Demand for only ‘correct’ opinion in newspapers.
Cartoon: By Pickering. (We take this opportunity to welcome Pickering back from retirement. He was Australia’s foremost political cartoonist until his retirement in the 80s. Possibly his absence for a generation could be the reason politics has gone to the dogs here.)
Australia’s media has come under the most sustained government attack in living memory. As the current government has blundered form one disaster to another the press have understandably reported on their antics, which has been interpreted by Gillard as an attempt at ‘regime change’ especially by News Limited. The Greens are even more demanding on this issue as they resent their policies being held up to the light since they gained the balance of power.
As result the Communications Minister, Steven Conroy has ordered an inquiry, which will among other things, ‘consider’ replacing the current press council with a government regulator. Conroy would not rule out licensing newspapers the way it is done in dictatorships, while the greens are mooting journalists licenses. This, it has been explained, is to ensure they act “in the public interest.”
Generally, a politician’s idea of the public interest is his own interest, projected into a collectivist setting.
Now Professor Robert Manne, is demanding that newspapers stop publishing the opinions of what he calls “average Australians:”
Professor Manne says they should report only the views of a "core" of experts in key debates.It sounds like the good professor feels it is in the ‘public interest’ to ensure that only one side of the issue is heard. We are meanwhile; all entitled to express our opinions as long as only those Manne agrees with are published.
At a book-signing in Sydney last night, he also urged the media to embrace greater contributions from controversial left-wing commentators such as US linguistics professor Noam Chomsky and Beirut-based commentator Robert Fisk.
Professor Manne is facing fierce criticism over his recently published Quarterly Essay, Bad News, in which he alleges that The Australian plays an "overbearing" and "unhealthy" role in national debates by publishing fringe views on controversial topics.
Professor Manne, who described climate change as the most serious threat facing the planet, has said only experts within the "core" of the scientific consensus should be heard. …
The expert opinion on this blog, developed from within the core of our scientific consensus, is that Manne is an arrogant, elitist, dictatorial, intellectual snob.
As I've commented elsewhere, if Prof Manne is going to use Robert Fisk, a man so fiskable that he unwittingly gave his name to it, as an example of an appropriate expert that probably tells you all you need to know.
ReplyDelete"[This is the] very first condition which has to be fulfilled in every kind of propaganda: a systematically one-sided attitude towards every problem that has to be dealt with…"
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if that quote is from Hitler or Katie Couric.
Our mainstream media censorship is self-inflicted for the moment, by the very idiots who will clamor for state control of media with differing viewpoints. Later, they will be stunned and dumbfounded when the censorship powers they willingly give the state now are used against them as well in the future. Those who don't learn from history...
Liberal socialists are feeling cornered as their lies keep being exposed and their grasp on power keeps slipping. A cornered animal is a dangerous animal.
I wonder what the Australian versions of Pravda and Tass will be called.
The names of Pravda and Tass would probably be transposed to any of those under the Fairfax group, who still seem to be Gillard GW shills.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, the 30% of News Ltd titles here sell 70% of the papers, and at least they are prepared to present both sides.