Editing a Murdoch Newspaper for Dummies. A Helpful Guide by Mike Carlton (29/4 tweet)
Day 1. Select this week's hate figure. Direct pliant hack to write 1,000 word front page savageing of hate figure disguised as news story.
Day 2. Have Abbott, Abetz, Bernardi, Christensen, Hanson join denunciation. Run editorial cartoon and swingeing 800 word leader attacking hate figure.
Day 3. Page one follow-up, reporting that hate figure has caused nationwide outrage, is under pressure to resign, apologise, remove FB page etc. Sool Kenny, Albrechtsen, etc to put in the boot.
Day 4. Widen attack on hate figure to also blame the ABC, Green-Left inner city latte sippers, Islamic extremism, Feminism, the CFMEU, Bill Shorten, identity politics, virtue signalling. Recall heroic sacrifice of tragic NewsCorpse martyr the late Bill Leak on altar of political correctness. Second editorial cartoon.
Day 5. Front page report of Peter Dutton's bashing of hate figure on Bolt and Hadley shows. Third editorial cartoon. Graham Richardson explains why hate figure is truly hateful. Greg Sheridan demands hate figure be deported.
Day 6. Paul Kelly's 8,000 word Inquirer essay explaining hate figure is the tragic but inevitable symbol of the ideologically driven retreat from the pure Catholicism of the Council of Trent, the collapse of the post-war anti-Communist consensus, the selfishness of the Millennial generation, the abandonment of Judeo-Christian morality by self-absorbed LGBTI activists, and the failure of Labor's Bill Shorten to stand up to ALP radical Left in Victoria.
Day 7. Select new hate figure. Repeat above.
Showing posts with label Murdoch press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murdoch press. Show all posts
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
No Apology Necessary, Yassmin
I see that the Murdoch press has, predictably, raised a hue and cry over an Anzac Day FB post - Lest we forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine) - by Muslim activist and ABC television presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied. According to The Australian, it "sparked scores of outraged responses, with many accusing Abdel-Magied of disrespecting Australian soldiers." (Muslim blogger's 'disrespectful' message deleted, Pia Akerman, 26/4/17)
Yes, I'm sure it did. The entire Abdel-Magied Monitor unit at NewsCorpse must have been, like, spewin'.
As it happens, Yassmin ended up deleting, and apologising for, the post on the same day. But really, what was the need? Frankly, who gives a toss what the Murdoch press thinks! And anyway, isn't NewsCorpse the self-appointed defender of free speech against the dreaded political correctness?
What's more, thinking Anzacs would have approved of Yassmin's post.
After all, here's what Australia's last Anzac, Alec Campbell, had to say about Gallipoli on his deathbed in 2002: "For God's sake, don't glorify Gallipoli - it was a terrible fiasco, a total failure and best forgotten."
And this from Anzac Len Hall: "Next time I would fight for the Turks. They are good people and it was their land not ours." (See my 23/4/13 post Real Anzacs Don't Wave Flags. Under the AIF label below.)
But let's look on the bright side. In a 25/11/16 post Ya Yassmin, I voiced my irritation at Yassmin's doing a gig in Tel-Aviv as part of a government-sponsored speaking tour of the Middle East and Africa last year. I went on to note, however, that she had (in Ramallah?) acquired (or was given) a copy of Joe Sacco's amazing/must-read/must-have graphic history, Palestine, and expressed the hope that as she read it, "the proverbial light bulb" would grow "ever brighter in her head," and that this would be the beginning of "an intellectual journey" for her.
Well, I'm pleased to say that her Anzac Day FB post, with its reference to Palestine, seems to have confirmed that hope.
You might recall an earlier hue and cry over SBS presenter Scott McIntyre, who referred to the commemoration of Anzac Day, in a 2015 Anzac Day tweet, as "Remembering the summary executions, widespread rape and theft committed by those 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine* and Japan." (He also added, "Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered.")
Scott refused to apologise, was duly sacked by his employer, and went on to fight an unfair dismissal case which was settled out of court last year. Again, on April 24, 2016, he tweeted yet another anti-war message, "Heroism on demand, senseless violence, all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism," and backed up his 2015 tweet with chapter and verse from the historical record.
[See my 29/7/09 post The Sarafand Massacre.]
Yes, I'm sure it did. The entire Abdel-Magied Monitor unit at NewsCorpse must have been, like, spewin'.
As it happens, Yassmin ended up deleting, and apologising for, the post on the same day. But really, what was the need? Frankly, who gives a toss what the Murdoch press thinks! And anyway, isn't NewsCorpse the self-appointed defender of free speech against the dreaded political correctness?
What's more, thinking Anzacs would have approved of Yassmin's post.
After all, here's what Australia's last Anzac, Alec Campbell, had to say about Gallipoli on his deathbed in 2002: "For God's sake, don't glorify Gallipoli - it was a terrible fiasco, a total failure and best forgotten."
