Amusingly, the hatred-hating Guardian has succumbed to self-hatred.
Guardian Australia is in turmoil ahead of a crucial federal election after its two most senior political journalists hurled allegations of workplace misconduct at each other, amid a staff exodus.
A mainstay in Australian media since its 2013 launch, the local outpost of the British giant is now one of country’s most-read websites, building its reputation through strong federal politics coverage in its early days. Yet after its former politics editor Katharine Murphy defected to the prime minister’s office last year, the majority of its Canberra bureau followed her out the door.
In late 2024, Canberra-based Guardian staff were interviewed as part of an HR investigation after political editor Karen Middleton made a complaint against chief political correspondent Paul Karp, three sources with knowledge of the process, not authorised to speak publicly, told this masthead. Karp also made a counter-claim against Middleton.
“I’m leaving with my head held high and with a clean record,” he said in a farewell speech to all staff last Friday, according to those in attendance.
In the nine months since Middleton replaced Katharine Murphy (now Albanese’s press secretary), the culture at Guardian Australia has become the talk of the Canberra press gallery. In the final months of 2024, political reporters Amy Remeikis, Daniel Hurst and veteran political photographer Mike Bowers all departed in quick succession. Karp then flagged his own move to Nine-owned masthead The Australian Financial Review in December, meaning all but two of its Canberra staff had left in the past year.
It is also looking for a new economics correspondent after veteran Peter Hannam quit in December.
Maybe if the paper wasn’t so jacked up on hating everybody who mentioned immigration, gender, climate or Australia, it wouldn’t be running an internally toxic culture that breeds self-hatred.
The Scott Trust really should investigate the hateful woke culture that has overrun the paper and distorted its formerly excellent journalism.
