Crikey

Crikey was founded by the activist shareholder Stephen Mayne, a journalist and former staffer of then Liberal Victorian premier Jeff Kennett.{{cite news|url=http://www.artsaboutus.com.au/files/MCMX%20information%20(2).pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426012900/http://www.artsaboutus.com.au/files/MCMX%20information%20(2).pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-04-26|title=Multimedia Media Exchange}} It developed out of Mayne's "jeffed.com" website, which in turn developed out of his aborted independent candidate campaign for Kennett's seat of Burwood. Longstanding Crikey political commentators/reporters have included the former Liberal insider Christian Kerr (who originally wrote under the pseudonym "Hillary Bray"),{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/03/1088488200420.html|title=Crikey! Name behind column comes clean on dishing dirt|last=Brown|first=Susan|date=4 July 2004|work=The Age|access-date=23 August 2009 | location=Melbourne}} Guy Rundle, Charles Richardson, Bernard Keane, Mungo MacCallum and Hugo Kelly.

In 2003, Mayne was forced to sell his house to settle defamation cases brought by the radio presenter Steve Price and the former Labor Party senator Nick Bolkus over false statements published about them by Crikey.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/06/1051987702129.html|title=Legal web snares Crikey publisher|last=Shiel|first=Fergus|date=7 May 2003|work=The Age|access-date=22 August 2009 | location=Melbourne}}

Staff of Treasurer Peter Costello banned Crikey from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 budget "lock-ups" in which financial journalists are shown the federal budget papers some hours in advance so that their publications can report the budget in depth as soon as it is released. The grounds were that Crikey was not considered to be part of the "mainstream media".{{cn|date=June 2024}}

On 1 February 2005, it was announced that Stephen Mayne had sold Crikey to Private Media Partners (later Private Media{{cite web | title=Home | website=Private Media | date=30 May 2024 | url=https://www.privatemedia.com.au/ | access-date=13 June 2024}}), a company owned by the former editor-in-chief of The Sydney Morning Herald, Eric Beecher, for A$1 million. Under the agreement, Mayne has occasionally written for the email newsletter.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Mayne-finds-a-million-reasons-to-sell/2005/02/02/1107228768929.html|title=Mayne finds a million reasons to sell|last=Carbone|first=Suzanne |date=3 February 2005|work=The Age|access-date=22 August 2009 | location=Melbourne}}{{cite web | title=Eric Beecher | website=friendlyjordies | date=26 April 2023 | url=https://www.friendlyjordies.com/post/eric-beecher | access-date=15 June 2024}}{{cite web | title=Crikey Sold To Beecher For $1 Million | website=AustralianPolitics.com | date=2 February 2005 | url=https://australianpolitics.com/2005/02/02/crikey-sold-to-beecher-for-one-million.html/ | access-date=15 June 2024}}

Under Private Media's stewardship, the publication aimed for a more "professional" style by avoiding the use of in-house nicknames and other idiosyncrasies of the original Crikey. In February 2006, The Age reported that a co-founder and writer, Hugo Kelly, had been sacked on the grounds of professional misconduct, but Kelly maintained that Crikey had folded to political pressure and it had "no guts".{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/crikey-youve-got-to-watch-what-you-say/2006/02/15/1139890806140.html |title=Crikey! You've got to watch what you say |last1=Westerman |first1=Helen |last2=Urban |first2=Rebecca |work=The Age |access-date=22 August 2009 |location=Melbourne | date=16 February 2006}}

Several staff members left in the period 2013–2014, including senior reporter Andrew Crook and media editor Matthew Knott. The cartoon First Dog on the Moon was published on Crikey until 2014, when writer Andrew Marlton moved to Guardian Australia. In March 2014, Crikey editor Jason Whittaker became the founding editor of Private Media's new publication The Mandarin.{{cite news|last1=Heffernan|first1=Madeleine|title=No crisis at Crikey, says Private Media chief|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/no-crisis-at-crikey-says-private-media-chief-20140320-354b2.html|accessdate=15 June 2024|work= The Sydney Morning Herald|date=20 March 2014}}

