Nation (Australia)
Origins. Tom Fitzgerald was the Financial Editor of "The Sydney Morning Herald". Whilst retaining his post at the "Herald", in 1956 he developed the idea of an independent, liberal-minded journal, as an antidote to the general conservative stuffiness of Australian print media at the time. He established "Nation" in 1958, installing George Munster as editor. Fitzgerald and Munster were introduced by Barry Humphries. Fitzgerald launched "Nation" in the same year as Sir Frank Packer launched his fortnightly news magazine "Observer"; they were published on alternate fortnights until 1961 when Packer merged "Observer" into "The Bulletin". Both were  printed by the quixotic Francis James's Anglican Press, for a time in the crypt of Christ Church St Laurence. Publication history. The first edition was published on 26 September 1958. "Nation" published stories that the mainstream press was not prepared to print, such as Ken Inglis's 1959 article about Max Stuart, an Arrernte Aborigine who had been convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old girl and sentenced to death. "Nation" campaigned strongly against the White Australia Policy and Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. Other contributors to "Nation" included economist G.C. Harcourt, film critic Sylvia  Lawson, historian Hugh Stretton, theatre critic H. G. Kippax, columnist Peter Ryan, and social historian Cyril Pearl. When "The Australian" began publication in 1964, a number of contributors to "Nation" moved to the new daily newspaper, including Brian Johns, Ken Gott, Robin Boyd, Robert Hughes, Maxwell Newton and Max Harris. Closure. Fitzgerald sold "Nation" to Gordon Barton in 1972, who then merged it with his "Sunday Review" to form the "Nation Review". The last edition of "Nation" was published on 22 July 1972. An anthology of work from "Nation" was edited by Ken Inglis in 1989 under the title "Nation : The Life of an independent journal of opinion, 1958-1972", (1989: Melbourne University Press).