Australian Politics Forum - News Limited Bias

Gimme Gimme

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Re: Married to the Murdoch mob: the media inquiry
Reply #15 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:47pm

The Greens looked pleased. Government backbenchers looked sheepish. The Opposition wailed that it was attack on free speech and quietly wondered what the fuss was all about. The Canberra press gallery looked up briefly and then got back to Tweeting catty comments about politicians’ hairstyles. Corporation News executives laughed uproariously for an hour at least and then went to lunch and didn’t come back into the office until this morning, heads sore but happy. They then went right back to pushing people around and running the country like nothing had ever happened. The Prime Minister quietly explained to her cabinet that it never pays to mess with the family.

In an ivory tower, somewhere, an old man smiled. Angry

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Gimme Gimme

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Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Reply #16 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:02pm

Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Posted On Friday, 09 Sep 2011 By Admin.
by Alan Austin
Alan Austin says that the Murdoch media network is a malicious influence on Australia — that the nation has a chance of eradicating.

Rarely is a nation faced with a malicious influence which it has the chance to eradicate. Such is Australia’s luck today with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, owner of The Australian, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Brisbane’s Courier-Mail, Melbourne’s Herald Sun and other ‘news’ outlets.

The Murdoch network in Australia has moved irretrievably away from being a legitimate news provider. It must go.

Essential to free enterprise and democracy is access to information free of distortion. Newspapers are free to say what they will in editorials and opinion pieces, of course. But news data must be untainted.

Most Murdoch publications now openly spruik for conservative politics. Not just in the opinion pieces, but news pages as well. The starkest examples are in the relentless campaign against Labor’s economic stimulus packages.

The last time I paid for Melbourne’s Herald Sun, 11 March 2010, I happened to be speaking that evening in Melbourne on the media. We read the front page story about hot water units provided to a country sports club, headed in capitals ‘YOUR MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN’.

Everyone in the room was furious at the appalling ineptitude of the Government as ‘revealed’ in the report. We then listened to Jon Faine’s interview earlier that morning on ABC Local Radio with the club president. Point by point, he dismissed every ‘damning fact’ as a damnable lie. At the end of the interview, the meeting was seething with anger at the Herald Sun.

The essential elements of the report were simply untrue. This is not a trivial misdemeanour. The Herald Sun is the largest circulation paper in the country. Readers pay for information. What they are sold instead is systematic deception. While international economists marvel at Australia’s success in averting economic disaster as the GFC hit and while environmentalists applaud, the Murdoch media just lie about the programs.

Most Australian journalists honour the Media Alliance code of ethics. All twelve points are now routinely violated by Murdoch employees.

Reporters at Brisbane’s Courier-Mail have been dutifully using the news pages to drive a campaign on tracking sex offenders which targets Premier Anna Bligh. In an email from news director Emma Chalmers leaked to Crikey, Chalmers requested

“…the support of the whole newsroom to keep the campaign going”.
continued

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'If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.' &&John Lennon

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Gimme Gimme

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Re: Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Reply #17 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:03pm

Last November, Herald Sun reporters in Melbourne lied about their identity to ensnare politicians in a British tabloid-like sting. This trashed the last remaining vestige – point 8 – of the Alliance code of ethics:

“Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast.”

Several recent developments have marked Rupert Murdoch as the head not just of a network of unethical reporters, but of an organisation whose reporters engage in criminal activity.

News International in April this year admitted liability and ‘apologised unreservedly’ to public figures for the criminal offences of hacking telephones in Great Britain.

These were not isolated acts by rogue reporters. Senior News of the World’s staff were arrested and charged in April. Other charges are likely. Ever since hacking allegations at the News of the World were first made in 2004 senior management has blatantly lied about what happened and what they knew.

Systematic lying by top management seems just as rife Downunder. Last year, Justice Stephen Kaye in the Victorian Supreme Court slammed Murdoch executives for lying to the court.

In his judgment on the wrongful dismissal of Bruce Guthrie the judge said he ‘had reservations about a number of features’ of the evidence of News Limited chief executive John Hartigan. ‘In my view Hartigan was an unreliable witness in respect of the negotiations that proceeded the formation of the contract.’

Kaye was even more scathing of Herald and Weekly Times chief Peter Blunden. “The explanations given by Mr Blunden in evidence,” the judge said, “do not survive scrutiny”.

Following this year’s admissions of criminal conduct in the UK, a video has emerged of Rupert Murdoch refusing to answer and an employee backing down. (First aired in 2009, it has circulated widely since Andy Coulson resigned in January as media instructor to the UK Prime Minister. Coulson had changed desks from senior editor at News of the World to head of Conservative Party media in July 2007.)

The hapless anchor at Murdoch’s Fox News begins enthusiastically: “The story that is really buzzing all around the country and certainly here in New York is that the News of the World, a News Corporation newspaper in Britain, used …” “Ah, I’m not talking about that issue at all today. Sorry,” Murdoch interrupted. “Okay. No worries, Mr Chairman. That’s fine with me.”

continued

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'If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.' &&John Lennon

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Gimme Gimme

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Re: Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Reply #18 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:04pm

The message was clear. News bulletins are to advance specific interests, not to inform citizens about issues “buzzing all around the country”. And that’s fine with Murdoch’s people.

For those who value integrity and the free flow of information, courses of actions are available. According to Bruce Guthrie, defeating News Corp – which he did in court in 2010 – is not impossible.

[Demand action on the Murdoch press by demanding an Inquiry into Australia’s media. Sign the online petition here or join the Facebook page here.]

We can refuse to buy News Corp publications. Writers and other staff can withdraw their services. Advertisers can withdraw custom. Consumers can contact those who advertise in News Corp publications and tell them we will boycott their products or services as long as they do so.

And we can tell our MPs we will not vote for parties which in government or opposition advertise in Murdoch outlets. The current federal Government has strong grounds to do just this, but needs a nudge.

This is a campaign well worth joining by those who recall democracy and free enterprise as it once was. We might even win.

(This story was originally published in On Line Opinion on 7 July 2011 and has been republished with permission.)

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'If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.' &&John Lennon

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Andrei.Hicks Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 23818 Carlsbad, CA Gender:	Re: Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable Reply #19 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:06pm Anymore threads coming there Spammer? Another few and you will have filled the entire front page.....
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gizmo_2655

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Re: Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Reply #20 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:16pm

Gimme Gimme wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 2:02pm:

Murdoch media in Australia: malign but excisable
Posted On Friday, 09 Sep 2011 By Admin.
by Alan Austin
Alan Austin says that the Murdoch media network is a malicious influence on Australia — that the nation has a chance of eradicating.

I disagree with that..
I think you're vastly overstating Murdoch's influence on the media...
70% of Sydney papers (or capital city papers) perhaps, but there are a lot of other groups that have almost as much control (if not more) over the other types of media....Fairfax is one that controls far more of the radio than does News Ltd..

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"I just get sick of people who place a label on someone else with their own definition.

It's similar to a strawman fallacy"
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Gimme Gimme Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 765 Gender:	Re: News Limited Bias — Again, Again And Again Reply #21 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 4:01pm Surely you jest? OMG Tony Abbott must be stuttering like a second hand Victa
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Gimme Gimme Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 765 Gender:	Re: News Limited Bias — Again, Again And Again Reply #22 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 4:09pm and.....Tony Abbott was stuttering like a second hand Victa
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Gimme Gimme

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Re: News Limited Bias — Again, Again And Again
Reply #23 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 5:31pm

continued

Ugly news media bias from extremist big mining paid shill Andrew Bolt is a fan of shocking hate speech politician Geert Wilders.

Read morehttp://brokenleftleg.blogspot.com/2008/03/andrew-bolt-geert-wilders-and-radical_28.html

Andrew Bolt, Geert Wilders and radical imams are all dangerous men.
When the racist Dutch politicians, Geert Wilders released his anti-Islam polemic, Andrew Bolt, the Herald Sun's resident clown, decided to poke the bear and put Wilders' video on the Hun web pages.