And this from Anzac Len Hall: "Next time I would fight for the Turks. They are good people and it was their land not ours." (See my 23/4/13 post Real Anzacs Don't Wave Flags. Under the AIF label below.)
But let's look on the bright side. In a 25/11/16 post Ya Yassmin, I voiced my irritation at Yassmin's doing a gig in Tel-Aviv as part of a government-sponsored speaking tour of the Middle East and Africa last year. I went on to note, however, that she had (in Ramallah?) acquired (or was given) a copy of Joe Sacco's amazing/must-read/must-have graphic history, Palestine, and expressed the hope that as she read it, "the proverbial light bulb" would grow "ever brighter in her head," and that this would be the beginning of "an intellectual journey" for her.
Well, I'm pleased to say that her Anzac Day FB post, with its reference to Palestine, seems to have confirmed that hope.
You might recall an earlier hue and cry over SBS presenter Scott McIntyre, who referred to the commemoration of Anzac Day, in a 2015 Anzac Day tweet, as "Remembering the summary executions, widespread rape and theft committed by those 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine* and Japan." (He also added, "Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered.")
Scott refused to apologise, was duly sacked by his employer, and went on to fight an unfair dismissal case which was settled out of court last year. Again, on April 24, 2016, he tweeted yet another anti-war message, "Heroism on demand, senseless violence, all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism," and backed up his 2015 tweet with chapter and verse from the historical record.
[See my 29/7/09 post The Sarafand Massacre.]
Monday, September 26, 2016
Just Stop Right There
How to read the Murdoch press, in this instance Bibi & Obama ease their rift, The Wall Street Journal/ The Australian, 23/9/16:
"Hours before Mr Obama and Mr Netanyahu met, Israeli security forces..."
Just stop right there. Shouldn't that be OCCUPATION forces?
"... shot and wounded a Palestinian teenager after she refused to stop at a checkpoint between the West Bank... "
Just stop right there. Shouldn't that be OCCUPIED West Bank?
"... and Israel. It marked the sixth straight day of Israeli-Palestinian violence."
Just stop right there. So the gunning down of a Palestinian kid by Israeli OCCUPATION forces for nothing more than refusing to stop at an Israeli checkpoint (on OCCUPIED Palestinian land) is an example of "Israeli-Palestinian violence," not simply ISRAELI OCCUPATION VIOLENCE?
Just stop right there. One final question. Do you honestly think that reading this kind of pro-Israel propaganda, day in, day out, will enable you to understand what's really going on over there?
"Hours before Mr Obama and Mr Netanyahu met, Israeli security forces..."
Just stop right there. Shouldn't that be OCCUPATION forces?
"... shot and wounded a Palestinian teenager after she refused to stop at a checkpoint between the West Bank... "
Just stop right there. Shouldn't that be OCCUPIED West Bank?
"... and Israel. It marked the sixth straight day of Israeli-Palestinian violence."
Just stop right there. So the gunning down of a Palestinian kid by Israeli OCCUPATION forces for nothing more than refusing to stop at an Israeli checkpoint (on OCCUPIED Palestinian land) is an example of "Israeli-Palestinian violence," not simply ISRAELI OCCUPATION VIOLENCE?
Just stop right there. One final question. Do you honestly think that reading this kind of pro-Israel propaganda, day in, day out, will enable you to understand what's really going on over there?
Friday, May 29, 2015
Another Zmear Campaign Bites the Dust
At last:
"Sydney University academic Jake Lynch, who has attracted controversy over his vocal support for boycotts against Israel, has escaped serious sanction over his involvement in a melee in March when pro-Palestinian students disrupted a public address on campus." (Uni warns Lynch over conduct during melee, Ean Higgins, The Australian, 27/5/15)
... who has attracted controversy...?
This, of course, is Murdochspeak for any public figure who becomes the target for a vicious smear campaign, whipped up by elements of the Zionist lobby, because of their public and principled advocacy for justice for the Palestinians.
A word from Professor Lynch:
"I have twice been cleared of allegations of anti-Semitism: once by an investigation the University of Sydney carried out into the events Ted Lapkin (Replacing Israel with a unitary Arab-Jewish state adds up to political lunacy, 25/5) refers to, and last years in the Federal Court over my support for the academic boycott of Israel. Whenever this slur is cast against me, it is refuted by the evidence. Cries of anti-Semitism are exploited by the pro-Israel lobby in an attempt to silence critics of Israeli policies, in furtherance of a strategic aim to reduce political pressure for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory. Its power to convince is waning, as witness the rapid growth of boycott activities around the world." (Letter published in The Australian, 27/5/15)
Hopefully, Sydney University (and other such institutions) will now think twice before allowing themselves to become involved in Israel lobby-instigated smear campaigns of the kind that Jake Lynch has just been subjected to.
Unfortunately, however, the matter does not end there:
"Disciplinary processes were still under way in relation to five students." (Uni warns Lynch...)
