Australian newspaper apologizes for coverage of 1838 Aboriginal massacre

2023-06-09T16:19:51.918Z

Highlights: Sydney Morning Herald is one of Australia's most popular newspapers. The paper is known for its coverage of the country's indigenous people. It is also one of the most widely read newspapers in the world. The newspaper has published more than 1,000 articles on the subject of Aboriginal people and the right to self-determination. It has also published over 1,200 articles on issues relating to the rights of Aboriginal Australians. It also has published over 200 articles about the right of the Aboriginal people to self determination.

The country's most widely read newspaper, Sydney Morning Herald, joins the government's efforts to better recognize the crimes committed against the indigenous community during colonization.

Australian newspaper apologizes for coverage of 1838 Aboriginal massacre

The country's most widely read newspaper, Sydney Morning Herald, joins the government's efforts to better recognize the crimes committed against the Indigenous community during colonization. The newspaper apologized for its coverage of the "Myall Creek" massacre of 10 June 1838 against Aborigines.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper still packed in 2010 (Illustration image). © Flickr CC BY NC ND 2.0 John Murray

Text by: RFI Follow

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Truth is an essential force for reconciliation " wrote the Sydney Morning Herald, while admitting: "On Myall Creek we failed miserably" on the eve of the 185th anniversary of this massacre.

At the time, the newspaper campaigned against the trial of the 11 herders who, on June 10, 1838, had beheaded or trampled to death with their horses 28 members of the Wirrayaraay tribe before burning their bodies. Their trial marked a turning point: it was the first and only time that settlers had been tried for a massacre committed against Aborigines.

Calls for murder

These savages" should not exist, wrote the Sydney Morning Herald in an editorial. In another, he encourages his readers to kill Aborigines as soon as they feel threatened and says he is opposed to the death penalty to which seven of the herders are sentenced. "It was because the culprits were white and the victims were black," writes the Sydney Morning Herald today in its timely mea culpa - as the government prepares a referendum to enshrine an advisory council in the constitution that is to give more voice to Aborigines discriminated against for centuries.

Editorial: The Herald has a proud history of telling Australia's story. But on Myall Creek, we failed dismally https://t.co/pea0gs3DFM

— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) June 9, 2023

>> READ ALSO: Australia: death of Yunupingu, pioneer of the defense of the rights of the Aborigines

Australian newspaper apologizes for coverage of 1838 Aboriginal massacre

Australian newspaper apologizes for coverage of 1838 Aboriginal massacre

Calls for murder

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