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==Biography==
==Biography==
Miranda Devine is the eldest of three children of Frank Devine, also a [[editing|newspaper editor]]. She was born in [[New York, New York|New York]] in the early [[1960s]]. Her family later moved to [[London]] and then lived in [[Tokyo]] for six years. Afterwards, her family settled on [[Sydney]]'s [[North Shore (Sydney)|North Shore]].
Miranda Devine is the eldest of three children of [[editing|newspaper editor]] Frank Devine. She was born in [[New York, New York|New York]] in the early [[1960s]]. Her family later moved to [[London]] and then lived in [[Tokyo]] for six years. Afterwards, her family settled on [[Sydney]]'s [[North Shore (Sydney)|North Shore]].


Whilst in Tokyo, she and her two younger sisters attended an American [[International School]], but were able to speak [[Japanese Language|Japanese]] fluently.<ref name="Bulletin_Bagnall">{{cite news |first=Diana |last=Bagnall |title=Who is Miranda Devine? |url=http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=137933 |format= |work= |publisher=''[[The Bulletin]]'' |date=2004-11-24 |accessdate=2007-10-08 }}</ref>
While in Tokyo, she and her two younger sisters attended an American [[International School]], but learned to speak [[Japanese Language|Japanese]] fluently.<ref name="Bulletin_Bagnall">{{cite news |first=Diana |last=Bagnall |title=Who is Miranda Devine? |url=http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=137933 |format= |work= |publisher=''[[The Bulletin]]'' |date=2004-11-24 |accessdate=2007-10-08 }}</ref>
A devout [[Roman Catholic]], Devine completed her high school education at [[Loreto Kirribilli]], a Catholic girl's private school. 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.
A devout [[Roman Catholic]], Devine completed her high school education at [[Loreto Kirribilli]], a Catholic girl's private school. 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.


On recommendation from her father, Devine travelled to [[Chicago]] to attain a Masters degree at Northwestern University's [[Medill]] graduate school of journalism. She worked for the [[Boston Herald]] as a reporter and feature writer. Devine returned to Sydney in [[1989]] and soon after joined [[The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|The Daily Telegraph]] as a police reporter. She was promoted to assistant editor and, later, opinion columnist in the early [[1990s]] by the ''Telegraph's'' then editor [[Col Allan]] who wanted a strong female voice representing the then very masculine newspaper. There, Devine would establish herself as a staunch conservative, and politically polarising figure. Devine's name became so entrenched with her right-wing commentary that when she married and wanted to change her name, Allan objected.
On recommendation from her father, Devine travelled to [[Chicago]] to attain a Masters degree at Northwestern University's [[Medill]] graduate school of journalism. She worked for the [[Boston Herald]] as a reporter and feature writer. Devine returned to Sydney in [[1989]] and soon after joined [[The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|The Daily Telegraph]] as a police reporter. She was promoted to assistant editor and, later, opinion columnist in the early [[1990s]] by the ''Telegraph's'' then editor [[Col Allan]] who wanted a strong female voice representing the then very masculine newspaper. Devine's columns became so popular that when she married and wanted to change her name, Allan objected.{{cn}}


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 right-wing columnist [[Tim Blair]], who said of her: "She's got good antennae. She can read people which is why she accurately predicts election results."<ref name="Bulletin_Bagnall"/>
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."<ref name="Bulletin_Bagnall"/>


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 [[Polarization (psychology)|polarising]] way. When you write a column, you can't sit on the fence.”<ref name="JacksonHateMailAustralian">{{cite web |url= http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21539839-7582,00.html |title= You've got hate mail: It's her job to have opinions, but does saying what they really think make female columnists particularly vulnerable? |author= Sally Jackson |work= [[The Australian]] |date= [[12 April]] [[2007]] |quote= }}</ref>
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 [[Polarization (psychology)|polarising]] way. When you write a column, you can't sit on the fence.”<ref name="JacksonHateMailAustralian">{{cite web |url= http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21539839-7582,00.html |title= You've got hate mail: It's her job to have opinions, but does saying what they really think make female columnists particularly vulnerable? |author= Sally Jackson |work= [[The Australian]] |date= [[12 April]] [[2007]] |quote= }}</ref>


Devine is a member of the [[Editorial board|editorial advisory board]] of the conservative ''[[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant]]'' magazine.<ref>[http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/contact.php Quadrant — Editorial Advisory Board], [[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant magazine]] website</ref>
Devine is a member of the [[Editorial board|editorial advisory board]] of the conservative ''[[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant]]'' magazine.<ref>[http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/contact.php Quadrant — Editorial Advisory Board], [[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant magazine]] website</ref>

==Controversy==
In their 2007 book, ''[[Silencing Dissent]]'',<ref name="HamiltonMaddison">Clive Hamilton and Sarah Maddison, eds. ''Silencing Dissent: How the Australian Government Is Controlling Public Opinion and Stifling Debate.'' [[Melbourne, Australia|Melbourne]]: [[Allen & Unwin]], February 2007.</ref> editors [[Clive Hamilton]] and Sarah Maddison included Miranda Devine<ref name="HamiltonMaddisonExcerpt">{{cite web |url= http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21144760-7583,00.html |title= Cut & Paste: How a right-wing, pro-Howard cabal is stifling debate |work= Excerpt from [[Silencing Dissent]]. First of five items in [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/opinion/cutpaste/ Cut & Paste] [[opinion]] feature, [[The Australian]] |date= [[31 January]] [[2007]] |quote= }}</ref> among ten whom they said “form a sort of syndicate of [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] commentators who receive favour from the [[John Howard|Howard]] Government.”

