Alan Sunderland
@asunderland
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Author of Ten Rules of Reporting. Journalist, editorial consultant, writer of children's fiction. Views here my own.
Sydney
Joined April 2009
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Cartoon in the Oz today is missing its punchline.
Let me add it:
Aust: 25 mill popn, 583 deaths
Sweden: 10 mill popn, 5821 deaths.
If we had the same death rate per head as Sweden, there would be about 14,000 Australians who couldn't laugh at this cartoon because they'd be dead.
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Australia should be chartering dozens of planes as we speak to bring as many Australian citizens home from India as we can.
The return legs of those flights should be full of oxygen tanks and other urgent medical supplies.
To do any less than that is unconscionable.
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Who presumed Gladys Berejiklian guilty? Great
@David_Speers
question that wasn't answered.
ICAC does NOT presume anyone guilty and does NOT stand down or sack anyone. All it does is the job we gave it.
#insiders
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Speaking as a former industrial reporter, the coverage I have seen of the NSW rail strike across ALL media has been underwhelming, and reflects a loss of expertise in this area. Too much he said/she said, not enough facts and analysis 1/
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Here's a little ABC funding story.
Once there was a man who had a son.
On the son's 10th birthday, the father said he'd be giving him $1 a week pocket money in return for doing chores, and it would go up by 20c a week every year on his birthday.
Thanks, said the son.
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Last night's
@4corners
was just asking the Prime Minister to properly answer several questions that have already been asked more than once. They strike me as important and sensible questions and Australians are entitled to answers. To call it a "vendetta" is nonsense.
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I am not sure how or why
@australian
overlooked this, but in their 'news story' about
@gavmorris
today they forgot to mention that he took ABC News to the No.1 spot for online news, knocking News Corp off its long held perch. Turns out more Australians like and trust the ABC.
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Let's say this again for the people up the back. I am fully vaccinated and I am not scared or selfish. I wear a mask and comply with lockdown in case it helps others. I think the fewer people in hospital and ICU, the better for all of us. I'll be glad when lockdowns are over.
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When the boy turned 13, his pocket money was now 95c a week instead of $1.60.
The man said he would now start increasing the pocket money by 20c again each year.
Everything's fixed, the man declared.
But the boy could count, so he knew better.
And it was just a promise... 5/5
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@SenatorMcGrath
Here's the short version: 30 years ago the ABC had 2,000 more staff than it has now, but it only had to operate 1 TV channel instead of 3, much less radio and NO online or mobile services. ABC is one of the most efficient value-for-money public broadcasters in the world. FUND IT!
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I don't know anyone who likes lockdowns or thinks permanent zero covid infections is realistic.
I do know plenty of people who think that hanging on a few more months until vaccination rates are higher enough is preferable to a strategy that would have killed 30,000 Australians.
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This is doing the rounds today, and as an example of gallows humour it is right up there.
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An excellent piece. Ita Buttrose neatly exposes the nonsense from Scott Morrison that there are no ABC cuts, spells out what the ABC does, and asks "why would anyone want to diminish that?" Why indeed.
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1. It's not happening.
2. It is happening, but it's not as bad as you say.
3. It is as bad as you say, but there's nothing we can do about it.
4. We can do something, but no one else is, so why should we?
5. We should do something about it, but it will ruin everything.
Next?
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A welcome development, but...
1. It doesn't pay back the money ripped out of the ABC already
2. The ABC still gets about half (or less) of the per capita funding other countries provide
3. The Govt is reversing a cut it continues to deny it actually made.
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Niki Savva in The Australian today, on the PM QAnon fiasco:
"Sometimes the best way to extinguish a fire is not to try to deprive it of oxygen, but to turn the hose on it full bore. Assuming you know how to hold one, mate."
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Here's what is happening in my area in relation to covid vaccinations. I am classified "1b" so I am eligible to book in for my vaccine now. However, every clinic I have contacted is not even accepting bookings because they have no vaccine and no idea when it might arrive.
