Sydney Morning Herald, 1967-1997

Component identifier:

Series 9

Content Summary:

In December 1983 Osmond joined the Sydney Morning Herald as a leader writer specialising in international affairs, at a time when the paper was recruiting outside experts for editorial positions. He continued in this role until early June 1987 when he was appointed the paper's Foreign Editor.

As Foreign Editor Osmond was responsible for the daily selection and editing of foreign news stories and gained access to many of the key decision-makers and leaders of government, business and academia. He also managed the Herald's eleven overseas staff correspondents and commissioned articles from a stable of part-time 'stringers', a number of whom became regular contributors to the paper. During this period Osmond's respected weekly international affairs columns became influential in strategic and foreign policy-making circles, and he drew wide regard for his intellectual rigour and authoritative commentaries on the Middle East. In 1991 he and his colleagues on the Herald's foreign desk won a prestigious Walkley Award for their coverage of the coup in Russia that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In January 1993 Osmond moved to the purely writing role of Diplomatic Editor which required regular travel and commentary on international affairs and Australian foreign policy. He also undertook various overseas assignments, including local coverage of the Middle East peace process and the CARE Australia relief measures in Angola. Eighteen months later, his intellectual approach had lost favour with the paper's management and, as part of a company-wide rationalisation program, the position was abolished and Osmond returned to freelance work in June 1994.

This series includes correspondence and facsimile messages, editorials and by-lines by Osmond, articles and proofs of articles by Herald foreign desk and other correspondents, together with papers documenting Osmond's various overseas assignments. There is also a long sequence of topical files containing articles, research materials, proofs, correspondence and other papers which Osmond used to monitor, document and describe areas of special interest, such as Asia, Islam, the Middle East and the Pacific (particularly the Micronesian states of Palau and Guam).

Notebooks used by Osmond whilst at the Herald are filed in Series 2.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were bequeathed to the Library by Warren Osmond and transferred by his partner Juliet Richter in two instalments in December 2000 and August 2001, with the assistance of Cassandra Pybus.

Names:

Richter, Juliet, Ms

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