Radio broadcaster and columnist [[Mike Carlton]] criticised the same commentators,<ref name="CarltonWitchHuntersColumn">{{cite web |url= http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/witch-hunters-at-it-again/2007/03/02/1172338881136.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 |title= Witch hunters at it again as Bennelong heats up |author= [[Mike Carlton]] |work= [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date= [[3 March]] [[2007]] |quote= }}</ref> including Miranda Devine, for accepting positions offered by the [[John Howard|Howard]] government. Miranda Devine was one of ten individuals appointed to the Australian Government's National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy from 2004 to 2005.<ref name="NewsReleaseMinistryEdSciTraining">{{cite web |url= http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/11/n1016301104.asp |title= National Inquiry into Literacy Teaching |author= [[Brendan Nelson]], [[Minister for Education, Science and Training (Australia)|Australia Government Minister for Education, Science and Training]], 2001-2006 |work= [[News release|Media release]] |date= [[30 November]] [[2004]] |quote= }} Inquiry Committee Members: Dr Ken Rowe ([[Chair (official)|chair]]), Professor Alan Rice, Ms Yvonne Meyer, Dr Gregor Ramsey, Professor Terry Lovat, Ms Fiona Knight, Mr Ken Smith, Ms Miranda Devine, Professor Bill Louden, Ms Lina Scalfino.</ref><ref name="LiteracyLevelsHansard">{{cite web |url= http://parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC20060302029 |title= School Students Literacy Levels |author= Full Day [[Hansard]] Transcript, Item 29 of 40 |date= [[2 March]] [[2006]] |quote= }}</ref>

In 2007, Devine travelled to [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]] with former Australian Defence Minister [[Brendan Nelson]], Australian Defence Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal [[Angus Houston]], and ''[[The Australian]]'' political editor Dennis Shanahan (Political Editor). The resulting exclusive interview by Devine and Shanahan with US General [[David Petraeus]]<ref> [http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/those-boots-make-a-difference/2007/09/05/1188783319564.html "Those boots make a difference"], Miranda Devine, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', [[September 6]], [[2007]]</ref> was criticised by ''[[Media Watch (TV program)|Media Watch]]'' for reporting figures given to her by Gen. Petraeus. ''Media Watch'' claimed that Devine and the [[Sydney Morning Herald]] gave front page coverage to Petraeus's figures, which claimed significant decline in Iraqi and combat related deaths. Soon after an [[AFP]] newswire stated that in fact the number of deaths from the last month had risen.<ref name="BaghdadFiguresAFP">{{cite web |url= http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0728_afp.pdf |title= Civilian deaths in Iraq up in August |author= Recent Stories |work= [[Media Watch (TV program)|Media Watch]] Archives |date= [[1 September]] [[2007]] |quote= }}</ref> ''[[The Australian]]'''s Dennis Shanahan, who also accompanied Devine to Iraq and Afghanistan, was specifically asked by Petraeus's office to report the figures as 'last year.'

{{off-topic|}}
Petraeus himself had been criticised for often using language and quoting figures to give a more optimistic picture then could be percieved as justified. Some commentators have accused those associated with the former Howard Government such as [[Brendan Nelson]] and (defence Chief) [[Angus Houston]] of deliberately inviting more 'hawkish'/conservative reporters because of their tendency to report in a manner percieved as more favourable to the political narrative of the Howard government. [[The Australian]] is owned by [[Rupert Murdoch]], who has often given personal approval to conservative policies, esspecially the War on Terror, of which the invasion of Iraq is considered a part.<ref> [http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2029170.htm "Good Morning Iraq"] [[Media Watch (TV program)|Media Watch]], [[September 10]], [[2007]]</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 15:18, 27 May 2008

Miranda Devine is an Australian columnist and writer, noted for her conservative stance on a range of social and political issues. Her column is printed twice weekly in Fairfax Media newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald.

Biography

Miranda Devine is the eldest of three children of newspaper editor Frank Devine. She was born in New York in the early 1960s. Her family later moved to London and then lived in Tokyo for six years. Afterwards, her family settled on Sydney's North Shore.

While in Tokyo, she and her two younger sisters attended an American International School, but learned to speak Japanese fluently.[1] A devout Roman Catholic, Devine completed her high school education at Loreto Kirribilli, a Catholic girl's private school. 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.

On recommendation from her father, Devine travelled to Chicago to attain a Masters degree at Northwestern University's Medill graduate school of journalism. She worked for the Boston Herald as a reporter and feature writer. Devine returned to Sydney in 1989 and soon after joined The Daily Telegraph as a police reporter. She was promoted to assistant editor and, later, opinion columnist in the early 1990s by the Telegraph's then editor Col Allan who wanted a strong female voice representing the then very masculine newspaper. Devine's columns became so popular that when she married and wanted to change her name, Allan objected.[citation needed]

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."[1]

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.”[2]

Devine is a member of the editorial advisory board of the conservative Quadrant magazine.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Bagnall, Diana (2004-11-24). "Who is Miranda Devine?". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-10-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Sally Jackson (12 April 2007). "You've got hate mail: It's her job to have opinions, but does saying what they really think make female columnists particularly vulnerable?". The Australian. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Quadrant — Editorial Advisory Board, Quadrant magazine website