AustLit

An editorial on the petition from '"certain editors, proprietors, and publishers of newspapers," praying for sundry amendments in the Newspaper Act.' The existing Act required that the names and addresses of the editor, printer, publisher, and proprietor of each newspaper appear in the newspaper's imprint, and a sworn affidavit made to that fact. Sydney's newspaper fraternity argued that the Act was more restricted than the English version, where the names of the printer and publisher only were required to appear in the imprint. They also argued that the ability of persons to libel newspapers was not restricted by disclosing the name of the editor. The restrictive colonial version of the Newspaper Act was passed, the author of the column (George Cavenagh?) writes, 'to annoy the late Dr. Wardell, then the editor and proprietor of The Australian, and Mr E. S. Hall, Editor and Proprietor of The Monitor, both of whom were, at the time, at loggerheads with the Government.'

The petition is published on page 2 of the 2 October 1838 issue of the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser.