The Sydney Gazette: 1803-1842
The History of The Sydney Gazette is a very interesting subject. Early in its years the Gazette faced difficult challenges, and many credit Howe for the efficiency and ingenuity with which he was able to operate the press. An article published in the Journal of Media and Cultures cites "1) issues of logistics and a lack of appropriate equipment and basic materials to produce a regularly issued newspaper; 2) issues resulting from the very close supervision of production and the routine censorship by the Governor; and 3) issues associated with the colony’s primary purposes as a military outpost and as a penal settlement, creating conflicts between very different readerships" (Franks). The colony of New South Wales was a very unusual place, which is obvious in the way that George Howe, a man previously sentenced to death and still considered a prison, worked to gain status and wealth as an editor and printer. The first book printed by Howe was a collection of governmental standing orders issued between 1791 and 1802. The first book published in New South Wales essentially being a set of rules reminds us that the budding country was foremost a penal colony and secondarily a military outpost. Under the survival circumstances facing the young colony, it is both surprising and understandable that the conditions left a vacuum for many industries, one of which being printing. As previously mentioned, many give great credit to Howe for his accomplishments, and one source even says he was able to "transform the small hand press into an industry" (Franks).
The Sydney Gazette was very active and regular, despite in certain periods for varying reasons having to halt publication. With some exceptions, it was published weekly until 1825, bi-weekly until 1927, and following that tri-weekly until its closure in 1842. In its earlier years, one of the major challenges that The Sydney Gazette faced was getting supplies. Howe would often have to settle for a variety of types of paper, and even at times made his own ink out of charcoal, gum and shark oil. Later on under the ownership of Robert and then his widowed wife Anne, the publication suffered from more typical turmoil in a business. Through the 20s and especially 30s, maintaining readership numbers and finding quality management and editorship were big challenges for the owners.
In the later 20s onward, newspapers began to be used much more as a means to promote ideas, often controversial ones such as the government of New South Wales and the transition away from military control. Playing a crucial role in the development of politics and activism in the colony. Interestingly, the publications from the penal colony meant to restrict the freedoms of its inhabitants were afforded asubstantially more 'freedom' of press than publications in London.