"Sydney University academic Jake Lynch, who has attracted controversy over his vocal support for boycotts against Israel, has escaped serious sanction over his involvement in a melee in March when pro-Palestinian students disrupted a public address on campus." (Uni warns Lynch over conduct during melee, Ean Higgins, The Australian, 27/5/15)
... who has attracted controversy...?
This, of course, is Murdochspeak for any public figure who becomes the target for a vicious smear campaign, whipped up by elements of the Zionist lobby, because of their public and principled advocacy for justice for the Palestinians.
A word from Professor Lynch:
"I have twice been cleared of allegations of anti-Semitism: once by an investigation the University of Sydney carried out into the events Ted Lapkin (Replacing Israel with a unitary Arab-Jewish state adds up to political lunacy, 25/5) refers to, and last years in the Federal Court over my support for the academic boycott of Israel. Whenever this slur is cast against me, it is refuted by the evidence. Cries of anti-Semitism are exploited by the pro-Israel lobby in an attempt to silence critics of Israeli policies, in furtherance of a strategic aim to reduce political pressure for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory. Its power to convince is waning, as witness the rapid growth of boycott activities around the world." (Letter published in The Australian, 27/5/15)
Hopefully, Sydney University (and other such institutions) will now think twice before allowing themselves to become involved in Israel lobby-instigated smear campaigns of the kind that Jake Lynch has just been subjected to.
Unfortunately, however, the matter does not end there:
"Disciplinary processes were still under way in relation to five students." (Uni warns Lynch...)
Monday, May 25, 2015
Harry Krishnas
Off topic, I know, but, like doggy-do trodden into the carpet, I'm having difficulty in getting this shit out of my mind. So put this post down to nothing more than the need to vent and accept my apologies in advance:
"The charming prince, the family role models in line to the throne and a baby so cute he can thwart a republic - the bigger question among young Australians is why wouldn't you love the latest crop of royals. 'You've got Prince Harry serving in the armed forces, he's got the whole Captain Wales thing going on,' Sydney University student Gabrielle Hendry, 20, told The Weekend Australian. 'You've got Will and Kate, a really great symbol of family unity and a great marriage. And you've got lovely little baby Prince George, the republic slayer. The image they present for young people is really worthwhile and I think people can relate to this new breed of royals.' It's not just among the ladies that Harry's light shines brightest. The prince's knockabout nature has also hit a chord with the local gents. 'I like Harry, a lot of people like Harry,' Ms Hendry's friend Gareth Guest said. 'He makes a good impression with young Australians - he's a larrikin, he's a fun type of guy, he's young and he's in the armed forces and he's very dedicated to what he does and as a role model I think he's brilliant.' (Knockabout charm, adorable cuteness... what's not to like? Dennis Shanahan, The Australian, 23/5/15)
Notice that the Murdoch hack responsible for this doggy-do nowhere informs us that Hendry and Guest are members of the Australian Monarchist League. Instead, the reader is left with the mistaken impression that the student body, or at least part thereof, is similarly afflicted by Hendry and Guest's folie a deux.
Thank God then for this spot of real journalism in the same day's Fairfax press:
"Australian taxpayers will be billed an estimated $115,000 for Prince Harry's month-long army secondment - including $1000 for bottled water and Gatorade... If the Defence estimates prove accurate, taxpayers are getting off relatively easy this time. They were charged a whopping $150,000 for Prince Harry's two-night visit to Australia in 2013." (Prince Harry's Australian visit to cost $115,000, documents show, Adam Gartrell, Sydney Morning Herald, 23/5/15)
"The charming prince, the family role models in line to the throne and a baby so cute he can thwart a republic - the bigger question among young Australians is why wouldn't you love the latest crop of royals. 'You've got Prince Harry serving in the armed forces, he's got the whole Captain Wales thing going on,' Sydney University student Gabrielle Hendry, 20, told The Weekend Australian. 'You've got Will and Kate, a really great symbol of family unity and a great marriage. And you've got lovely little baby Prince George, the republic slayer. The image they present for young people is really worthwhile and I think people can relate to this new breed of royals.' It's not just among the ladies that Harry's light shines brightest. The prince's knockabout nature has also hit a chord with the local gents. 'I like Harry, a lot of people like Harry,' Ms Hendry's friend Gareth Guest said. 'He makes a good impression with young Australians - he's a larrikin, he's a fun type of guy, he's young and he's in the armed forces and he's very dedicated to what he does and as a role model I think he's brilliant.' (Knockabout charm, adorable cuteness... what's not to like? Dennis Shanahan, The Australian, 23/5/15)
Notice that the Murdoch hack responsible for this doggy-do nowhere informs us that Hendry and Guest are members of the Australian Monarchist League. Instead, the reader is left with the mistaken impression that the student body, or at least part thereof, is similarly afflicted by Hendry and Guest's folie a deux.
Thank God then for this spot of real journalism in the same day's Fairfax press:
"Australian taxpayers will be billed an estimated $115,000 for Prince Harry's month-long army secondment - including $1000 for bottled water and Gatorade... If the Defence estimates prove accurate, taxpayers are getting off relatively easy this time. They were charged a whopping $150,000 for Prince Harry's two-night visit to Australia in 2013." (Prince Harry's Australian visit to cost $115,000, documents show, Adam Gartrell, Sydney Morning Herald, 23/5/15)
Thursday, August 28, 2014
What Planet Does Kim Williams Live On?
