Our commitment We're still for you

Welcome to your new-look newspaper.

FOR exactly 165 years, the Mercury has been central to the lives of Tasmanians. Today as we change the format of the newspaper for just the fourth time in its history, we do so by also recommitting to the core values that have underpinned our success.

On page 2 of the very first edition of what was then the Hobarton Mercury, on Wednesday July 5 1854, the editor wrote:

‘We are the servants of one master – the public. We desire to do all the good we can.’

The generations of Tasmanians who have clocked on for a shift here since have lived up to those bold ideals. It has been through their relentless commitment to the truth and to this community that the Mercury has become such a central part of life on our beautiful island.

Every generation of Tasmanians since have known they can trust the Mercury to ask the questions they want answered. They have known they can trust us to break the stories that those in power would sometimes prefer were not told. And they have known they can trust us to get to the truth, to be on your side – and to fight for our island.

So much has changed in Hobart since that first Mercury rolled off a hand-cranked press capable of printing just 100 copies an hour. But what has never changed is the mission this newspaper has for its role in this place. Every one of the 21 editors has been keenly aware of that mission, and of the strong leadership role the Mercury should, has, and does play in this state. And so today, as we start printing in this compact tabloid format that is used by some of the world’s largest-circulating newspapers, I want to assure you that one thing that will never change is the Mercury’s commitment to this community.

Today, about 60 per cent of Tasmanians read the Mercury. About 140,000 of them still read it in print – and for 80,000 of them it’s a daily ritual. But a similar number again now choose to stay informed by accessing themercury.com.au on their desktop, tablet or mobile phone – or read our journalism via our app.

However you now choose to read your Mercury, you can never doubt the enduring strength of that fundamental contract between this newspaper and the people it exists to serve – its readers. You. The digital giants that revolutionised access to information have no physical presence and employ no reporters in real streets or real communities.

The Mercury has lived in the same suburbs, the same city and the same state as its readers since day one. And you can trust we always will.

This is a newspaper that is written, sub-edited, printed and published online by real people living where you do – people who share your love for this island. We send our kids to the same schools, we worry about the same power bills, we love exploring the same beaches and forests on the weekend, and those of us based in Hobart enjoy watching the changing moods of our mountain just as much as you do.

In fact, our love for this place is why we at the Mercury are so committed to never shying away from a fight.

It’s why we have always been a campaigning paper.

We push for change. We identify injustices. We shine a light on where the powerful have failed us. Through tough journalism we work to right those wrongs. And through that grit and tenacity, we get results.

It was our campaigning that last year convinced a reluctant government that it would be a good idea to extend the free meningococcal vaccine to all Tasmanian kids. It was as a direct result of our journalism that the Glenorchy City Council was rebooted last year after all that dysfunction. It was our reporters who early last year discovered, and then shone a light on the fact, that many working families were finding it so impossible to get a rental in Hobart’s suburbs that they were living in tents pitched in friends’ backyards and at the Showgrounds. And it was our newspaper that shone a light on the need for the Federal Government to waive our state’s public housing debt so more homes could be constructed. It was also the Mercury that convinced the AFL to play the Kangaroos’ first AFLW game here at North Hobart Oval, and that has led the charge in building the case for our own team in what is supposed to be the national competition.

The process of newsgathering may at times be messy, because that is how news happens. But you can trust our news will never be fake. It will never be insincere. And it will never be contrary to what we know to be the facts. Tasmanians have always known that.

It’s why 101 years ago, a crowd gathered outside the old Mercury building in expectation that the Armistice to end the Great War might be signed. When that news was posted on a billboard outside, we are told “the crowd was satisfied to trust the Mercury” – and the celebrations began.

It’s also why on May 11 last year thousands turned to themercury.com. au in the pre-dawn hours as the rain pelted down and the swollen creeks washed through our living rooms. And it’s why 80,000 of you turned to the same website in just a few hours in January this year as we all held our collective breath amid warnings of the worst bushfire day in years. You can trust us to stand up for Tassie.

That’s because the Mercury lives for Tasmania and its people. It always has and it always will. That’s because we are you. And so our news will always be from the heart, and delivered with consideration and conscience.

No matter how much things change in this world, this country and on this island that we all call home, that solemn commitment to our readers and our community remains firmly intact. We desire to do all the good we can. We are the servants of one master – the public. We’re here with you, and we’re for you.