Bold Types: How Australia’s First Women Journalists Blazed a Trail

In Bold Types, Patricia Clarke recounts the chequered journey of women journalists in the fight for gender equality from 1860 to the end of World War II. These were independent, adventurous women who ventured far and wide in search of news, relevance and equality.

Together, stories of women from Anna Blackwell and Flora Shaw to Janet Mitchell and Caroline Isaacson, illustrate the gains and setbacks of women journalists over nearly a century. In each successive story, the tenacious determination of these women stands clear against the background of the prevailing patriarchy.

Patricia Clarke was a trailblazer herself as the only woman on the Melbourne staff at the Australian News and Information Bureau in the early 1950s. In a detailed epilogue, Patricia shares stories of her own life and career in the days of crowded newsrooms, clattering typewriters, and overflowing cigarette trays.

The book also features an introduction by Amy Remeikis, political reporter at Guardian Australia, who reflects on the struggles and achievements of her early counterparts as well as the current working environment for women journalists.

Bold Types is a book that will resound with and inspire today’s audience, in a world where women are still fighting for equal rights and often, respect in the workplace.