| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Fairfax Media |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Political alignment | Centre left |
| Headquarters | 21 Auburn Street Wollongong NSW 2500 |
| ISSN | 1443-900X |
The Illawarra Mercury is the only daily newspaper in Wollongong, the third largest city in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers. It has been published daily since December 1949, and has had no competition since the 1960s.
The Mercury is jocularly known as The Mockery among residents of the Illawarra region due to its perceived shallowness of coverage and lack of accuracy. As a result it became a running gag on the ABC's Media Watch in the period when Stuart Littlemore hosted the programme. The Mercury is published in the standard Australian tabloid format, with each page having an approximate size of A3. Despite being marketed towards residents of the Illawarra and surrounding regions, it can be purchased throughout the Sydney metropolitan region where it is popular due to the high quality of its horse-racing and sport coverage.
The newspaper's editorial stance appears to be somewhat left-of-centre, with trade unions and striking workers often earning sympathetic coverage during the Illawarra region's frequent periods of industrial unrest. The Mercury has also taken a pro-environmental stance against controversial construction and development in the Wollongong region. The paper has often supported Labor at state and federal elections, but has already stated it will back the Liberal Party for the New South Wales state election, 2011
Its editorial cartoonist, Vince O'Farrell, has won international awards for his work - his cartoon immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks depicting tears rolling down the Statue of Liberty's cheeks is one example.
The Illawarra Mercury is owned by Fairfax Media, though the newspaper is editorially independent. Fairfax acquired the paper in 1969.
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