Lot's Wife
Encyclopedia
Lot's Wife is the student newspaper of Monash University
's Clayton campus
. It is produced by students, for students and operates as part of the Monash Student Association
.
Lot's Wife gained its name from the Biblical
passage in which Lot
and his wife
fled Sodom
. Lot and his wife were spared from God’s wrath at Sodom on the premise that if they left behind the destruction that befell their town without looking back, they would be spared. Once they had escaped, Lot's wife looked back. As a consequence she turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying God's orders.
The message of never looking back has been enshrined in Lot's Wife since its inception and continues to be reflected in each edition of the publication. Many of Lot's Wife’s contributors have achieved considerable notoriety in later life.
This tradition of progressive journalism within Lot's Wife has recently been challenged by an article written by the Liberal staffer for Andrew Robb
, Con Helas. Helas, a Monash Arts/Law student claimed in print that multiculturalism is 'the single greatest threat to civilisation'. In the previous edition of Lot's Wife, the editors called out for conservative articles to be submitted following accusations against them of left wing bias. Helas' article was leaked to Crikey
and mX
(which received front page coverage) and as a result, Helas is no longer employed by Robb.
Lot's Wife found itself in the middle of a media storm when an article was published and distributed to first year students at the traditional O-Week events discussing different ways to consume and prepare marijuana. The article titled "Cooking with Schapelle" drew the ire of anti-drug groups.
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
's Clayton campus
Monash University, Clayton campus
Monash University, Clayton Campus is the main campus of Monash University located in Clayton, which is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria....
. It is produced by students, for students and operates as part of the Monash Student Association
Monash Student Association
The Monash Student Association Inc is located at the Clayton campus of Monash University in the Campus Centre building. The MSA is made up of elected student representatives who represent all Clayton campus students on general issues such as education, fees and student welfare, and also specific...
.
History
Lot's Wife began when a collection of Monash (Clayton) students stormed the office of the Monash student newspaper of the time, Chaos, in reaction to the sexist and derogatory material Chaos routinely published. Throughout the 1960s, Lot's Wife remained at the forefront of student media.Lot's Wife gained its name from the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
passage in which Lot
Lot (Bible)
Lot is a man from the Book of Genesis chapters 11-14 and 19, in the Hebrew Bible. Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram ; his flight from the destruction of Sodom, in the course of which Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; and the seduction by his...
and his wife
Lot's wife
Lot's wife is a person mentioned in the Book of Genesis who was turned into a pillar of salt for failing to heed the orders of the angels of deliverance from the city of Sodom."Lot's wife" may further refer to:-Geography:...
fled Sodom
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
. Lot and his wife were spared from God’s wrath at Sodom on the premise that if they left behind the destruction that befell their town without looking back, they would be spared. Once they had escaped, Lot's wife looked back. As a consequence she turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying God's orders.
The message of never looking back has been enshrined in Lot's Wife since its inception and continues to be reflected in each edition of the publication. Many of Lot's Wife’s contributors have achieved considerable notoriety in later life.
This tradition of progressive journalism within Lot's Wife has recently been challenged by an article written by the Liberal staffer for Andrew Robb
Andrew Robb
Andrew John Robb AO , Australian politician and former federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the Division of Goldstein, Victoria for the Liberal Party of Australia at the 2004 federal election.Robb, one of nine children, was...
, Con Helas. Helas, a Monash Arts/Law student claimed in print that multiculturalism is 'the single greatest threat to civilisation'. In the previous edition of Lot's Wife, the editors called out for conservative articles to be submitted following accusations against them of left wing bias. Helas' article was leaked to Crikey
Crikey
Crikey is an independent Australian electronic magazine comprising an open access website and an email newsletter available to subscribers. Well known in Australian political, media and business circles, Crikey was described by former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular...
and mX
MX (newspaper)
mX is an Australian free afternoon daily newspaper in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, owned and produced by News Limited. Targeted at commuters, its main channels of distribution are inner-city railway stations, tram and bus stops, and major CBD intersections.-Beginnings:The first mX...
(which received front page coverage) and as a result, Helas is no longer employed by Robb.
Lot's Wife found itself in the middle of a media storm when an article was published and distributed to first year students at the traditional O-Week events discussing different ways to consume and prepare marijuana. The article titled "Cooking with Schapelle" drew the ire of anti-drug groups.
Notable contributors
Lot's Wife is put together through a collaborative effort by students from the Monash Clayton Campus. Some past editors and contributors to Lot's Wife include:- Julian BurnsideJulian BurnsideJulian William Kennedy Burnside AO QC is an Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate, and author. He is known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and has provided legal counsel in a wide array of high-profile cases...
- Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
and human rights advocate - Peter CostelloPeter CostelloPeter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
- former Federal Treasurer of AustraliaTreasurer of AustraliaThe Treasurer of Australia is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising. He is the head of the Department of the Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in the economic policy of the government...
. In the 1970s, he wrote articles defending Compulsory Student Unionism while he was a member of the Social Democratic Students Association of Victoria, an affiliate of the VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n Branch of Australian Young LaborAustralian Young LaborAustralian Young Labor is the youth wing of the Australian Labor Party. All ALP members aged under 26 are automatically members. Australian Young Labor is the peak youth body within the ALP. It represents about 9500 members in every state and territory in Australia...
. - Nick EconomouNick EconomouDr Nicholas Economou is an Australian political scientist. He is a regular commentator in the media on Australian politics, being published in a wide range of Australian and international newspapers...