Kimberley Lynton Williams again*:
"Kim Williams has broken his silence on News Corporation, criticising newspaper editors for failing to understand the advertising model he introduced at the company. In a fiery interview, the former News Corp Australia and Foxtel chief executive said he found highly offensive 'conspiracy theories' that he had leaked News Corp's 2013 financial results to generate publicity for his new book, Rules of Engagement. The results showed a sharp drop in revenues and profits across News Corp's flagship Australian newspaper between the 2012 and 2013 financial years, which many blame on the advertising sales model Mr Williams had introduced." (No leak nor any cause for regret: Kim Williams, Sharri Markson, 25/8/14)
Look, I really don't give a rat's about what's going on between Williams and News Corpse, except to say that if Williams has had some kind of hand (unwitting to be sure) in the inevitable and deserved demise of The Australian and The Daily Terror, then well and good. It's really only what the following snippet says about Williams that's prompted this post:
"A vast media consumer, Mr Williams said the current flurry of commentary on Israel and Gaza had moved to extreme polarity, where commentators adopt opinions first and information later. 'There has been a long vein in the Australian media of anti-Semitic coverage and it is an enormously troubling thing, he said. 'I am probably unusually and acutely sensitive to anti-Semitic coverage because I feel quite strongly about it and it is something that has to be held up whenever it happens'." (ibid)
Seriously now, WTF is this bloke on about?
Here he is, a "vast media consumer," including a stint as CEO of a corporation that spits out Islamophobia and Arabophobia on a daily basis, and all he can see is "a long vein in the Australian media of anti-Semitic coverage."
So where is this alleged "long vein of anti-Semitic coverage" to be found? The Fairfax press? The ABC?
You're kidding me!
[See my 24/8/14 post News Corpse.]
"Kim Williams has broken his silence on News Corporation, criticising newspaper editors for failing to understand the advertising model he introduced at the company. In a fiery interview, the former News Corp Australia and Foxtel chief executive said he found highly offensive 'conspiracy theories' that he had leaked News Corp's 2013 financial results to generate publicity for his new book, Rules of Engagement. The results showed a sharp drop in revenues and profits across News Corp's flagship Australian newspaper between the 2012 and 2013 financial years, which many blame on the advertising sales model Mr Williams had introduced." (No leak nor any cause for regret: Kim Williams, Sharri Markson, 25/8/14)
Look, I really don't give a rat's about what's going on between Williams and News Corpse, except to say that if Williams has had some kind of hand (unwitting to be sure) in the inevitable and deserved demise of The Australian and The Daily Terror, then well and good. It's really only what the following snippet says about Williams that's prompted this post:
"A vast media consumer, Mr Williams said the current flurry of commentary on Israel and Gaza had moved to extreme polarity, where commentators adopt opinions first and information later. 'There has been a long vein in the Australian media of anti-Semitic coverage and it is an enormously troubling thing, he said. 'I am probably unusually and acutely sensitive to anti-Semitic coverage because I feel quite strongly about it and it is something that has to be held up whenever it happens'." (ibid)
Seriously now, WTF is this bloke on about?
Here he is, a "vast media consumer," including a stint as CEO of a corporation that spits out Islamophobia and Arabophobia on a daily basis, and all he can see is "a long vein in the Australian media of anti-Semitic coverage."
So where is this alleged "long vein of anti-Semitic coverage" to be found? The Fairfax press? The ABC?
You're kidding me!
[See my 24/8/14 post News Corpse.]
Sunday, August 24, 2014
News Corpse
Thus spake Kim Williams, former chief executive of Murdoch's News Corp, publisher of The Australian, on the subject of digital vs print media:
"In a digital sphere, nothing and no one is safe. Merit, ingenuity, speed, flexibility now rule the day in the media. This is, on the one hand, a good thing because it is giving unparalleled empowerment to invention and creativity, with the opportunity of entirely new ways of working and connecting. On the other hand, a well developed sustainable model for commercial delivery of serious independent journalism, as we have known it, is yet to emerge in the digital sphere." (Commentary on financial leaks a festival of vengeance from New Corporation, Sydney Morning Herald, 22/8/14)
What struck me here was the reference to "serious independent journalism, as we have known it." (I'm assuming that's the royal we.)
Known it where?
Surely not at News Corpse.
"In a digital sphere, nothing and no one is safe. Merit, ingenuity, speed, flexibility now rule the day in the media. This is, on the one hand, a good thing because it is giving unparalleled empowerment to invention and creativity, with the opportunity of entirely new ways of working and connecting. On the other hand, a well developed sustainable model for commercial delivery of serious independent journalism, as we have known it, is yet to emerge in the digital sphere." (Commentary on financial leaks a festival of vengeance from New Corporation, Sydney Morning Herald, 22/8/14)
What struck me here was the reference to "serious independent journalism, as we have known it." (I'm assuming that's the royal we.)