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Look after yourself,
@abcnews
friends and colleagues. You do magnificent work, often at your own risk. Thank you, and hang in there...
Communications Minister
@PaulFletcherMP
has confirmed the ABC is an essential service that must continue operating through the shut-down.
#COVID19Aus
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The boy looked at his father, and thought about the broken promise, and looked at the 85c in his hand that should have been $1.20.
It sure feels like a cut, he said.
Don't worry, said the man.
It's not. 4/5
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Then came the boy's 11th birthday, and the man announced his son's already reduced pocket money would only be going up by 5c a year instead of 20c.
Why are you cutting my pocket money again, said the boy?
It's not a cut, said the man, because it's still going up every year. 3/5
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Specifically, why would Fair Work have overseen and signed off on a deal for protected action that was so unsafe it would have shut down the whole rail network? We deserve more insight and analysis. Time to put more resources into industrial/workplace reporting. 3/3
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However, before the first year ended, the man decided to cut his son's pocket money from $1 to 80c.
Times were tough.
Do I still need to do all my chores asked the son?
Yes, said the man. In fact, I want you to do more with less.
2/5
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On nights like tonight I really resent the Government budget cuts that forced the ABC to lose so many journalism jobs, including its NZ correspondent. We don't cover our neighbour anywhere near enough.
#nzelections2020
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A thread from me about social media, strong opinions and journalism, based on my own experience as a news consumer. 1/
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I find it appalling that the Government continues to run the line that is hasn't cut ABC funding.
Here's the analogy I like to use:
Imagine telling your child that they are getting $10 pocket money a week, and it will rise by $1 a week on their birthday each year.
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Here's a thread about one key problem with the approach journalists take when covering elections, and it is NOT about political bias, cowardice or laziness.
Who remembers movies like "A Few Good Men" or "The Caine Mutiny"?
1/
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I stand with all my old colleagues at the ABC today, especially those who will lose their jobs. Every cut to content is damaging, from 0745 News to ABC Life to lost opportunities to commission more external drama and docos. There are no easy decisions or painless choices. 1/2
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In the wake of yesterday's calm, clear and authoritative evidence by the Auditor-General, based on months of work by his team, does ANYONE other than the current Government think the sports funding process was okay?
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About a week ago
@jkalbrechtsen
wrote a piece about the ABC in The Australian that I disagreed with. I wrote an 800 word response which the Oz tried but was unable to find a spot for. Rather than see it go to waste, I attach it here for those interested...
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My questions -
What specific protected action was approved by Fair Work on Saturday and agreed to by ALL parties?
Why did the department then change its mind and try to change the agreement? 2/
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As someone who grew up in public housing and knows the life changing impact it can have, I applaud this. It has been a long time coming.
This is huge. Biggest spend on social housing in state’s history.
‘This will change lives': $5.3 billion social-housing construction blitz
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All Australians need to make it clear they see through this kind of sophistry and want real and adequate funding for THEIR public broadcasters - both ABC and SBS. 3/3
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The important stuff - methodically and insightfully teasing out policy and assessing track records on key issues is much less likely to win journalism awards, get noticed, or make the reporter involved famous. And so it never happens enough. When it does happen, it's ignored. 6/
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Every journalist leaving the ABC is a loss for the public that rely on trusted public interest journalism. And it is an indictment of the Government for its neglect and its relentless budget attacks.
Geez.
@abcnews
departures came fast and furious today.
@abcAndrewG
@liz_hobday
@livcasben
@ninobucci
@timmyfish
All passionate and talented journalists.
Thanks for all your reporting - and best of luck for what comes next.
Another tough day.
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There are many views on whether the lockdown is enough, not enough, or too much, but congrats to the Weekend
@australian
for the most sneering,nasty editorial so far. Apparently it's a "Whitlamesque freak show" that "rent-seekers, grifters and failing enterprises" are exploiting
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"When there is no hint of corruption, it should not be up to an impertinent ICAC commissioner to pass judgment on politics, as base as it can be."
