In August, Crikey reported the launch of an Australian news startup called Gazette News, founded by former Change.org and UNICEF executive Anna Saulwick.
Since then, Gazette has begun recruiting for its first mastheads, based in eastern Melbourne, Gippsland, and Sydney’s North Shore. Saulwick took to LinkedIn on November 8 to announce The Eastern Melburnian.
Saulwick has declined to answer a number of follow-up questions from Crikey since August, but in her LinkedIn announcement named Matthew Doran, James Taylor and Mark Rawson among the “visionary philanthropists” backing Gazette.
When asked by Crikey who exactly Doran, Taylor and Rawson were and for more information on their professional backgrounds, Saulwick declined to comment.
A Matt Doran who liked the announcement and is connected with Saulwick on LinkedIn has experience in the startup space, founding a printer management software startup and serving on the board of a community land trust advocacy group. Doran did not respond to Crikey’s enquiries in time for publication.
Saulwick confirmed in the announcement that Gazette would not “accept funding from political organisations, and we maintain a firm editorial firewall between all funding sources and newsrooms”.
Saulwick, who told Crikey in August that the organisation would focus on regional and metropolitan areas “where disinformation is being targeted”, said the startup was “aiming to provide high-quality free local news”.
While editorial director Brad Esposito told Crikey in August that in some areas Gazette would be providing a print product, Saulwick’s announcement for The Eastern Melburnian was limited to “newsletters, social media and video”.
Since August, Gazette has also hired its first journalists, including Matthew Sims, a former Star Weekly reporter, as well as a sports editor.