Known it where?
Surely not at News Corpse.
Monday, June 30, 2014
How Times Change
These days Murdoch's Australian has little appetite for Iraqi blood:
"With good reason, there is no appetite in Washington... for a return to boots on the ground in Iraq..." (Editorial, Jihad threat must be contained, The Australian, 28/6/14)
Back in 2003, however, the entire Murdoch pack were baying for it:
"What a guy! You have got to admit that Rupert Murdoch is one canny press tycoon because he has an unerring ability to choose editors across the world who think just like him. How else can we explain the extraordinary unity of thought in his newspaper empire about the need to make war on Iraq? After an exhaustive survey of the highest-selling and most influential papers across the world owned by Murdoch's News Corporation, it is clear that all are singing from the same hymn sheet. Some are bellicose baritone soloists who relish the fight. Some prefer a less strident, if more subtle, role in the chorus. But none, whether fortissimo or pianissimo, has dared to croon the anti-war tune. Their master's voice has never been questioned. (Speaking with their master's voice, Roy Greenslade, Guardian Weekly, 27/2/03)
How times change.
"With good reason, there is no appetite in Washington... for a return to boots on the ground in Iraq..." (Editorial, Jihad threat must be contained, The Australian, 28/6/14)
Back in 2003, however, the entire Murdoch pack were baying for it:
"What a guy! You have got to admit that Rupert Murdoch is one canny press tycoon because he has an unerring ability to choose editors across the world who think just like him. How else can we explain the extraordinary unity of thought in his newspaper empire about the need to make war on Iraq? After an exhaustive survey of the highest-selling and most influential papers across the world owned by Murdoch's News Corporation, it is clear that all are singing from the same hymn sheet. Some are bellicose baritone soloists who relish the fight. Some prefer a less strident, if more subtle, role in the chorus. But none, whether fortissimo or pianissimo, has dared to croon the anti-war tune. Their master's voice has never been questioned. (Speaking with their master's voice, Roy Greenslade, Guardian Weekly, 27/2/03)
How times change.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Believe It or Not
1) The front page of yesterday's Sunday Telegraph contains a photo of Tony Abbott staring earnestly out at the reader over the following banner headline: AUSTRALIA NEEDS TONY.
2) Pages 46-47 contain a photo of Obama with the banner: I WILL PROTECT THEM. ('Them' meaning 'Syrians'. Arabs, for Christ's sake!)
2) Pages 46-47 contain a photo of Obama with the banner: I WILL PROTECT THEM. ('Them' meaning 'Syrians'. Arabs, for Christ's sake!)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The News Corp Fish...
... stinks from the head down:
"Rupert Murdoch has backed comments from Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, who says multiculturalism has 'had its day', with the media mogul adding that 'societies have to integrate. Muslims find it hardest'." (Rupert Murdoch attacked for 'irresponsible' tweets about Muslims, Oliver Laughland, theguardian.com, 20/8/13)
"Rupert Murdoch has backed comments from Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, who says multiculturalism has 'had its day', with the media mogul adding that 'societies have to integrate. Muslims find it hardest'." (Rupert Murdoch attacked for 'irresponsible' tweets about Muslims, Oliver Laughland, theguardian.com, 20/8/13)
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Is This a First?
News Ltd takes the piss:
"Novel Gift Ideas: Don't switch off with mindless airport novels this summer. Taylor Auerbach rounds up the best last-minute Christmas gift books for serious relaxation... Mossad by Michael Bar-Zohar & Nissim Mishal: An old truism goes that if you think Mossad are after you, they're not. The Israeli intelligence agency is behind some of the most daring and important missions in western history. If security agencies were bands, Mossad are The Beatles. Authored by two men in a sort of don't ask, don't tell manner, this book recounts some of Mossad's finest hours, including the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and the elimination of the Munich Olympic terrorists. Dealing in the dual currencies of enigma and stealth, Mossad is the deserved star of a book that keeps the pages turning swiftly." (Sunday Telegraph, 23/12/12)
"Novel Gift Ideas: Don't switch off with mindless airport novels this summer. Taylor Auerbach rounds up the best last-minute Christmas gift books for serious relaxation... Mossad by Michael Bar-Zohar & Nissim Mishal: An old truism goes that if you think Mossad are after you, they're not. The Israeli intelligence agency is behind some of the most daring and important missions in western history. If security agencies were bands, Mossad are The Beatles. Authored by two men in a sort of don't ask, don't tell manner, this book recounts some of Mossad's finest hours, including the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and the elimination of the Munich Olympic terrorists. Dealing in the dual currencies of enigma and stealth, Mossad is the deserved star of a book that keeps the pages turning swiftly." (Sunday Telegraph, 23/12/12)
Friday, April 27, 2012
Dinner With Tony
Spot the difference between this...
