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News and finance · smh.com.au

How to scrape The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au) is a news and finance site. This guide is built from our own checks of its public pages: what the pages contain, whether our requests get through right now, and the request settings that worked.

Ujeebu scrapes any public website. Not listed here? Try any URL in the Playground or ask us about a site.

Working 5 credits a page, about $0.50 per 1,000 on Pro

30 of 30 of our checks passed in the last 7 days (100%).

Last check 2026-11-04 10:04 UTC · last pass 2026-11-04 10:04 UTC · checked with our own requests, never customer data.

Try it in the Playground

Recipe one call

Use the The Sydney Morning Herald recipe: send the URL, get JSON

5 credits (JS) a page
curl -G 'https://api.ujeebu.com/scrape' \
  -H "ApiKey: $UJEEBU_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.smh.com.au/world' \
  --data-urlencode 'recipe=smh/listing'

The answer is {"result": {...}} with the fields of the recipe. Billed like any /scrape call: successful responses cost credits; blocked, timed-out and failed requests are free.

Run the code on this page with your own key: 5,000 free credits for 7 days, no card. Get a free API key →

Recipes

Call a recipe by name with the recipe parameter: the Scrape API applies its extract rules and the settings that work on The Sydney Morning Herald. Each recipe was run on two real The Sydney Morning Herald pages and keeps only the fields that came back on both; it is checked again every week, and hidden if it stops working.

Search and listing pages

Validated 2026-11-02

One call: recipe=smh/listing 5 credits (JS) a page

curl -G 'https://api.ujeebu.com/scrape' \
  -H "ApiKey: $UJEEBU_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.smh.com.au/world' \
  --data-urlencode 'recipe=smh/listing'

The answer is {"result": {...}} with the fields below; the Ujb-Recipe header names the version (for example smh/listing@v1) and Ujb-Credits the cost.

What this recipe extracts

FieldTypeExample
articleslist of 3+ items
articles[].urlURLhttps://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/mexican-men-sentenced-to...
articles[].titletextMexican men sentenced to 158 years in prison for murdering Australi...
articles[].imageURLhttps://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.661875%2C$multiply_0.5515%2C$r...

Examples from www.smh.com.au/world on 2026-11-02, shortened.

Sample output (real, trimmed)

{
    "articles": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/it-is-ours-the-far-right-israeli-settlers-who-want-to-build-homes-in-gaza-20261026-p618bk.html",
            "title": "‘It is ours’: The far-right Israeli settlers who want to build homes in Gaza",
            "image": "https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.5515625%2C$multiply_0.5515%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/434736d922b00567282..."
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-s-election-rallies-are-getting-weirder-and-looser-and-more-racist-20261026-p618j3.html",
            "title": "Trump’s election rallies are getting weirder and looser – and more racist",
            "image": "https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.2522%2C$multiply_0.254%2C$ratio_1%2C$width_378%2C$x_21%2C$y_26/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/2c42df3d36adab777a7ff21381667..."
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/dalifornia-china-s-mountain-escape-route-for-burnt-out-youth-20261025-p616r7.html",
            "title": "Dalifornia: China’s mountain escape route for burnt-out youth",
            "image": "https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.669%2C$multiply_0.254%2C$ratio_1%2C$width_378%2C$x_1185%2C$y_583/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/0c4d5c912fafc98f0b5208e41d0..."
        }
    ]
}
extract_rules (1 rule): the rules behind the recipe

The API applies these rules and the settings js=true for you when you send recipe=smh/listing. To change what comes back, send your own extract_rules (they replace the recipe's) or any setting (yours always win). Sites without a recipe work the same way with extract rules.

{
    "articles": {
        "selector": "div[data-testid=\"story-tile\"]",
        "type": "obj",
        "multiple": true,
        "children": {
            "url": {
                "selector": "a[data-testid=\"article-link\"]",
                "type": "link"
            },
            "title": {
                "selector": "h3",
                "type": "text"
            },
            "image": {
                "selector": "img.ZAk8w",
                "type": "image"
            }
        }
    }
}

Articles

Validated 2026-11-02

One call: recipe=smh/detail 5 credits (JS) a page

curl -G 'https://api.ujeebu.com/scrape' \
  -H "ApiKey: $UJEEBU_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-final-20260924-p6107o.html' \
  --data-urlencode 'recipe=smh/detail'

The answer is {"result": {...}} with the fields below; the Ujb-Recipe header names the version (for example smh/detail@v1) and Ujb-Credits the cost.

What this recipe extracts

FieldTypeExample
titletextYour guide to the AFL grand final
descriptiontextFrom Wharfie Time to Country Roads, this is your one-stop shop for...
imageURLhttps://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.3201%2C$multiply_0.7554%2C$rat...
urlURLhttps://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-fin...
publisheddate2026-09-24T21:55:31+10:00

Examples from www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-final-... on 2026-11-02, shortened.