This is the official view of The Australian newspaper today on probity and standards in politics.
I despair.
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There are exceptions to this rule of thumb, but:
1. Try sorting the responses of journos who think the
@4corners
story is either a gossipy beat up or the tip of a nasty iceberg into two separate piles.
2. Look at how many men and/or women are in each pile.
3. Think about that.
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An important story. Running a picture from an official photographer is like reprinting a press release. Neither of them are journalism.
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There was toilet paper at the supermarket tonight and I didn't buy any. I strolled through the checkouts feeling like a king among men.
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Then you decide to cut it to $8 a week.
Then you decide it will only rise 50 cents a year instead of $1.
When they complain, you say it's not "a cut" because it is still rising every year.
That's what the Government has done to ABC funding. 2/3
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I agree that with vaccination rates strong, it is now time to end most border and economic restrictions. What I don't get is why the simple and minor inconveniences of QR check-ins and indoor mask mandates have to go as well. Seems a clear departure from the best health advice.
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Putting that Voice into the constitution rather than legislating it means saying that it belongs to our Nations People by right, not by gift. Just like the ongoing rights of the States. None of which divides us as Australians - in fact its fairer and more complete.
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The lesson is that risky behaviour has consequences. The lesson is that you shouldn't campaign on the same issues you report on, lest it undermine your effectiveness as a journalist. The lesson is that less is more.
The end. 16/
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I will applaud the first Government that comes up with a plan to empty and then pull down all the high rise housing commission flats. And I speak as someone whose family lived in one for five years when I was a teenager. Find better housing for the residents.
Public housing lockdown exposes gross failure of Australian Government to invest in adequate social housing. Why should any Australian in 2020 live in housing where they cannot safely socially distance during a health crisis? Also need Newstart raised permanently & significantly.
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When they think they may have one, they go for it, give it all it's worth, blow it out of proportion. This is rarely because they are ideologically or politically motivated, but because they are chasing the campaign-defining career-enhancing moment. 4/
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The problem is that life is generally not like the movies, and these gotcha moments rarely define or resolve any important questions neatly and irrevocably. They define a journalist's "narrative" but seldom mean much in terms of actually running a country. 5/
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All my anger and frustration is aimed not at the ABC Board and management, who are doing the best they can in tough times, but to a Government which refuses to recognise what the rest of Australia knows - that public broadcasting needs funding and proper support to do its job 2/2
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That's the moment too many reporters have in the back of their mind when they approach every doorstop, every campaign event, every interview. They look for the huge dramatic moment where a slip up or an unanswerable question blows up the campaign. The Walkley moment. 3/
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One of the strongest statements I can recall seeing by an ABC Chair.
Chair Ita Buttrose AO strongly condemns Senator Andrew Bragg and the Senate Inquiry into the ABC complaint handling process: a blatant attempt to usurp the role of the ABC Board and undermine the operational independence of the ABC:
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Given what The Australian thinks its trying to say in its editorial today, its use of character attack, veiled innuendo and selective targetting is frankly laughable. Especially when aimed at the most accountable news organisation in Australia, and two fine journalists. Poor form
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A story of significant public interest.
A thorough, principled and dedicated journalist.
It is essential to Australia's democracy and its commitment to a free and fair media that the DPP tosses this brief in the bin where it belongs, without delay.
ABC MD David Anderson: The ABC has been told the AFP is referring allegations against our journalist Dan Oakes to the DPP. The ABC fully backs Dan. Doing accurate journalism that is clearly in the public interest should not be an offence.
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Let's talk about the Australian Constitution, equality, and special privileges.
One of the arguments you often hear against the Voice is that no group of Australians should have special or additional rights compared to any others.
Okay...
1/many
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And apologies for all the typos - poor quality control at my end. But you get it.