"David Cameron's government faces fresh scrutiny for its cosy relationship with Rupert Murdoch's media empire following a day of revelations at the Leveson inquiry. Critics have for decades accused the Murdochs of holding too much sway over British politics. Those fears have only been heightened in recent times by the close ties between British Prime Minister Cameron and controversial past and present Murdoch employees such as former spin doctor Andy Coulson and newspaper executive Rebekah Brooks." (Murdoch ties with govt revealed, Tom Wald, AAP, 25/4/12)
... and this:
"Dining in the heart of Greens MP Adam Bandt's seat, Tony Abbott might not have expected the support he got from Lygon Street customers last Sunday night. If Labor and the Greens are losing in Melbourne's Carlton, the government may be in for an electoral Armageddon. That strikes me as the only long-term political point to take out of an unpleasant little kerfuffle* in Melbourne last Sunday night, when I had dinner with the Opposition Leader. Dining with Abbott implies no particular partisanship on my part. In the course of several decades of journalism, I suspect I have had marginally more meals with Labor folks than with Liberals. Certainly Abbott is a good friend." (How the tables have turned: the night intolerance came to dinner with Tony, Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 19/4/12)
Partisanship and Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan, foreign editor of Murdoch's Australian? No!
Who could possibly believe such a thing? It's like saying, Love & marriage/Go together like a horse & carriage.
[*Occasioned, reports our Greg, by the appearance and chanting in the restaurant of a group of same-sex marriage activists.]
"David Cameron's government faces fresh scrutiny for its cosy relationship with Rupert Murdoch's media empire following a day of revelations at the Leveson inquiry. Critics have for decades accused the Murdochs of holding too much sway over British politics. Those fears have only been heightened in recent times by the close ties between British Prime Minister Cameron and controversial past and present Murdoch employees such as former spin doctor Andy Coulson and newspaper executive Rebekah Brooks." (Murdoch ties with govt revealed, Tom Wald, AAP, 25/4/12)
... and this:
"Dining in the heart of Greens MP Adam Bandt's seat, Tony Abbott might not have expected the support he got from Lygon Street customers last Sunday night. If Labor and the Greens are losing in Melbourne's Carlton, the government may be in for an electoral Armageddon. That strikes me as the only long-term political point to take out of an unpleasant little kerfuffle* in Melbourne last Sunday night, when I had dinner with the Opposition Leader. Dining with Abbott implies no particular partisanship on my part. In the course of several decades of journalism, I suspect I have had marginally more meals with Labor folks than with Liberals. Certainly Abbott is a good friend." (How the tables have turned: the night intolerance came to dinner with Tony, Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 19/4/12)
Partisanship and Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan, foreign editor of Murdoch's Australian? No!
Who could possibly believe such a thing? It's like saying, Love & marriage/Go together like a horse & carriage.
[*Occasioned, reports our Greg, by the appearance and chanting in the restaurant of a group of same-sex marriage activists.]
Friday, July 22, 2011
First Mubarak, Now Murdoch?
Following the collapse of one of the main pillars of Israeli hegemony in the Middle East, could we now perhaps be witnessing the beginnings of the collapse of the central pillar of Israel's propaganda apparatus in the West?
It seems there's movement at the station:
"Pro-Israel leaders in the United States, Britain and Australia are warily watching the unfolding of the phone-hacking scandal that is threatening to engulf the media empire of Rupert Murdoch, founder of News Corp. Murdoch's sudden massive reversal of fortune - with 10 top former staffers and executives under arrest in Britain for hacking into the phones of public figures and a murdered school girl, and paying off the police and journalists - has supporters of Israel worried that a diminished Murdoch presence may mute the strongly pro-Israel voice of many of the publications he owns." (Supporters worry about muting of pro-Israel media voice, Ron Kampeas, The Jerusalem Post, 20/7/11)
Oh dear!
"His publications and media have proven to be fairer on the issue of Israel than the rest of the media', said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the Conference of Major American Jewish Organizations. 'I hope that won't be impacted'." (ibid)
Fairer? Hello? Isn't this a bit like saying that Juliet was fairer on the issue of Romeo than her sister?
"Murdoch's huge stable encompasses broadsheets such as The Wall Street Journal, the Times of London and The Australian, as well as tabloids, most notably The Sun in Britain and the New York Post. It also includes the influential Fox News Channel in the United States and a 39% stake in British Sky Broadcasting, or BSkyB, a satellite broadcaster. Murdoch founded the neoconservative flagship The Weekly Standard in 1995, and sold it last year.* Jewish leaders said that Murdoch's view of Israel's dealings with the Palestinians and its Arab neighbors seemed both knowledgeable and sensitive to the Jewish state's self-perception as beleaguered and isolated." (ibid)
And this view was arrived at independently of those Jewish leaders, and only after an exhaustive and impartial study of the issue by Rupert!
"'My own perspective is simple: We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews', Murdoch said last October at an Anti-Defamation League dinner in his honor. 'When Americans think of anti-Semitism, we tend to think of the vulgar caricatures and attacks of the first part of the 20th century. Now it seems that the most virulent strains come from the left. Often this new anti-Semitism dresses itself up as legitimate disagreement with Israel'." (ibid)
And he wrote every word himself!