Sample output (real, trimmed)

{
    "title": "Your guide to the AFL grand final",
    "description": "From Wharfie Time to Country Roads, this is your one-stop shop for all things Fremantle and Brisbane Lions in the lead-up to the grand final.",
    "image": "https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.3201%2C$multiply_0.7554%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_17/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/9345f7b5b342397924bdc...",
    "url": "https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-final-20260924-p6107o.html",
    "published": "2026-09-24T21:55:31+10:00"
}
extract_rules (5 rules): the rules behind the recipe

The API applies these rules and the settings js=true for you when you send recipe=smh/detail. To change what comes back, send your own extract_rules (they replace the recipe's) or any setting (yours always win). Sites without a recipe work the same way with extract rules.

{
    "title": {
        "selector": "h1",
        "type": "text"
    },
    "description": {
        "selector": "meta[property=\"og:description\"]",
        "type": "attr",
        "attribute": "content"
    },
    "image": {
        "selector": "meta[property=\"og:image\"]",
        "type": "attr",
        "attribute": "content"
    },
    "url": {
        "selector": "link[rel=\"canonical\"]",
        "type": "attr",
        "attribute": "href"
    },
    "published": {
        "selector": "time[data-testid='storytile-timestamp']",
        "type": "attr",
        "attribute": "datetime"
    }
}

Code

Complete scripts: set the UJEEBU_API_KEY environment variable and run them as they are. Each one calls the recipe by name (the Go SDK has no recipe field, so the Go script sends the recipe's rules and settings itself), prints the extracted JSON, and prints the credits the request cost (the Ujb-Credits response header) on stderr. A non-200 answer stops the script with the API's error message.

Search and listing pages

Runs the recipe on the two pages it was validated on, one after the other.

smh_listing_sdk.py pip install ujeebu-python==0.1.5
# Scrape The Sydney Morning Herald search and listing pages with the Ujeebu Scrape API.
# Calls the recipe smh/listing: the API applies its extract rules and validated settings (validated 2026-11-02). Send extract_rules or any setting to override them.
# Uses the official SDK ujeebu-python 0.1.5: pip install ujeebu-python==0.1.5
# Run: UJEEBU_API_KEY=your_key python3 smh_listing_sdk.py

import json
import os
import sys
import time

import requests
from ujeebu_python import UjeebuClient

API_KEY = os.environ.get("UJEEBU_API_KEY")
URLS = [
    "https://www.smh.com.au/world",
    "https://www.smh.com.au/national",
]
RECIPE = "smh/listing"  # rules and settings come from the recipe; add your own to override them


def scrape(client, url):
    # a GET with recipe=: the API applies the recipe and answers {"result": {...}}
    try:
        response = client.scrape(url, params={"recipe": RECIPE})
    except requests.RequestException as error:
        sys.exit(f"Request failed for {url}: {error}")
    if response.status_code != 200:
        try:
            message = response.json().get("message", response.text)
        except ValueError:
            message = response.text
        sys.exit(f"HTTP {response.status_code} for {url}: {str(message)[:300]}")
    print(f"Ujb-Credits: {response.headers.get('Ujb-Credits')}, Ujb-Recipe: {response.headers.get('Ujb-Recipe')}", file=sys.stderr)
    return response.json()["result"]


if not API_KEY:
    sys.exit("Set the UJEEBU_API_KEY environment variable.")

client = UjeebuClient(api_key=API_KEY)

for i, url in enumerate(URLS):
    if i:
        time.sleep(2)  # be polite: one page at a time
    print(json.dumps(scrape(client, url), indent=2, ensure_ascii=False))

Articles

Runs the recipe on the two pages it was validated on, one after the other.

smh_detail_sdk.py pip install ujeebu-python==0.1.5
# Scrape The Sydney Morning Herald articles with the Ujeebu Scrape API.
# Calls the recipe smh/detail: the API applies its extract rules and validated settings (validated 2026-11-02). Send extract_rules or any setting to override them.
# Uses the official SDK ujeebu-python 0.1.5: pip install ujeebu-python==0.1.5
# Run: UJEEBU_API_KEY=your_key python3 smh_detail_sdk.py

import json
import os
import sys
import time

import requests
from ujeebu_python import UjeebuClient

API_KEY = os.environ.get("UJEEBU_API_KEY")
URLS = [
    "https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-final-20260924-p6107o.html",
    "https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/kate-waterhouses-tips-for-race-day-20261017-p616d4.html",
]
RECIPE = "smh/detail"  # rules and settings come from the recipe; add your own to override them


def scrape(client, url):
    # a GET with recipe=: the API applies the recipe and answers {"result": {...}}
    try:
        response = client.scrape(url, params={"recipe": RECIPE})
    except requests.RequestException as error:
        sys.exit(f"Request failed for {url}: {error}")
    if response.status_code != 200:
        try:
            message = response.json().get("message", response.text)
        except ValueError:
            message = response.text
        sys.exit(f"HTTP {response.status_code} for {url}: {str(message)[:300]}")
    print(f"Ujb-Credits: {response.headers.get('Ujb-Credits')}, Ujb-Recipe: {response.headers.get('Ujb-Recipe')}", file=sys.stderr)
    return response.json()["result"]


if not API_KEY:
    sys.exit("Set the UJEEBU_API_KEY environment variable.")