- media commentator on Australian politics and frequently provides commentary for the ABC, and also a Senior Lecturer at Monash. - Jon FaineJon FaineJon Faine is an Australian radio presenter and host of a morning program on 774 ABC in Melbourne.Faine was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, and emigrated to Sydney with his parents at a young age. Later they moved to Melbourne, where he attended Melbourne High School.In the late 1970s and early 1980s...
- ABCABC Radio and Regional ContentABC Radio and Regional Content is the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for radio output and regional content.-Origins:...
radio presenter - Phillip FrazerPhillip FrazerPhillip Frazer, is a writer, editor and publisher. He was a founder of the teen pop newspaper, Go-Set in 1966 which was published weekly until 1974, introducing Australia's first national pop record charts and featuring many notable contributors...
- founder and publisher of Go-SetGo-SetGo-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
magazine and the first Australian edition of Rolling StoneRolling Stone AustraliaRolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...
. - Kelly Griffin - editor of national magazine "Burst" within a year of leaving Monash University and now associate editor of Beat Magazine.
- Rachel GriffithsRachel GriffithsRachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress who came to prominence in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1997 film Hilary and Jackie....
- film and television actress, best known for her role as Rhonda Epinstalk in the 1994 film, Muriel's WeddingMuriel's WeddingMuriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian-French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars actresses Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve...
and as Brenda ChenowithBrenda ChenowithBrenda Chenowith is a fictional character on the HBO television series Six Feet Under played by Rachel Griffiths. She was first introduced in the pilot, and remained until the series finale.-Prior to the Pilot:...
in the TV series Six Feet Under. - Llawela Forrest - instrumental in the fight against Voluntary Student Unionism in the mid 1990s which threatened funding and thus the existence of Lot's Wife. She went on to become a Marketing Manager at the Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and has since been a contributor to The Age Cheap Eats Guide. - Josh Kinal - wrote for Rolling StoneRolling Stone AustraliaRolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...
and InpressInpressInpress is a free weekly tabloid-sized music magazine that is released in Melbourne, Geelong and Mornington Peninsula areas of Victoria, Australia...
as a music and arts critic and journalist. He has appeared as a presenter on 3RRR3RRR3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
and Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. He co-hosts the weekly podcast BoxcuttersBoxcutters (podcast)Boxcutters is an Australian podcast dedicated to the discussion of television. It is produced weekly, and usually uploaded on a Monday. Shows average around 70 minutes, although there is no set length, and it is recorded at the studios of 3RRR...
http://www.boxcutters.net and appeared on Radio NationalRadio NationalABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
as a TV critic. - Antony LoewensteinAntony LoewensteinAntony Loewenstein is an atheist Jewish-Australian political activist, freelance journalist, author and blogger who is based in Sydney.Loewenstein has written for The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, Sydney's Sun-Herald, The Bulletin, ZNet, The Big...
- Jewish journalist who wrote the controversial book My Israel Question. - Michael LeunigMichael LeunigMichael Leunig , typically referred to as Leunig, is an Australian poet, cartoonist and cultural commentator. His best known works include The Adventures of Vasco Pyjama and the Curly Flats series...
is an artist, cartoonist, poet and philosopher. His work is commonly printed in The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
and the Sydney Morning Herald. He provides left-wing commentary on political, cultural and emotional life. - Russell Skelton is an award winning journalist and foreign correspondent. He currently works for The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
. - Peter SteedmanPeter SteedmanAlan Peter Steedman was an Australian politician. At Melbourne University he edited Farrago, the Melbourne University Student Union paper. He also edited Lot's Wife at Monash University....
- journalist, editor, federal Labor Member of Parliament and political activist. - Mark Taft - Judge of the County Court of VictoriaCounty Court of VictoriaThe County Court of Victoria was established in 1852 by the County Courts Act 1852. The court has jurisdiction in the State of Victoria, Australia...
. - Vanessa Toholka - Joint technology sub-editor at Lot's Wife, former digital producer at the Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and Executive Producer of online documentary Sounds Like Techno - Remy Davison - academic and commentator on international relations.
- Darryl Dellora - film maker and political commentator
- Stephanie Bunbury - film critic, journalist at The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
- Simon Marginson - academic and author on higher education policy.
- James Massola - journalist for The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
and formerly at the Canberra Times
Recent editors
- 2011: Timothy Lawson, Joshua Kenner and Gavrilo Grabovac (resigned)
- 2010: Sam Whitney and Carmel Wallis
- 2009: Sean Gleeson, Keshia Jacotine and Rosie Pham
- 2008: Emily Laidlaw and Lisa Ritchie
- 2007: Dara Conduit and Naomi Snell
- 2006: Inna Tsyrlin, Mattias Mazza and Hayley Maher
- 2005: Meg O’Brien, Megan King and Craig Benjamin
- 2004: Daniel Wilson, Peter Varley, John-Luis Moretti
- 2003: George Kirby, Lisa Pham, Sarah O’Brien and Jeremy King
- 2002: Aamer Rahman, Catherine Leslie and Jessie MacNeil Brown
- 2001: Alyssa Grant, James Raynes and Gordon Oldham
- 2000: Anthony 'Slatts' Slattery and Sandra Ronnenfeldt
- 1999: Claire Hammond, Asha Holmes and Ozan Ibrisim
- 1998: Dan Celm, Michelle Davies and Chris King
- 1997: Emily Howie, Antony Loewenstein and Harriet Shing
- 1996: Anna Dollman, Josh Kinal, Melanie McGrath, and Ben Richards
- 1995: Symon Rubens, Julia Shtepa and Cassie Wavish
- 1994: David Cody, Llawela Forrest and Leanne Paton
- 1993: Edwina Hanlon, Mark Jeanes and Selena Papps