The founding editor of the Sunday Herald has co-founded a website in Australia which seeks to turn university research into compelling copy.
Andrew Jaspan – also a former editor of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and The Observer – has helped set up Conversation, with the support of six million Australian dollars, from a group of universities, designed to support an editorial team of around 20, over three years.
Jaspan left Scotland in 2004 to edit The Age, in Melbourne, his time there coming to an end three years ago.
Reports The Australian newspaper: “The new Conversation website…takes academic research, puts it through a journalistic process, and presents it as credible, detailed information, free to all.” It is currently in its development phase.
Jaspan is joined at Conversation by Paul Dalgarno, former deputy editor at the Sunday Herald, who is the Science & Technology section editor and Vicky Riddell, also ex of the Sunday Herald and who was at the BBC for eight years, who is the Sydney editor and also joint-section editor of Society & Politics. Rory Cahill, formerly a reporter with Holyrood magazine, in Edinburgh, is joint-section editor, Society & Politics.
As well as being a co-founder of the website, Jaspan is joint managing director.
