15 Chris Mitchell

Big and brash with an overgrown shock of hair that adds inches to his already-imposing frame, Chris Mitchell is the most influential newspaper editor in the country.

As editor-in-chief of national News Limited broadsheet The Australian, Mitchell is the no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners newspaper man who has become the face of what Bob Brown calls the ‘hate media’, and learned to wield significant political influence himself along the way.

Accused of being everything from crusading and bloody-minded to controlling and arrogant, the Brisbane-bred Mitchell has been a journalist all of his adult life. His instincts on what makes a good yarn have been honed over more than 20 years as an editor.

And while some on the Labor and Greens side of politics may have come to despise him, there’s little doubt Mitchell’s front page is a breakfast must-read for anyone in the power game.

Well-resourced and strongly-led, the paper often boasts some of the best journalism in the country. But critics also deride its inclination to needlessly attack and criticise enemies regardless of size.

Still, one thing is for sure: despite a circulation of just 130,000, The Oz’s tentacles spread far and wide, with Mitchell piloting the way.