Judith Whelan (born 1960 or 1961; died 26 June 2024) was an Australian

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

. She was the second woman to serve as editor of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' (SMH) since its inception in 1831.

Career

Whelan joined the SMH in 1985. After completing her cadetship, she became a health reporter and later was sent to New Zealand and Europe as a foreign correspondent. In 2004 she took over as editor of the ''Good Weekend'' magazine. She moved back to daily journalism as editor of the SMH's Saturday paper in 2011. She was promoted to editor of the whole masthead in 2013, becoming only the second woman to fill that position. While editor, she ensured that Lisa Davies would succeed her by appointing Davis to strategic positions. In 2016 she moved to the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

(ABC), rising to editorial director in 2022. At both the SMH and ABC Whelan was revered by her colleagues for her professionalism and compassion and mentored many young journalists.

Personal

Whelan died of cancer on 26 June 2024 at

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a large teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School at the ...

in Sydney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan, Judith 1960s births 2024 deaths Australian women journalists Australian newspaper editors Australian women newspaper editors Australian newspaper journalists