"Murdoch, 80, has visited Israel multiple times and met with many of its leaders. In 2009 he was honored by the American Jewish Committee. 'In the West, we are used to thinking that Israel cannot survive without the help of Europe and the United States', he said at the AJC event. 'Tonight I say to you, maybe we should start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel'." (ibid)
Apres Israel, le deluge!
And in case you were wondering what happens to those who go astray:
"When some Jewish organizational leaders complained that Fox talk show host Glenn Beck** was relying on anti-Semitic tropes in peddling discredited theories about liberal billionaire financier George Soros, Murdoch nudged Fox chief Roger Ailes into meetings with Jewish leaders. Beck left Fox last month." (ibid)
Will you listen to this tripe:
"Murdoch's affection for Israel arose less out of his conservative sensibility than from his native Australian sympathy for the underdog fending off elites seized by conventional wisdoms, according to Isi Liebler, a longtime Australian Jewish community leader who now lives in Israel. 'From my personal communications with him, it's something that built up', Liebler told JTA. 'He's met Israelis, he's been to Israel, he's seen Israel as the plucky underdog when the rest of the world saw Israel as an occupier'. Australian Jews noted the pro-Israel cast of Murdoch's papers as early as the 1970s, before he had established ties with the Jewish community. The word from inside his company was that Israel was an issue that he cared about, which helped shape its coverage in his media properties." (ibid)
Murdoch, champion of the underdog! The mind boggles.
[* "The steady beating of war drums by neoconservatives like William Kristol was, in the eyes of many, the most influential factor in the US decision to go to war against Iraq. Referring to Kristol's numerous articles and media appearances in support of the war, Washington Post syndicated columnist Richard Cohen even dubbed it 'Kristol's War'. One reason Kristol was able to help create this war was the fact that he had a ready-made platform, courtesy of the Australian press lord Rupert Murdoch, who underwrites Kristol's magazine, The Weekly Standard." (William Kristol: Using The Weekly Standard to push for war on Iraq, Richard H. Curtiss, wrmea.com, 6/03); ** Apparently Beck's also been deviating from the script in the Middle East's Only Democracy: "Right-wing US television host Glenn Beck yesterday endured an experience that must have been a new one for him: it was made clear to him he was not right-wing enough. On a visit to Jerusalem to express his support for Israel, the Fox presenter addressed a committee of the Knesset, where he said: 'I'm not against a Palestinian state'. But as The Jerusalem Post reported, 'some seemed to think he was not right-wing enough when it came to Israel'. It said several committee members challenged Beck, including National Union member Arye Eldad, who said, 'I believe in a two-state solution, because I remember there is already a Palestinian state in Jordan'. Beck also upset Mr Eldad when he said Arabs and Israelis were all 'people who want to live their lives and raise their kids'. Mr Eldad told him of an Arab suicide bomber he had known of." (Beck's Right too Left for Knesset, John Lyons, The Australian, 13/7/11) There really is no pleasing some people.]
It seems there's movement at the station:
"Pro-Israel leaders in the United States, Britain and Australia are warily watching the unfolding of the phone-hacking scandal that is threatening to engulf the media empire of Rupert Murdoch, founder of News Corp. Murdoch's sudden massive reversal of fortune - with 10 top former staffers and executives under arrest in Britain for hacking into the phones of public figures and a murdered school girl, and paying off the police and journalists - has supporters of Israel worried that a diminished Murdoch presence may mute the strongly pro-Israel voice of many of the publications he owns." (Supporters worry about muting of pro-Israel media voice, Ron Kampeas, The Jerusalem Post, 20/7/11)
Oh dear!
"His publications and media have proven to be fairer on the issue of Israel than the rest of the media', said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the Conference of Major American Jewish Organizations. 'I hope that won't be impacted'." (ibid)
Fairer? Hello? Isn't this a bit like saying that Juliet was fairer on the issue of Romeo than her sister?
"Murdoch's huge stable encompasses broadsheets such as The Wall Street Journal, the Times of London and The Australian, as well as tabloids, most notably The Sun in Britain and the New York Post. It also includes the influential Fox News Channel in the United States and a 39% stake in British Sky Broadcasting, or BSkyB, a satellite broadcaster. Murdoch founded the neoconservative flagship The Weekly Standard in 1995, and sold it last year.* Jewish leaders said that Murdoch's view of Israel's dealings with the Palestinians and its Arab neighbors seemed both knowledgeable and sensitive to the Jewish state's self-perception as beleaguered and isolated." (ibid)
And this view was arrived at independently of those Jewish leaders, and only after an exhaustive and impartial study of the issue by Rupert!
"'My own perspective is simple: We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews', Murdoch said last October at an Anti-Defamation League dinner in his honor. 'When Americans think of anti-Semitism, we tend to think of the vulgar caricatures and attacks of the first part of the 20th century. Now it seems that the most virulent strains come from the left. Often this new anti-Semitism dresses itself up as legitimate disagreement with Israel'." (ibid)
And he wrote every word himself!
