The Examiner

The Examiner is Australia’s third oldest newspaper and was founded in 1842 on a hand press smuggled into Tasmania disguised as brewery machinery.

The first three editions of The Examiner were free after which it sold for sixpence, a reasonable sum for the day. Fifty years later it sold for a penny an edition.

The newspaper was founded by businessman James Aikenhead, but Reverend John West is widely considered among a principal founder and was its first editor.

In its 180-year-history The Examiner has had only 17 editors, with the paper currently under the leadership of Corey Martin. The masthead also has had two female editors.

The Examiner services primarily the Northern Tasmanian region and is located in the region’s largest city, Launceston. It covers the area from Deloraine in the North-West, through to Launceston and its readership covers areas as far as George Town, Derby, and the East Coast.

It covers nine local government areas and the communities in between and has journalists who cover important rounds such as health, local government and environment. It also shares a team of reporters in Hobart to cover state government and politics.

As a masthead, we are proud to serve our community and have had a long and successful history in campaign journalism, to advocate for change and reform on behalf of the community.

The Examiner remains a strong editorial voice for its region and has worked hard to ensure important stories are told and its readers’ voices are heard.