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Congratulations to
@Ageinvestigates
, Chris Masters,
@sclark_melbs
@DanielMOakes
@markwillacy
, all the other brave journos and the even braver whistleblowers who spoke out about alleged Australian war crimes.
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Of course everyone is 'allowed' to have views on issues. But if you choose to turn those views into public comments on an issue in the news, then your desire to be a commentator begins to conflict with your responsibility to be a reporter. 14/
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If they work for a news outlet where slanted and opinionated journalism is the norm, no problem. But if they work for a newsroom that claims its opinion and its news reporting are separated and you can trust its news reporting to follow the weight of evidence, it's a problem. 11/
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You know the ones - where the key witness on the stand slips up and in one dramatic moment their defence falls apart and they are condemned out of their own mouths. It is the classic movie scene where one pivotal question blows everything up. Almost never happens in real life. 2/
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Just when I convince myself the world can't possibly get any dumber, I read that sales of Corona beer have fallen to their lowest level in 2 years. Where do I....what...?
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@HumanHeadline
A genuine media ethics answer:
You can override the family's wishes if there is a genuine public interest reason to do so.
In this case, there clearly is not.
Simple.
(The public interest does not equate to what the public might be interested in).
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I am wondering about those very senior and respected Australian judges who continue to serve on Hong Kong's Final Court of Appeal.
Is it time for them to follow the example set by Jim Spigelman last September, and resign?
Investigative journalism in Hong Kong is over.
"The court ruled that searching for public information or access to public data is no longer allowed in Hong Kong."
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"Aunty's Journos Have Always Bitten Hand That Feeds", it says.
Too right. Frank and fearless reporting on the Governments that fund them has been a hallmark of the ABC and long may it continue.
Those that can't report fearlessly on their own owners rarely understand this. 2/2
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A brilliant appointment, a wonderful journo. Much better than the last guy.
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I have said it before and I will say it again - libraries are the absolute best.
If you are not a member of your local library, you're not living your best life.
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By campaigning aggressively, I mean they strongly and almost relentlessly argue the case for a particular perspective on an issue of the day. Their views, and their decisions about sharing information and content from others, is designed to ram home a strong view they have. 8/
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It gets to the point where, everyone I see their name pop up in my stream, I know what to expect. It will be another snide remark or a glowing endorsement or a selective drip of information, all designed to push a particular view on an issue in the news. 9/
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When those journalists go to work and undertake to report fairly and impartially on what is happening, they undertake to set those views aside and do their best to report the facts, follow the weight of evidence, and try their best not to let their own views skew things. 3/
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In an otherwise dull and predictable spray against the ABC in the Oz today by Gerard, they inadvertently praise the independence and integrity of the ABC without even realising it. Big congratulations to whoever though up the headline. 1/2
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Now, as a news consumer, that means that over time I get to know what to expect from that person. It also means that, over time, I also start to both look for that and see it in their journalism too. Now that I know what drives them, I look for that in their work as well. 10/
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But here is what happens in reality. As a news consumer, I follow many journalists on Twitter as they often link to their stories, seek information, engage in dialogue, and provide rich context and detail for their work. That's why I follow them. 6/
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They have been such strong campaigners for a cause that I begin to see that in their journalism too. Of course they chose that angle, picked that talent to interview, included or omitted that content, I think. It's because of their strong personal activism on the issue. 12/
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Of course, if you don't believe the discipline of impartiality is both possible and important, then maybe jump off this thread now. That's a discussion for another time. But if you are with me so far, and you want your news as impartial as possible, read on. 4/
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I expect their contributions on social media to be more personal and informal, and to reveal more about the person being the reporting. All good so far.
Most of the people I follow deliver on that in spades.
