Miranda Devine
Encyclopedia
Miranda Devine is an Australian columnist
and writer
noted for her conservative
stance on a range of social
and political
issues. Her column
, formerly printed twice weekly in Fairfax Media
newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald
and The Sun-Herald
, now appears in the News Limited Daily Telegraph with frequent posts on the Telegraph blogs.
and learned to speak Japanese
fluently. A devout Roman Catholic, Devine completed her high school education at Loreto Kirribilli
, a Catholic girls' private school in Sydney
. After school, she completed a mathematics
degree at Macquarie University
. On receipt of her degree, Devine joined the CSIRO in their textile physics division. She would however only spend a year there, finding the work unrewarding.
In 2001, after Allan had left for New York
, Devine turned down the Telegraph's offer of more money and took up an offer to write for its main rival The Sydney Morning Herald. Devine is a personal friend of fellow conservative columnist Tim Blair
, who said of her: "She's got good antennae. She can read people which is why she accurately predicts election results".
When interviewed for an April 2007 article in The Australian
about hate mail
received by female columnists, Devine commented: "You are contesting ideas and you have to do it in a polarising
way. When you write a column, you can't sit on the fence".
Devine is a member of the editorial advisory board
of the conservative Quadrant
magazine.
On 6 August 2010, The Daily Telegraph announced that Devine would be returning as a columnist for both The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.
In their book, Silencing Dissent
(Allen & Unwin
), Clive Hamilton
and Sarah Maddison accuse Miranda Devine of belonging to a "syndicate of right-wing
commentators who receive favour from the Howard
Government."
In 2007, Devine travelled to Iraq
with Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson and two other conservative columnists. Her resulting positive report was criticised by Media Watch
.
In 2011 Devine created controversy when she used the news of Australian Minister Penny Wong's
decision to parent a child with her female partner as the basis of a column, in which she argued that recent riots in England were the result of a "fatherless society" – that is, a society that increasingly accepts children growing up in gay and single mother households.
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....
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
noted for her conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
stance on a range of social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
issues. Her column
Column (newspaper)
A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. Columns are written by columnists.What differentiates a column from other forms of journalism is that it meets each of the following criteria:...
, formerly printed twice weekly in Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
, now appears in the News Limited Daily Telegraph with frequent posts on the Telegraph blogs.
Life and career
While in Tokyo, Devine and her two younger sisters attended an American International SchoolInternational school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
and learned to speak Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
fluently. A devout Roman Catholic, Devine completed her high school education at Loreto Kirribilli
Loreto Kirribilli
Loreto Kirribilli is a Roman Catholic, day school for girls, located in Kirribilli, a Lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, a Catholic girls' private school in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. After school, she completed a mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
degree at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
. On receipt of her degree, Devine joined the CSIRO in their textile physics division. She would however only spend a year there, finding the work unrewarding.
In 2001, after Allan had left for New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Devine turned down the Telegraph's offer of more money and took up an offer to write for its main rival The Sydney Morning Herald. Devine is a personal friend of fellow conservative columnist Tim Blair
Tim Blair
Tim Blair is a conservative journalist, commentator and blogger working in Sydney, Australia.Blair began his journalism cadetship in 1988 at 23, working for the now-closed Truth newspaper in Melbourne. In 2004, the Sydney Morning Herald said that "Blair, 39, is top dog among the new Australian...
, who said of her: "She's got good antennae. She can read people which is why she accurately predicts election results".
When interviewed for an April 2007 article in The Australian
The Australian
The 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....
about hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
received by female columnists, Devine commented: "You are contesting ideas and you have to do it in a polarising
Polarization (psychology)
In communications and psychology, polarization is the process whereby a social or political group is divided into two opposing sub-groups with fewer and fewer members of the group remaining neutral or holding an intermediate position....
way. When you write a column, you can't sit on the fence".
Devine is a member of the editorial advisory board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
of the conservative Quadrant
Quadrant (magazine)
Quadrant is an Australian literary and cultural journal. The magazine takes a conservative position on political and social issues, describing itself as sceptical of 'unthinking Leftism, or political correctness, and its "smelly little orthodoxies"'. Quadrant reviews literature, as well as...
magazine.
On 6 August 2010, The Daily Telegraph announced that Devine would be returning as a columnist for both The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.
In their book, Silencing Dissent
Silencing Dissent
Silencing Dissent: How the Australian Government is Controlling Public Opinion and Stifling Debate is a 2007 Australian book, edited by Clive Hamilton and Sarah Maddison....
(Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
), Clive Hamilton
Clive Hamilton
Clive Charles Hamilton AM FRSA is an Australian public intellectual and Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and the Vice-Chancellor's Chair in Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of the The...
and Sarah Maddison accuse Miranda Devine of belonging to a "syndicate of right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
commentators who receive favour from the Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
Government."
In 2007, Devine travelled to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
with Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson and two other conservative columnists. Her resulting positive report was criticised by Media Watch
Media Watch (TV series)
Media Watch is an Australian media analysis television program presented by Jonathan Holmes for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.-Format:...
.
In 2011 Devine created controversy when she used the news of Australian Minister Penny Wong's
Penny Wong
Penelope "Penny" Ying-yen Wong , is an Australian Labor Party senator for South Australia and the Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the...
decision to parent a child with her female partner as the basis of a column, in which she argued that recent riots in England were the result of a "fatherless society" – that is, a society that increasingly accepts children growing up in gay and single mother households.