michelle Grattan and Tim Colebatch but far, far too much dross. In fact, I sometimes think that I'd read the The Age more if there was less I agreed with and more that challenged me.
So there you go Fairfax, my stab at why you are struggling. In order to shore up your base, you are actually just boring us and forcing us away. Surprise us, challenge us and we will come back - because God knows we want to escape Rupert.
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