New SSO editor looks to diversity

Scott Abrahams will take up the position of publishing editor at Sydney Star Observer next month with ambitious plans to capitalise on the future of gay and lesbian community publishing.

Announcing the appointment last week, Mark Bengtsson, chairperson of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Community Publishing Limited, said Abrahams would bring a wealth of experience to the publication.

Abrahams, who previously served as editor-in-chief of the Courier Newspaper stable, welcomed the opportunity to enter the gay and lesbian media market and contribute to the community’s cause.

I’m very proud and passionate about the GLBT community, he said. Despite all the difficulties and barriers it has faced, it continues to fight for what it believes is right.

The opportunity to harness and strengthen this passion is part of why I decided to join the SSO.

For almost 30 years it has been the voice of Australia’s GLBT population, setting agendas and fighting alongside community groups to raise awareness of remaining social injustice, he said.

Acknowledging that his term at the helm of the newspaper would encompass the federal election campaign, Abrahams said now was the time to embrace and acknowledge the community’s diversity of opinion.

It is important to remember that the GLBT population is not a single issue community -“ it is just as concerned about broader issues, he said.

Abrahams said he would meet with key community stakeholders to determine how the newspaper can embrace and further the needs of the community as a whole.

The challenge faced by the gay and lesbian media is the ability to stay relevant and balance the competing demands of those diverse voices, he said.

But Abrahams said that diversity also presented a strategic advantage, with mainstream media undergoing a period of significant change and concentration under new media ownership laws.

As larger companies strive to improve returns to shareholders, we see a dilution of the information filtered to the public.

As a result, people will increasingly turn to niche publications for wider and more relevant information -“ the SSO is well placed to capitalise on that need.