From September 2006 until October 2011, the Australian Literary Review was a monthly supplement. The tone and content of the Australian's coverage have fluctuated over time, but from the late twentieth century, under Rupert Murdoch's ownership and with Chris Mitchell as editor-in-chief, it has taken a decidedly conservative turn. Current editor Peter Pierce took over in October 2011. The Australian was founded in 1877 by John Fairfax with financial backing from the British government. It originally focused on news and current affairs, but gradually adopted a literary approach under James Barrie (editor 1886-1889) and Randolph Churchill (editor 1889-1905). In 1906, it became one of the first newspapers in Australia to adopt the modern style of writing and reporting that we know today as "objective journalism". Fairfax passed control of the paper onto his son William who, like so many other family members, decided not to work for the newspaper industry so could instead spend their time doing other things. He died at an early age in 1929 without ever having married or having any children. The paper was then bought by Sydney-based publisher Roland Wilson who, like many other Australian newspaper owners at the time, wanted to expand into book publishing. He merged the Australian with its sister paper, the Melbourne Herald and held both titles until 1956 when they were split again. That same year, the Australian launched a weekly version called the Australian Literature Magazine which lasted only three issues before being replaced by the Australian Literary Review in September 2006.