News

Artists fear impact of Advertiser’s Fringe reviews ‘ban’

With Adelaide Fringe not advertising in The Advertiser this year, the paper appears to be striking back by abandoning reviews coverage.

23 Feb 2023

Richard Watts

Performing Arts

Publicity image for ‘Be a Doll, Won’t You?’ at Adelaide Fringe 2023. Photo: Jamie Hornsby.

The tagline of News Corp’s Adelaide tabloid The Advertiser is ‘We’re for you,’ but this year it feels like Adelaide Fringe artists and festivalgoers are not part of the ‘you’ in question.

The Advertiser, Adelaide’s only daily newspaper, has reputedly banned reviews of the Adelaide Fringe this year after a breakdown in negotiations over the Fringe’s existing advertising arrangement.

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Join Now Login

Richard Watts

Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts