tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post9019659586617600073..comments2023-12-06T00:23:28.790+11:00Comments on Press gallery reform: Go onAndrew Elderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-9358333543120781382013-08-01T09:15:35.484+10:002013-08-01T09:15:35.484+10:00That's simply wrong. She continued to pursue h...That's simply wrong. She continued to pursue him throughout the decade, leading to an extraordinary episode in parly in 07 in which he trenchantly abused her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-9303428633175299452013-08-01T06:23:47.334+10:002013-08-01T06:23:47.334+10:00Obeid sued Fairfax in 2003 and their pursuit of hi...Obeid sued Fairfax in 2003 and their pursuit of him pretty much stopped. It was a sharemarket-watching blogger who noticed that the market cap of Cascade Coal went from $1m to $55m for no apparent reason who notified the ASX, who notified the ICAC, and from there McClymont was starting from the same basis as any other journo who covered that event. Note in today's SMH the artful way that they imply McClymont was onto Obeid throughout, without saying so directly.Andrew Elderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04705844456819481896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-77979392424502594262013-07-31T22:12:59.073+10:002013-07-31T22:12:59.073+10:00So sorry to sully this blog with the following:
M...So sorry to sully this blog with the following:<br /><br />Mr Bolt with Mr Rudd on The Bolt Report.<br /><br />That's how far we have come in the commercial media...<br /><br />Why does the conservative voter put up with people like him??<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-87887494377097912112013-07-31T21:52:18.163+10:002013-07-31T21:52:18.163+10:00"Kate McClymont runs colour pieces on notable..."Kate McClymont runs colour pieces on notable but relatively economically and politically powerless people like Michael McGurk or Craig Thomson."<br /><br />Really? Really? Her pursuit of Eddie Obeid, quite possibly at one stage the most powerful person in the state, boils down to this for you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-70575949182296532882013-07-31T11:16:19.043+10:002013-07-31T11:16:19.043+10:00Its a sign of the times and the sad state of our [...Its a sign of the times and the sad state of our [sic] media that I turn to here in the hope and wish that Andrew has a new article up to inform me of the things that the media ought to be informing me about.<br /><br />I'm hoping he will do a post on the Nauru fiasco with Toll and Morrison holding hands as they erect tents.<br /><br />There are so many questions that could and should be asked about this affair but,again sadly, only Fairfax in a fit of pique ["Why weren't we invited?"] has scratched the surface of the issue.<br />ABC TV News completely squibbed the affair, no mention of the Toll/News Cops role at all in their 7PM bulletin in my state and apparently the same silence in other states.<br />I despair.<br /><br /><br />fredAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-35436807354819208652013-07-31T09:39:37.979+10:002013-07-31T09:39:37.979+10:00May I just sincerely thank you for using the expre...May I just sincerely thank you for using the expression 'Raising the question', instead of the egregious misuse of the expression 'Begging the question'.<br />Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-29985519956882738662013-07-30T19:47:56.115+10:002013-07-30T19:47:56.115+10:00There is an excellent article online by Mark Baker...There is an excellent article online by Mark Baker, Editor-in Charge, “The Age”, entitled “Locked away without hope” (July 11, 2013) about the plight of Sri Lankan asylum seekers. I doubt that there would be anything like this in the Murdoch online media - mostly just screen to screen Coalition propaganda. <br /><br />Meanwhile the ABC relies on the BBC's Charles Haviland for a report about the fate of Sri Lankans returned there. Still, they did include it as part of their news.<br /><br />I do agree about the ever burgeoning advertising, travel, sports, motoring and real estate sections, which were a disincentive to buy “The Saturday Age”. VoterBentleighnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-70767727622645177662013-07-30T17:08:42.720+10:002013-07-30T17:08:42.720+10:00...and the best joke:
Q. How do you make a small ......and the best joke:<br /><br />Q. How do you make a small fortune?<br />A. Give Warwick Fairfax Jnr, and Fred Hilmer a large fortune.Notushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173819673356724711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-84201931569386048112013-07-30T16:07:19.122+10:002013-07-30T16:07:19.122+10:00I stopped reading any Fairfax stuff (except the oc...I stopped reading any Fairfax stuff (except the occasional cartoon linked by people willing to scour the sewers for something of value) after that June 22 editorial. The arrogance of the unnamed editorialist, telling Gillard that she couldn't talk policy and be listened to without at the same time mentioning that she /was/ talking policy, all the time, and that it simply wasn't being reported.<br /><br />I hope they rot in hell. And at least there's a good chance of that happening, considering how successful they've been of late.<br /><br />himi<br />himihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09017579766314765086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-731665138506350182013-07-30T14:22:33.841+10:002013-07-30T14:22:33.841+10:00Another great article. Thank you Andrew. Losing fa...Another great article. Thank you Andrew. Losing faith in the SMH and ABC after decades of loyalty is hard to swallow. It's like a family who should have been proud of their children but shat on them instead. You and your followers give me some hope. I hope I live to see the day when you might be editor of Australia's most successful news line.Helonweelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17588280996754275051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-23091832895746126082013-07-30T13:33:30.548+10:002013-07-30T13:33:30.548+10:00If Fairfax was a fridge you wouldn't store foo...If Fairfax was a fridge you wouldn't store food in it. "Celebrity Journalists" who fantasize they are Mark Twain poling across Lake Burley Griffin deserve the traditional hot tarring and feathering documented by that man. I no longer bother to send factual corrections to inept journalists. Apparently "facts" are "your opinion". Slightly off topic, I corrected Malcolm Farr on a substantial matter, and he pulled the piece, (on line) with no explanation. Samantha Maiden blamed a similar error on her source... not her fault, she's not required to check her information.... Seriously, the email exchanges I have had with these so called journalists, where the last line of justification is to attack me for raising the question demonstrates their disconnect from the purpose of their work. The gleaming pyramids were tiled and seamless, but, like them, the architects of the future political landscape will rely on an army of slaves who will mix dung rubble and clay to backfill the facade. Hod carriers like Hartcher and Maiden rather fancy themselves in their loincloths, but the load will become ever heavier. <br />dr susan calvin Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-20554187738211513462013-07-30T01:40:53.729+10:002013-07-30T01:40:53.729+10:00Fairfax has failed at its basic task of explaining...<i>Fairfax has failed at its basic task of explaining big, complex issues like the global casino industry and where Packer fits into it </i>: Spot on!<br /><br />The real story about Packer and the Barangaroo Casino was twofold. One, Packer's links to the Ho family in Macao, who were kicked out of Joizy by the Gambling Commission there (the one that Springsteen famously sang about as “hanging on by the skin of its teeth”). Two, the link between Chinese high rollers – Packer's openly admitted target market - and large scale money laundering. You need permission to take more than about US$1500 out of the PRC, and they don't generally hand that approval out for a weekend in the trough at Macao (or Crown Melbourne, Star City or, maybe, Barangaroo), so these “whale” gamblers that Packer covets use money laundering operations to get their gambling cash. The US State Dept., courtesy of WikiLeaks, is all over this racket, and US Federal regulators have flagged Nevada based operators that they are onto them. This is the stuff that would make Darling Harbour the setting for the next series of The Wire. Google any of this stuff, seriously, you couldn't make it up!<br /><br />Fairfax were given this ball-tearer of a story and dopey Sean Nichols picked his nose about the Australian money laundering regulator (are you starting to yawn yet?). Missed the point by about a continent or two. Dumber than a box of hammers. Meanwhile Barry O'Farrell opens the door to a man whose business model is built on the effectiveness of Triads! Why not get Lucky Gattellari out of the Big House and give him a job at Treasury? Same moral position.<br /><br />Anyway, Fairfax! If they were a Greyhound they'd be euthanased, but that’s another story they didn't get!Lachlan Ridgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-73510213458230373912013-07-29T19:26:34.325+10:002013-07-29T19:26:34.325+10:00What you say in your commentary is so like I would...What you say in your commentary is so like I would like to express my views of the media of Australia with the likes of Grattan, and as was said earlier the giggling and stupid Anabelle Crabb earning a crust from writing bullshit and expecting people to follow stupid giggles when will ever get a serious perspective of the political landscape. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-42877805724838115072013-07-29T13:26:07.109+10:002013-07-29T13:26:07.109+10:00A superb demolition of an institution already in i...A superb demolition of an institution already in its death throes.<br /><br />Fairfax betrayed their discerning followers in the two most populous states very blatantly through the Gillard Prime Ministership, but as you say, it is the climax to a very long decline.<br /><br />It started with Warwick Fairfax Jnr's Colonel Cargill attempt at privatisation over twenty years ago. The Tourang takeover and the temporary leadership of Conrad Black was the first serious attempt to change the direction of the two main flagships, but like Howard's first attempts to nobble the ABC, the older remnants of Fairfax's journalism were able to resist.<br /><br />It seemed less able to cope with Hilmer's reign, just as the ABC has been helpless against the combined assaults by Newman and Scott. Banality has done the job that control or censorship could not. The various successors at Fairfax have proved unable to staunch the bleeding. As you say, the appointment of Stuchbury to the AFR was almost like a gesture of surrender.<br /><br />We have paid dearly for that, with Murdoch able to set the agenda for the past three years and these other two once-credible alternatives meekly falling into line.<br /><br />As a consequence, most Australians have missed the success of the 43rd parliament and this government. We are much the poorer for it.<br /><br />The integrity and commitment shown by Windsor, Oakeshott and Gillard has passed almost unnoticed. In fact, because of this Murdoch agenda and the others falling into line, the majority of the public hate the former PM, without rationally knowing why.<br /><br />If they can't save themselves, they deserve to cromble.<br /><br />Gorgeous Dunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10540625260311418333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-48633513593033421542013-07-29T13:03:30.038+10:002013-07-29T13:03:30.038+10:00Any newspaper that alienates half - yes HALF - its...Any newspaper that alienates half - yes HALF - its readership by publishing the groupthink-derived tripe that Peter Hartcher, Shaun Carney, Phil Coorey, Annabel Crabbe, Paul Sheehan, Kate McClymont, Michelle Grattan and a host of other political writers - wrote, and continue in some cases to write is not serious about commercial success.<br /><br />Why would you tell half your customers that their political choice wasn't simply off the ball just a tad, on balance, y'know, but hopelessly, completely, utterly, wrong and incapable of ever being right on any issue... and then expect them to fork out a couple of dollars a day to endure that kind of nagging?<br /><br />Why would you take seriously a web site that publishes a report as recently as yesterday, of an interview by Andrew Bolt of the PM, that front paged the startling information that Rudd admits the boats won't stop immediately, and might continue until after the election? <br /><br />Why would you say that this policy is therefore, quote, "in tatters", unquote, just a week or so after it had been announced?<br /><br />That isn't fearless. That's S-T-U-P-I-D, with a capital "S". <br /><br />Does it make the bleedin' obvious even more obvious - that big policy changes take time to arrange and implement - because it's on the front page of The Age and The SMH? And because (the un-named) Andrew Bolt drew out this astonishing admission from Rudd? Yes, un-named... they didn't even have the guts to say who conducted the interview. Fairfax watched the telly, just like a couple of hundred thousand other people did. Why is this cutting edge journalism? And why wasn't it a Fairfax journo who scored the interview instead of Bolt?<br /><br />Fairfax wants us to *pay* for this garbage?<br /><br />Who would want to voluntarily read Hartcher's man-love pieces on Rudd, except to see if it was possible they could get even worse than they have been for the past three years?<br /><br />Or Crabbe's incomprehensible schoolgirl gigglings?<br /><br />I'm not saying News is any better. In fact they're a lot worse, but at least they're relatively honest about being creeps. Murdoch phones the editor, publishes tweets, News follows. No mystery there. The Old Man's admitted he dictates editorial policy. So be it.<br /><br />But, with respect, why an organization like Fairfax, one that actually has to operate like a proper company - you know the drill... balance sheets, profit and loss columns, shareholder value, dividends... all that bizoid stuff - why that organization would go out of its way to offend readers who disagree with the talentless prima donnas who couldn't afford to take the package at this stage in their lives, is beyond me.<br /><br />When the election's over what do they think will happen? Are the pissed-off punters going to come back in their hundreds of thousands to read breathless reports on the latest episode of The Voice, or forgive all that has gone before and start believing the scribes who've been bullshitting them for the past seven years? With politics dead, why would even customers from the winning side want to read about it?<br /><br />Perhaps we might want to find out about finance, business and the economy, post-the-election? But why read a newspaper that represents anachronistic business model, mass sackings, dreadful management, massive loss of customer base, and a share price worth about as much as a postage stamp be the source of that information? Can a company that can't run itself instruct others how to run their own companies, and governments how to run an economy? Would the punters want to know what that type of organization thinks? <br /><br />Of course they wouldn't, and no editorial claiming integrity, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, will ever convince me otherwise.<br /><br />Fairfax, over-indulging their "brand names" mentioned above, got their result, at last - Gillard was hounded out of office - but I believe they will find the price of their soaring narcissm has been their own oblivion. <br />Bushfire Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22534369.post-17848779496121534072013-07-29T11:03:08.578+10:002013-07-29T11:03:08.578+10:00Not to mention the fact that The Guardian Australi...Not to mention the fact that The Guardian Australia is eating away at Fairfax's 'loyal' readership from the other end of the political spectrum to the Murdoch media.<br /><br />I can't see Fairfax ultimately surviving that unless they become harder-nosed, instead of brown-nosed.HillbillySkeletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06056151016359730712noreply@blogger.com