#dan murphy's

American actress Brittany Dan Murphy's, 32, suddenly died "Are you responsible for having an affair with your son-in-law?" (Surprise)

There was much social media activity last week after Fairfax announced a commercial partnership between itself and retailer Dan Murphy’s in the food and wine section, Good Food, published weekly in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. My colleague Ralph Kyte-Powell and I joined in the debate as it was obvious many people needed to be informed of the facts.

Some people suggested the credibility of the sections was in jeopardy; some inquired whether the deal meant we would only be reviewing wines stocked by Dan Murphy’s; some asserted the arrangement was ‘another’ nail in the coffin of the boutique wineries and/or the independent retailers.

I’d like to make some comments:

The relationship is between Fairfax and Dan Murphy’s and is nothing to do with Ralph and me.

We don’t believe the relationship will affect the way we do our jobs. We continue to taste and review wine objectively and fairly as we have always done.

There is no requirement for us to review wines stocked by Dan Murphy’s.

Retailers of all sizes and descriptions are listed in the wine reviews every week in Good Food (and before it, Epicure and Good Living). This will continue unchanged.

Wineries of all sizes and styles have always enjoyed good exposure in Good Food and will continue to.

We do not exercise favour towards retailers whom we list as retail stockists of wines. These names are all provided by our contacts for each individual wine, which may be the winery or its wholesale distributor, publicist or agent. If there is a bias towards any particular retailer it can only be because the name is frequently provided by our winery contacts. If Coles and Woolworths appear inordinately often (and I don’t believe they do) it is most likely a reflection of their dominance in the market-place and the fact that they stock a lot of good wines.

I did not personally like the way the August 5 edition of Good Food looked – the first edition with the new partnership - with multiple advertisements and click-throughs to Dan Murphy’s retail site, but I have no choice in the matter. Unless I perceive that it compromises my reputation and integrity I will continue to be a Fairfax contributor, if they want me. Like any reader, I will be keeping a keen eye on any developments.

A word about my contributor relationship with Fairfax Media. Readers will notice that my wine column in Good Food is no longer appearing every week, nor my wine reviews. This change is unrelated to the Fairfax-Dan Murphy’s relationship.

Readers will be aware that Fairfax, along with all print media organisations, is having to contain costs and this involves curtailing staff numbers and publishing opportunities. I have been incredibly fortunate for some years, as retrenchments happened all around me, and until this year, I had the luxury of a page and a half in Good Living/Good Food every week. This consisted of an 800 to 900-word column, seven wine reviews and a column of news snippets.

From August, this all changes. My column will run every second week, and my wine reviews will alternate with Ralph’s. Mine will be phased to appear in the week when my column does not appear. The wine content is to be the same in both The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. This means my income from Fairfax, for whom I have worked as a contributor for 32 years, will be halved. On the upside, the weekly reviews will increase to nine: the usual seven wines plus two extra drinks, normally a spirit and a ‘brew’ (a beer or sake).

Sister 1: Hey, where are we going?

Sister 2: Dan Murphy's

Sister 1: OoOoOoOoOoh!!! Who's Dan? Your boyfriend? ;)

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