The Australian stands up when it counts

The Sydney Opera House was a particularly fitting venue for the launch of A Different Country, a book compiling articles and essays from The Australian dealing with October 7 and its aftermath locally.

“The launch was quite special,” The Australian‘s editor-in-chief Michelle Gunn told The AJN.

“Premier Chris Minns spoke … he reflected upon the events of October 9 at the Opera House, and he spoke with clarity and passion.

“And he spoke of reclaiming, through our event, reclaiming that space, reclaiming it for the values that the book champions. It was really quite powerful, and it was very moving.”

Also at the November 26 launch, figures involved in the events over the past two years in Australia shared their experiences, including singer Deborah Conway, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin, Australian journalist Yoni Bashan and chief international correspondent Cameron Stewart. News Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch also spoke, as did businessman and philanthropist Steven Lowy, who emphasised the need for leadership to address antisemitism and the hijacking of terms like Zionism and apartheid. Lowy praised Minns and The Australian’s journalists for their stance against antisemitism and for upholding Australian values.

Asked why The Australian has been so supportive of Jews and Israel, Gunn said it’s a question of values, citing tolerance, respect and social cohesion as “foundational values” that direct the publication’s gaze.

“As the national broadsheet, The Australian took very seriously our responsibility to reflect on what has happened in the past two years here in Australia,” she said.

“And I think the release of the hostages was a moment, a key moment in the conflict if you like, where we could look back and reflect upon what happened and compile our reporting, commentary and analysis to help make sense of it all.”

Ryvchin said the writers and editors at The Australian had led in recognising that the October 7 attack and the reaction to it would profoundly impact Australia.

“The values of the paper and the whole media group filled us with pride and hope when we needed it most,” he said. “We’ll never forget this.”

Lowy told The AJN, “Sadly, in the media of today, very few are standing up for these Australian values.

“So I think that the book that The Australian has put together reflects a two-year history of brave journalists and contributors who are not afraid to stand up at a moment when it counts.”

Pre-order the book: A Different Country: how October 7 changed Australia