Yes we do have free-ish speech in this country, but why would Bolt decide to prove it by publishing this extremely dangerous video?

Wilders, like Bolt, and like the radical Muslims, have an very similar ability to de-contextualise the Koran to prove a point. Wilders and Bolt cherry pick sections to "prove" Islam is not a religion of peace, while radical Muslims take tiny snippets of the book to justify violent actions or anti-Christian/Jewish attitudes.

Both groups (radical Islam and extreme conservatism/racism) use similar methods to attract followers, and their support is based on ignorance, suspicion, and identity politics. Fear is their tool, and sensible debate is their enemy.

Where would Bolt be if his followers actually read the Koran and had the ability to interpret it? Where would radical imams be if their followers had a sensible religious framework to understand the text rather than having random violent sections rammed down their throat?

Anyone could cherry pick sections of the Bible and declare that Christianity is a fundamentally violent religion. Sure this would be intellectually childish, and this sort of debate would be understandably condemned, but when it comes to the Koran, our extremist commentators just go for it.

Geert's greatest recruiting officer is Osama bin Laden and OBL would be absolutely thrilled that the Dutch MP has released the film. If Bolt understood this fact, he would not have rebroadcasted the film, and he would not have opened up his blog to ignorant people expressing ignorant opinions.

Like "Islam merely wants to kill all Jews and christians!" Great, and you wonder why some Muslims feel a little bit concerned in this country.

It is a profound lack of knowledge, much of it spread by the likes of Bolt, Wilders, Jones et al, that encourages situations like Camden and Cronulla.

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'If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.' &&John Lennon

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Gimme Gimme Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 765 Gender:	Re: News Limited Bias — Again, Again And Again Reply #24 - Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 5:57pm We now have a neo con nazi on the board deleting/moving anything that exposes the LYING Abbott party. God help us.
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GoddyofOz Gold Member Offline Vote 1 for Sex, cause you're gay if you don't Posts: 2397	News Ltd. is no more Reply #25 - Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:30pm http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/09/21/project-darwin-news-ltd-to-become-news-austr... You have to be a member of Crikey! to see the entire story, but the first paragraph is enough. they'll forever remain the arrogant, self righteous News Ltd. to me.
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____ Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 33410 Australia Gender:	Re: News Ltd. is no more Reply #26 - Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:38pm I feel so happy now that they will be calling themselves "News Australia" while continuing business as usual. Guess this still includes wanting to destroy the Greens via lies and propaganda ... and at any cost?
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Swagman

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Re: News Ltd. is no more
Reply #27 - Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:44pm

____ wrote on Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:38pm:

I feel so happy now that they will be calling themselves "News Australia" while continuing business as usual.

Guess this still includes wanting to destroy the Greens via lies and propaganda ... and at any cost?

What a noble cause.....I might donate to that one?

Tony might make it tax deductable... Cheesy

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BatteriesNotIncluded Gold Member Offline MediocrityNET: because people died for this! Posts: 26966	Re: News Ltd. is no more Reply #28 - Sep 21^st, 2011 at 2:49pm ____ wrote on Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:38pm: I feel so happy now that they will be calling themselves "News Australia" while continuing business as usual. Guess this still includes wanting to destroy the Greens via lies and propaganda ... and at any cost? PROPAGANDA UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY....END OF!
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progressiveslol

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Re: News Ltd. is no more
Reply #29 - Sep 21^st, 2011 at 3:40pm

Swagman wrote on Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:44pm:

____ wrote on Sep 21^st, 2011 at 1:38pm:

I feel so happy now that they will be calling themselves "News Australia" while continuing business as usual.

Guess this still includes wanting to destroy the Greens via lies and propaganda ... and at any cost?

What a noble cause.....I might donate to that one?

Tony might make it tax deductable... Cheesy

Now the true Australian news will become Australian by brand. I would vote for a tax exemption of some sort.

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