client = UjeebuClient(api_key=API_KEY)

for i, url in enumerate(URLS):
    if i:
        time.sleep(2)  # be polite: one page at a time
    print(json.dumps(scrape(client, url), indent=2, ensure_ascii=False))

SDK tabs use the official Ujeebu SDKs (ujeebu-python 0.1.5, @ujeebu-org/ujeebu-sdk 0.1.2, github.com/ujeebu/ujeebu-go v0.1.8); there is no PHP SDK, so the PHP tab calls the API with curl. For agents and scripts, the same status and settings are at /scrape/smh.json.

Try it yourself

Run this on The Sydney Morning Herald with your own key

Get a free API key, set UJEEBU_API_KEY and run any script above as it is. 5,000 free credits for 7 days, no card.

URL patterns and pagination

What the URLs look like, read from the pages our checks fetched.

Search and listing pages

Pattern
https://www.smh.com.au/{slug}
Next pages
We did not see a next-page link on the pages we fetched. Results may load as you scroll: try scroll_down.
Validated on
https://www.smh.com.au/worldhttps://www.smh.com.au/national

Articles

Validated on
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/your-guide-to-the-afl-grand-final-20260924-p6107o.htmlhttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/kate-waterhouses-tips-for-race-day-20261017-p616d4.html

Settings that work today

From our health checks over the last 7 days: the cheapest settings that return the real page most of the time.

Endpoint/scrape
jstrue
Costup to 5 credits a request

Collect detail page URLs from listing pages first, then fetch each detail page. Our checks run with JavaScript rendering on (js=true): keep it on. Start with the default (rotating) proxy, the cheapest one that passed most of its attempts in our checks.

Try it in the Playground
Proxies we tried on The Sydney Morning Herald (1), attempts and passes over 7 days
ProxyAttemptsPassed
Default (rotating)3130

Highlighted: the cheapest proxy that passes most of our checks of this site.

Troubleshooting

The failures our own checks of smh.com.au ran into over the last 7 days, and what got the page in the same check.

What happenedTimesWhat fixed it
Page not found 1 The page was gone (HTTP 404). Not billed as a failure of the site: drop the URL.

What people build with The Sydney Morning Herald data

  • Media monitoringTrack the articles published on the topics and companies you follow.More on this use case
  • Content for AI and RAGCollect headlines, dates and summaries as structured input for search and LLM pipelines.More on this use case
  • Publishing timelineMeasure when and how often a site publishes, by section.

Limits and etiquette

  • Public pages only. Pages behind a login, and data shown only to signed-in users, are out of scope.
  • Keep the rate modest: fetch pages one after another or with low concurrency, and cache what you already have.
  • robots.txt of www.smh.com.au (read 2026-10-28): public pages allowed for generic crawlers; no crawl delay set.
  • Read The Sydney Morning Herald's terms of service before you collect data at scale, and do not collect personal data you have no basis to process. This guide is not legal advice.

Questions

Can you scrape The Sydney Morning Herald with Ujeebu?

Yes. 30 of 30 checks of public The Sydney Morning Herald pages passed in the last 7 days with the settings on this page.

Which settings work for The Sydney Morning Herald?

Call /scrape with js=true. On the default (rotating) proxy, 30 of 31 attempts passed in the last 7 days.

How many credits does a The Sydney Morning Herald request cost?

With these settings a request costs up to 5 credits. Only responses with HTTP 200 or 404 are billed: a blocked or timed-out request is free.

Which fields can I extract from The Sydney Morning Herald?

With the extraction recipes on this page, validated on real The Sydney Morning Herald pages through our API: search and listing pages: url, title, image; articles: title, description, image, url, published. Pass the recipe as extract_rules in a POST to /scrape and the API returns those fields as JSON.

Is it allowed to scrape The Sydney Morning Herald?

Its robots.txt allows generic crawlers on the page types in this guide. Collect public pages only, read The Sydney Morning Herald's terms of service, keep your request rate modest and do not collect personal data you have no basis to process. This is not legal advice.

How fresh is this page?

The status and settings come from our own health checks of smh.com.au, which run around the clock. Last check: 2026-11-04 10:04:39 UTC; last pass: 2026-11-04 10:04:39 UTC.