In 2022, following a war of words in which Crikey invited media proprietor Lachlan Murdoch to sue, Murdoch commenced defamation action against Crikey for an article by Bernard Keane that suggested that Murdoch was an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/24/lachlan-murdoch-statement-of-claim-crikey-news-australia-defamation|title=Australian media Lachlan Murdoch accuses Australian news site Crikey of using legal threat to attract subscriptions|first=Amanda|last=Meade|work=The Guardian|date=24 August 2022}} On 21 April 2023, Murdoch dropped legal proceedings against Crikey.{{cite news |last=Meade |first=Amanda |date=21 April 2023 |title=Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation proceedings against independent Australian publisher Crikey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/21/lachlan-murdoch-drops-defamation-proceedings-against-independent-australian-publisher-crikey |work=The Guardian |access-date=21 April 2023}} In response, the chief executive of Private Media, Will Hayward, claimed victory, saying the decision amounted to a "substantial victory for legitimate public interest journalism".{{cite news |author=Heath Parkes-Hupton |agency= |title=Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation case against Crikey publisher |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-21/lachlan-murdoch-drops-crikey-defamation-case/102251072 |quote= |newspaper=ABC News Australia |date=2023-04-21 |access-date=2023-04-26 }}{{cite news |author=Amanda Meade |agency= |title=Lachlan Murdoch drops defamation proceedings against independent Australian publisher Crikey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/21/lachlan-murdoch-drops-defamation-proceedings-against-independent-australian-publisher-crikey |quote= |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2023-04-21 |access-date=2023-04-26 }}

Crikey is an Australian online news outlet, comprising a website and email newsletter available to subscribers. It aims to "explain and dissect the news agenda for an intelligent, skeptical, socially and politically aware audience... to understand the news from a truly independent perspective".{{cite web | title=We Dig Deeper | website=Crikey | date=14 March 2023 | url=https://www.crikey.com.au/about/ | access-date=13 June 2024}}

{{as of|June 2024}} Sophie Black is editor-in-chief.{{cite web | title=Crikey Team | website=Crikey | date=27 May 2024 | url=https://www.crikey.com.au/crikey-team/ | access-date=13 June 2024}}

Private Media is an independent media company. {{as of|June 2024}}, it publishes four brands: Crikey, The Mandarin (since 2014{{cite web|title=The Mandarin: new online publication for public servants|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/the-mandarin-new-online-publication-for-public-servants/5721654|website=RN Breakfast|date=5 September 2014|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=26 March 2018}}), SmartCompany, and Inc.Australia.{{cite web | title=Home | website=Private Media | date=30 May 2024 | url=https://www.privatemedia.com.au/ | access-date=15 June 2024}} SmartCompany caters to small to medium business owners and managers,{{cite web | title=SmartCompany | website=SmartCompany | date=14 June 2024 | url=https://www.smartcompany.com.au/ | access-date=15 June 2024}} while Inc.Australia is for entrepreneurs.{{cite web | title=Home | website=Inc. Australia | date=6 December 2023 | url=https://www.inc-aus.com/ | access-date=15 June 2024|quote=Inc. Australia is the brand new, go-to resource for our boldest, most ambitious people: entrepreneurs. We serve and celebrate the founders, innovators and change makers building the fast-growing businesses shaping our future.}} Will Hayward is CEO, while Eric Beecher is chair of Private Media. (Beecher is also chair of Solstice Media, which publishes InDaily and the superannuation-funded general news site, The New Daily.{{cite web | title=Eric Beecher | website=Public Interest Journalism Initiative | url=https://piji.com.au/board_staff/eric-beecher/ | access-date=15 June 2024}}{{cite web | title=About | website=The New Daily | date=22 June 2018 | url=https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/about | access-date=15 June 2024}})

Private Media formerly owned Daily Review (2013–2015) and Women's Agenda (2012–2016).{{cite web | last=Hicks | first=Robin | title=Crikey publisher's Women's Agenda site goes live | website=Mumbrella | date=7 August 2012 | url=https://mumbrella.com.au/crikey-publishers-female-website-womens-agenda-goes-live-108373 | access-date=14 June 2024}}{{cite web | url=http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/02/26/media-briefs-womens-agenda-sold-nightmare-on-zika-st-how-to-do-blackface/| title=Women's Agenda sold to Angela Priestley | website= Crikey| publication-date=18 March 2016 | via=National Library of Australia | archiveurl=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20160318121411/http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/02/26/media-briefs-womens-agenda-sold-nightmare-on-zika-st-how-to-do-blackface/| archive-date=18 Mar 2016 }}

• Journalism in Australia

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{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.crikey.com.au/ }}

{{Online news in Australia}}

Category:Australian political websites

Category:Australian news websites

Category:2000 establishments in Australia