"Murdoch, 80, has visited Israel multiple times and met with many of its leaders. In 2009 he was honored by the American Jewish Committee. 'In the West, we are used to thinking that Israel cannot survive without the help of Europe and the United States', he said at the AJC event. 'Tonight I say to you, maybe we should start wondering whether we in Europe and the United States can survive if we allow the terrorists to succeed in Israel'." (ibid)
Apres Israel, le deluge!
And in case you were wondering what happens to those who go astray:
"When some Jewish organizational leaders complained that Fox talk show host Glenn Beck** was relying on anti-Semitic tropes in peddling discredited theories about liberal billionaire financier George Soros, Murdoch nudged Fox chief Roger Ailes into meetings with Jewish leaders. Beck left Fox last month." (ibid)
Will you listen to this tripe:
"Murdoch's affection for Israel arose less out of his conservative sensibility than from his native Australian sympathy for the underdog fending off elites seized by conventional wisdoms, according to Isi Liebler, a longtime Australian Jewish community leader who now lives in Israel. 'From my personal communications with him, it's something that built up', Liebler told JTA. 'He's met Israelis, he's been to Israel, he's seen Israel as the plucky underdog when the rest of the world saw Israel as an occupier'. Australian Jews noted the pro-Israel cast of Murdoch's papers as early as the 1970s, before he had established ties with the Jewish community. The word from inside his company was that Israel was an issue that he cared about, which helped shape its coverage in his media properties." (ibid)
Murdoch, champion of the underdog! The mind boggles.
[* "The steady beating of war drums by neoconservatives like William Kristol was, in the eyes of many, the most influential factor in the US decision to go to war against Iraq. Referring to Kristol's numerous articles and media appearances in support of the war, Washington Post syndicated columnist Richard Cohen even dubbed it 'Kristol's War'. One reason Kristol was able to help create this war was the fact that he had a ready-made platform, courtesy of the Australian press lord Rupert Murdoch, who underwrites Kristol's magazine, The Weekly Standard." (William Kristol: Using The Weekly Standard to push for war on Iraq, Richard H. Curtiss, wrmea.com, 6/03); ** Apparently Beck's also been deviating from the script in the Middle East's Only Democracy: "Right-wing US television host Glenn Beck yesterday endured an experience that must have been a new one for him: it was made clear to him he was not right-wing enough. On a visit to Jerusalem to express his support for Israel, the Fox presenter addressed a committee of the Knesset, where he said: 'I'm not against a Palestinian state'. But as The Jerusalem Post reported, 'some seemed to think he was not right-wing enough when it came to Israel'. It said several committee members challenged Beck, including National Union member Arye Eldad, who said, 'I believe in a two-state solution, because I remember there is already a Palestinian state in Jordan'. Beck also upset Mr Eldad when he said Arabs and Israelis were all 'people who want to live their lives and raise their kids'. Mr Eldad told him of an Arab suicide bomber he had known of." (Beck's Right too Left for Knesset, John Lyons, The Australian, 13/7/11) There really is no pleasing some people.]
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Only in Today's Australian
A slimeball of 'quality' Murdoch journalism from British radio presenter, journalist and author, Libby Purves, OBE ('for services to journalism'). Purves' racist, Islamophobic bile is beautifully complemented by her hilarious cocking-up of the Arabic language:
"The likelihood is that the vast majority of material being hurled into the limelight by the insouciant Julian Assange will not reveal any actual treacheries or scandals. It will consist mainly of what diplomats call 'frank assessments'. And while Britain can probably forgive and forget a few frank assessments... there is real fear that the touchier countries around the world will be outraged. Especially in the Muslim nations, where it seems to be all right for pretty senior voices to refer to us as kuffa* (non-believers), dogs, infidels, etc, whereas the slightest reservation about anything Islamic is considered an atrocity second only to the Crusades." (Leaking 'frank assessments' a risk to peace, The Times/The Australian)
Batten down the hatches! It's the Danish cartoons all over again!
[*kuffa is the Arabic word for edge, seam, hem, border. The word our 'quality' journalist was looking for was kuffar]
"The likelihood is that the vast majority of material being hurled into the limelight by the insouciant Julian Assange will not reveal any actual treacheries or scandals. It will consist mainly of what diplomats call 'frank assessments'. And while Britain can probably forgive and forget a few frank assessments... there is real fear that the touchier countries around the world will be outraged. Especially in the Muslim nations, where it seems to be all right for pretty senior voices to refer to us as kuffa* (non-believers), dogs, infidels, etc, whereas the slightest reservation about anything Islamic is considered an atrocity second only to the Crusades." (Leaking 'frank assessments' a risk to peace, The Times/The Australian)
Batten down the hatches! It's the Danish cartoons all over again!
[*kuffa is the Arabic word for edge, seam, hem, border. The word our 'quality' journalist was looking for was kuffar]
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