A media insider writes:

Tension is increasing at the Sydney Morning Herald
between senior editors and the new managing director (NSW) James Hooke.
Captain Hooke, as he is known, has no understanding about the role of
editors and is busily trying to interfere in the editorial content of
the paper.

Already editors are in constant battle with him
over space. When Premier Carr retired they had to go to Hooke with
begging bowls to squeeze a few more pages out of him. He gave them the
extra news pages but then punished the editors by holding back news
pages on subsequent days, giving the paper a rather thin news section.

Hooke
is known to not like Alan Ramsey. Company secretary Gail Hambly is also
moving from her normally neutral role and casting an opinion on the
content of the paper. Staff rumblings are getting louder and the
editorial charter of independence is being dusted off. Meanwhile, the
search for an editor continues.

Some at The Financial Review are desperately hoping it is Glenn Burge. Other names in the frame are Peter Fray, now deputy ed at Sun-Herald, Phil McLean, editor of Sun-Herald, and Alan Oakley, Sunday Age
editor. Oakley probably disqualifies himself by being popular with his
staff and by having achieved a slight rise in his paper’s circulation.

Fray also may have killed his chances by giving the Sun-Herald a harder edge and allowing the political writing skills of Alex Mitchell full rein. Staff at the Herald
were urging editors to get Andrew West back from the evil empire in
Holt Street but he too may be disqualified by showing that he is a man
of principle and a man who doesn’t just pay lip service to journalists’
ethics.

Analysts looking at Fairfax’s recent results should
look deeply into the numbers and ask for a separation of what is
happening in Australia from what is happening in New Zealand. They will
reveal an appalling failure by senior Fairfax management to protect and
grow their core businesses. Newspapers in the Australian group have
seen alarming falls in circulation and huge classified advertising
losses. Only recently has this started to be addressed. Can anyone hear
the stable door being slammed? The horse hasn’t just bolted – it is in
another country.