Gavin King
Encyclopedia
Gavin King was a newspaper chief of staff and opinion columnist
for News Limited
. As Editor at Large for the The Cairns Post
he regularly attacked Federal Labor, State and local governments. King successfully gained preselection on October 2, 2011 as the candidate the Liberal National Party (LNP) to run for the seat of Cairns in the Queensland Parliament in the 2012 State election.
, New South Wales
, King launched his first publishing venture Raptanite at age 15, a monthly magazine sold across Australia to promote urban music. After graduating from secondary school, King moved to Sydney to work in investment banking
before being appointed assistant editor and later editor of Revolver magazine, a free weekly street press newspaper focusing on music, art and culture.
In 2003, as Papunya's youth co-ordinator, King was involved in opening a music recording studio which was hoped to deter young people from petrol sniffing.
In late 2003, he began as political correspondent for The Centralian Advocate, where he won a distinction award in the Northern Territory Press Club awards in 2005. He was promoted to business editor at sister publication The Cairns Post
in 2006 and most recently promoted as chief of staff in December 2007.
launched its new website in February 2008, featuring King's blog
to offer readers the opportunity to provide comments and feedback to his columns. The blog has consistently received the site's largest volume of response from readers.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for News Limited
News Limited
News Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
. As Editor at Large for the The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post is a major News Corporation newspaper in Far North Queensland that exclusively serves the Cairns area. It has daily coverage on local, state, national and world news, plus a wide range of sections and liftouts covering health, beauty, cars and lifestyle.It is the oldest business in...
he regularly attacked Federal Labor, State and local governments. King successfully gained preselection on October 2, 2011 as the candidate the Liberal National Party (LNP) to run for the seat of Cairns in the Queensland Parliament in the 2012 State election.
Background
Born in CessnockCessnock
Cessnock can refer to:*Cessnock, New South Wales** Electoral district of Cessnock, an electoral district in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, based around the area** City of Cessnock, the Local Government Area...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, King launched his first publishing venture Raptanite at age 15, a monthly magazine sold across Australia to promote urban music. After graduating from secondary school, King moved to Sydney to work in investment banking
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
before being appointed assistant editor and later editor of Revolver magazine, a free weekly street press newspaper focusing on music, art and culture.
In 2003, as Papunya's youth co-ordinator, King was involved in opening a music recording studio which was hoped to deter young people from petrol sniffing.
In late 2003, he began as political correspondent for The Centralian Advocate, where he won a distinction award in the Northern Territory Press Club awards in 2005. He was promoted to business editor at sister publication The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post
The Cairns Post is a major News Corporation newspaper in Far North Queensland that exclusively serves the Cairns area. It has daily coverage on local, state, national and world news, plus a wide range of sections and liftouts covering health, beauty, cars and lifestyle.It is the oldest business in...
in 2006 and most recently promoted as chief of staff in December 2007.
Controversy and criticism
- In 2005, King was briefly detained and questioned by Australian Federal PoliceAustralian Federal PoliceThe Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
for his coverage of anti-war protesters Christians Against All Terrorism, who broke in to the Pine GapPine GapPine Gap is the commonly used name for a satellite tracking station at, some south-west of the town of Alice Springs in the centre of Australia which is operated by both Australia and the United States. The facility has become a key part of the local economy.It consists of a large computer complex...
defence base near Alice Springs. King's camera was confiscated by Police. - In early 2007, King wrote a controversial piece comparing George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
with Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, pointing out their similar approaches to government. The article was one of the most controversial pieces published by The Cairns Post, and received complaints from readers locally and internationally through the newspaper's website. - King was heavily criticised by right wing and pro-American commentators for a series of articles exposing the identity of an anti-Islam campaigner in early 2007. The campaigner, known as "Sheik yer mami", published controversial material on his website in a bid to stop a mosque being built in Cairns. King received death threats over the ordeal.
- In November, 2011 King made suggestions that women who drink to excess are partly to blame if the get raped or assaulted. King subsequently became subject to a campaign to have him dis-endorsed as the Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate for the Queensland Parliament seat of Cairns.
On-line blog
The Cairns PostThe Cairns Post
The Cairns Post is a major News Corporation newspaper in Far North Queensland that exclusively serves the Cairns area. It has daily coverage on local, state, national and world news, plus a wide range of sections and liftouts covering health, beauty, cars and lifestyle.It is the oldest business in...
launched its new website in February 2008, featuring King's blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
to offer readers the opportunity to provide comments and feedback to his columns. The blog has consistently received the site's largest volume of response from readers.