Eric Beecher has had a long career in journalism, media and publishing. He started his career as a reporter on the Melbourne Age, spent periods at The Sunday Times and The Observer in London, and at The WashingtonPost; he was appointed as the youngest-ever editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and later as editor-in-chief of the Melbourne Herald. He then became an independent media owner, launching several media and publishing start-up companies, initially in print and then in digital news publishing. He is currently chair and the largest shareholder in Private Media, owner of several Australian news websites, including Crikey.