Gay Alcorn
{{Short description|Australian journalist and newspaper editor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Gay Alcorn is an Australian journalist and newspaper editor. She was appointed editor of The Age in September 2020 and stepped down in December 2022. Her sister, Margo Kingston, is also a journalist.{{cite news|date=21 March 2005|title=Australia's many media dynasties|publisher=Crikey|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2005/03/21/australias-many-media-dynasties/|access-date=11 September 2020}}
Career
Alcorn studied arts and law at the University of Queensland. She began her career in journalism as a cadet with the Courier-Mail{{cite news|url=http://www.theswinstandard.net/2016/10/13/gay-alcorn-melbourne-editor-of-the-guardian-australia/|title=Gay Alcorn, Melbourne editor of The Guardian Australia|publisher=The Standard|date=13 October 2016|access-date=11 September 2020}} before moving to Melbourne.
In Melbourne, Alcorn joined The Sunday Age newspaper before it launched in 1989{{Cite web|author=Guardian Staff|date=2016-08-18|title=The Guardian presents screenings of Snowden film and Q&A discussions with Guardian reporters|url=http://www.theguardian.com/guardian-live-australia/2016/aug/18/the-guardian-presents-screenings-of-snowden-film-and-qa-discussions-with-guardian-reporters|access-date=2021-09-27|website=the Guardian|language=en}} and worked in the newsroom across The Age for 20 years.{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/gay-alcorn-named-new-editor-of-the-age-20200911-p55uog.html|title=Gay Alcorn named new editor of The Age|first=Zoe|last=Samios|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 September 2020|access-date=11 September 2020}} From 1999 to 2002, she was based in Washington, D.C. as a foreign correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald where she covered the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential election{{Cite web|last=Alcorn|first=Gay|date=2020-12-09|title=From the Archives, 2000: America just 90 minutes from destiny|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/from-the-archives-2000-america-just-90-minutes-from-destiny-20201201-p56jll.html|access-date=2021-09-27|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}} and the September 11 attacks.{{Cite web|last=Mediaweek|date=2020-09-11|title=The Age announces Gay Alcorn as the new editor for Melbourne masthead|url=https://www.mediaweek.com.au/the-age-announces-gay-alcorn-as-new-editor-for-melbourne-masthead/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Mediaweek|language=en-AU}}
During her time at The Age and SMH Alcorn won three Walkley Awards for news and feature writing. She served as deputy editor of The Age from 2006 to 2008 and then as editor of The Sunday Age until 2012.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/gay-alcorn-to-edit-the-age/news-story/8f863aea077d3c056416ca13784aa9be|title=Gay Alcorn to edit The Age|newspaper=The Australian|date=11 September 2020|access-date=11 September 2020|first=Samantha|last=Bailey}} She left the editorial post to return to a writing role{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/fairfax-announces-key-appointments/news-story/9c6211db78f13d3e7e11072606527735|title=Fairfax announces key appointments|first=Nick|last=Leys|date=22 August 2012|access-date=11 September 2020}} and in 2013 launched and edited The Conversation’s Election FactCheck for the Australian federal election.{{Cite web|title=Guardian Australia appoints Melbourne Editor|url=https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/guardian-australia-appoints-melbourne-editor-6647|access-date=2021-09-27|website=www.inpublishing.co.uk|date=July 2014 }}
In 2014 Alcorn joined Guardian Australia as their Melbourne editor, and opened their Melbourne offices.
In September 2020, it was announced that Alcorn would succeed Alex Lavelle as editor of The Age with effect from 28 September. She is the first woman in the newspaper's 165-year history to hold the position. She decided to step down from her role as editor of The Age in December 2022 to take care of her unwell husband.{{Cite web |last=Samios |first=Zoe |date=2022-11-30 |title=Gay Alcorn to step down as editor of The Age |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/gay-alcorn-to-step-down-as-editor-of-the-age-20221201-p5c2r3.html |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}
Awards and honours
- Walkley Award for Best Coverage of a Current Story (Print) 1996
- Walkley Award for Newspaper Feature Writing (Print) 1999
- Walkley Award for Newspaper Feature Writing (Print) (with Malcolm Schmidtke & Liz Minchin) 2004{{Cite web|title=Walkley Winners Archive|url=https://www.walkleys.com/awards/walkley-winners-archive/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=The Walkley Foundation|language=en-AU}}
- Keith Dunstan Quill Award for Commentary 2017{{Cite web|title=2017 Quills: The Keith Dunstan Quill for Commentary|url=https://www.melbournepressclub.com/article/2017-quills--the-keith-dunstan-quill-for-commentary|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Melbourne Press Club|date=16 March 2018 |language=en}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Australian newspaper editors
Category:The Age (Melbourne) people
Category:Australian foreign correspondents
Category:21st-century Australian journalists