Time travel with Professor Mayer

Abstract

Reading Henry Mayer’s book, The Media in Australia published in 1964, Morry Schwartz ponders what has changed since then. What would Professor Mayer made of the Internet revolution? Could he have predicted the spectacular demise of the afternoon newspapers? He was also an enthusiastic supporter of the new national paper, The Australian; so what would he have made of it 50 years later? What would he think of the future of the media if he were here today? In light of the history of the media since Mayer’s study, Morry Shwartz’s 2018 Mayer Lecture shares his ideas and strategies for the future of The Monthly and The Saturday Paper, along with his decision to keep publishing editions in print, which has much to do with today’s critical issue of trust in the news.