But some use the freedom of social media to campaign aggressively. 7/
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So the idea is that journalist get to express their opinions in a personal capacity in Twitter and elsewhere, but in their work they set those aside and professionally, they get to be judged on their work and not on their personal life. In theory, no problem. 5/
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It is certainly true that journalists, like everyone else, are entitled to have personal views on things, and to express those views on social media. They are human, and that means they have an identity forged by experience, they have views and value. 2/
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@SenatorMcGrath
If that's still too much detail, try one simple graph. And dont forget that ABC funding has been cut even further since 2014.
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This is where principle and practice clash. This is where what people can do and what people should do conflict. I think of it as the difference between having views and having comments. 13/
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@SenatorMcGrath
It has done that, many times. You're a Senator and I know you know that, so why do I have to do your research for you?
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Old bloke leaves great job.
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There is only one way to deal with this sad news.
Don't blame, don't assume, don't speculate and for goodness sake don't politicise or try to score points. Just decide, all of us, to be a little more gentle and kind with each other, especially those whose views we disagree with.
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So I've had something to say today about One Nation's treatment of ABC reporters.
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True then. True now. True always.
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It is a risk no matter how good your reporting is, and no matter how scrupulously you work to set aside your views when you fill your stories. So what's the lesson in all of this for serious public interest journalists? 15/
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@clairlemon
It's interesting, but I keep coming back to the death toll. If Australia had performed exactly the same as Sweden, we would now have over 14,000 deaths instead of fewer than 1,000. That's why I struggle with the simple comparison in our case.
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'Balance' in journalism is a misunderstood and pernicious idea...
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ABC impartiality breaches are rare and so this is an important one.
The finding was that the government view needed to be more fully explored even though the government refused to do any interviews.
ABC breached impartiality rules in Four Corners report about water rights, watchdog finds
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The Government appears to have stepped up an anti-ABC and anti-media strategy this week.
Two senior ministers (Hunt and Dutton) have both launched personal attacks on ABC journos instead of answering important and legitimate questions.
Unlikely to be a coincidence. 1/2
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Great new research from
@abcnews
. The data - and some experts - suggests Australia has largely managed to maintain a sense of 'solidarity, support & mutual concern' during Covid. I wonder how much that reality has been reflected in media coverage?
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@ginarush
@daanysaeed
Gina,
I have long been an advocate for transparency and accountability on editorial matters, so it's appropriate for me to declare that I was a participant on a NSW Jewish Board of Deputies trip to Israel in the late 1990's when I was Head of News at SBS.
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@bairdjulia
If you go out in the streets today, you'd better not go en masse.
If you go out for a drink today, don't be impatient or crass.
For every bear that ever was there
Is keeping 2 metres apart in his chair
For today is the day the teddy bears social distance.
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If this is the new world we live in, it is time for Foxtel to pay the free to air broadcasters for the benefits it receive from including ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine & Ten content on their platform.
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Keep in mind, of course, that this very modest proposal is NOT based on race, but on Indigeneity.
Like the original colonies, First Nations people were present at the time of Federation with ongoing rights that were finally acknowledged by Mabo.
8/many
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A quick reminder that when the trolls come out, here's how you will mostly recognise them:
1. Fake names.
2. Lots of personal abuse.
3. Never saw a conspiracy they didn't like.
4. Worn out emoji buttons.
5. Travel in self-congratulatory packs.
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@meadea
I have questions.
The IPA made exactly the same mistake last year and I pointed it out to them then, in great detail.
Not only did they fail to acknowledge the error then, they kept using the dodgy data publicly.
Now they've done it a second time. Why
@evmulholland
?
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Given the strong and appropriate scrutiny of the ABC over its recent review of the Luna Park doco, it makes sense to provide similar scrutiny of this damming Press Council finding against The Australian over its coverage of gender affirming healthcare. 1/
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@PatsKarvelas
I covered BLF demos in the 80's, a violent embassy attack in the 90's and a Fijian coup in the 2000's, and never faced the kind of cowardly attacks on the media that were on show in Melbourne today.
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@DvlDog0311
@stkirsch
As an occasional masker, here's what I think when I see you walk past.....
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