Against the tide? : a comparative case study of Adrian Deamer, editor

This essentially biographical study concentrates on the 1960s and on an early editor of the Australian, Adrian Deamer. It will demonstrate that the period in which Deamer figured prominently, along with such print notables as Vic Carroll, of the Australian Financial Review, and Graham Perkin, of the Age, was one of considerable innovation and change in Australian journalism. In comparing Deamer with his contemporaries, this paper will also show that, as editor of the Australian, he lacked the resources, security or institutional recognition accorded over time to his more celebrated rivals. In retrospect, this accounts for his lower editorial profile and needs to be taken into account when assessing his professional reputation and legacy.