Friday, July 4, 2014

Is Chris Mitchell Losing His Grip?

In Issue 43 2011 of the Quarterly Essay, Robert Manne wrote about Chris Mitchell, the editor of The Australian as follows:

"Because of the charismatic authority over his journalists exercised by Mitchell, and because of the costs that are paid by anyone in his paper who defies him, one very senior journalist likened the atmosphere inside the Australian to that of a cult." (Bad News: Murdoch's Australian & The Shaping of the Nation, p 4)

Here's cult leader Mitchell pointing the bone at Hamas in Wednesday's paper:

"Hamas cannot be surprised by the swiftness or intensity of the Israeli revenge attacks on Gaza that followed the discovery of the bodies of three teenage Jewish seminary students who were abducted and executed near Hebron. Evidence of the Palestinian terrorist group's involvement is overwhelming." (Hamas not fit for government, 2/7/14)

Now here's his Middle East correspondent, John Lyons, writing in the same issue (and on Page 1 no less):

"Israel has not produced any evidence of Hamas's involvement - Hamas vehemently denies any role - but in the Israeli court of public opinion Hamas has been convicted. Those involved were 'human animals', Netanyahu said, and 'Hamas will pay'." ('Hamas will pay': fears of new intifada, John Lyons)

What gives? Is Mitchell losing his grip?

2 comments:

Robbo said...

Maybe some of the staff are sick of the Murdoch lies

Anonymous said...

Maybe the poor bastard has a conscience which has eventually succeeded in kicking him in the bottom by suddenly & unexpectedly showing him how he has been selling his soul at an under value...... but he can't stop : -
"I know his spirits hear me & yet I needs must curse ."
What a pitiable situation !