Smith's Weekly
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Founder(s) | Sir James Joynton Smith, Claude McKay and Clyde Packer |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 28 October 1950 |
| City | Sydney |
| Country | Australia |
Smith's Weekly was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. An independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia, Smith's Weekly was one of Australia's most patriotic newspaper-style magazines.
The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir James Joynton Smith, a prominent Sydney figure during World War One, conducting fund-raising and recruitment drives. Its two other founders were theatrical publicist Claude McKay and journalist Clyde Packer, father of Sir Frank Packer and grandfather of media baron Kerry Packer. Sir Frank later formed the mighty Australian Consolidated Press, chief rival to Rupert Murdoch's News Limited.
Mainly directed at the male (especially ex-Servicemen) market, it mixed sensationalism, satire and controversial opinions with sporting and finance news. It also included short stories, and many cartoons and caricatures as a main feature of its lively format.
One of its chief attractions in the 1920s was the Unofficial History of the A.I.F. feature, whose cartoons and contributions from returned soldiers helped perpetuate the image of the "digger" as an easy-going individual with a healthy disrespect for authority. It also worked hard to ensure that promises made to soldiers during hostilities were not swept aside in peacetime. Of particular concern was men affected by shellshock, a condition which was being minimised by some "experts" as deserving scorn rather than sympathy. Staff cartoonists associated with this feature included the succession of Cecil Hartt, Frank Dunne and Lance Mattinson.
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