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FIND YOUR UNIQUE VOICE

“I’ve long wanted to assist aspiring, young journalists in the difficult first years,” writes veteran journalist Antony Loewenstein:

I’d like to offer [a $120 internet package] to an Australian citizen under the age of 25 who is keen to start his or her own website and display their writing to the world. You may be interested in domestic issues or international events. You may just need a kick-start to find your unique voice. Maybe we can find the next Robert Fisk or Seymour Hersh.

Why aim so low?

In my early days, I was assisted by many established journalists - though never financially - and this brought much-needed confidence and contacts.

Good to see this grand old man of letters assisting the next generation. Maybe ancient Ant can teach them how to build a career around book reviews that read like Soviet denunciations.

I’ll select the person I believe is the most enthusiastic, curious, gutsy and best writer.

Get to work, youngsters! Uncle Ant awaits your applications!

Posted by Tim B. on 01/03/2006 at 12:41 AM
  1. 120 bananas won’t buy much porno or iPod fodder.

    Posted by Habib on 2006 01 03 at 02:14 AM • permalink

  2. Doesn’t he mean “I’ll select the person who is clueless enough to not know they can set up their own free website themselves”?

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2006 01 03 at 02:16 AM • permalink

  3. Too sexist!

    What about the next Michelle Malkin?

    Though I’d settle for this Great Scribe mentoring a new-generation Paul Bickford.

    Posted by Henry boy on 2006 01 03 at 02:20 AM • permalink

  4. Got my first look at “The New Matilda” following the links.  Talk about sad.  It’s for people “who think differently” - but what did I see but guff about a human rights act, and an IR vision for 2015 that includes a national system of legislated work rights and independent tribunals.  Bit of a stretch to see yourself as really breaking the mould with this sort of nostalgia.

    Posted by Seneca on 2006 01 03 at 02:20 AM • permalink

  5. “SJM seeks wannabe blogger for relationship. Ignorance of history, grammar, prose a [lus.  Lousy pay, erratic hours. No smokers, or voters for winning candidates.”

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 01 03 at 02:36 AM • permalink

  6. Sorry OT ... Steve Rogers has passed away ... those who follow League will know of him, and of course his son ARU International Matt Rogers ... here’s a slideshow ... I’m quite shocked ... again, sorry for the OT post ...

    Posted by Stevo on 2006 01 03 at 02:37 AM • permalink

  7. Hey, if it’ll get an upgrade to Jonah Goldberg, I’ll kick in for some bolding.

    Posted by Achillea on 2006 01 03 at 02:45 AM • permalink

  8. More troubling is that Ant has actually been given credibility here.

    I think its time for another Sandy Gutman call.

    Posted by captain on 2006 01 03 at 02:48 AM • permalink

  9. Sickening pompous vain-stricken bombastic perverted toadfaced self-indulgent egocentric puffed up self-important callow pathetic miserable worthless piece of shit tinhorn arsehole.

    Posted by geoff on 2006 01 03 at 02:48 AM • permalink

  10. There. Just found my unique voice. Inspired entirely by Antony. He’ll have to give me the Loewenstein Scholarship.

    Posted by geoff on 2006 01 03 at 02:55 AM • permalink

  11. This is just too convenient.

    Admit it, Tim, you’re paying Antony to caricature himself. I suspect Margo’s been on your payroll for years.

    Posted by Evil Pundit on 2006 01 03 at 03:10 AM • permalink

  12. Margo would be a shoo-in ... getting around the age limit might be a bit of a hurdle ... ah, the horsey imagery ...

    Posted by Stevo on 2006 01 03 at 03:22 AM • permalink

  13. Err, why pay 120 dollars for anything?

    Blogging is FREE.

    Silly Ant.

    I hereby offer the services of Nicky and myself (combined 35 years of journalism experience).

    And pre-emptively volunteer Tim and Bernie Slattery as well.

    Come one, come all young aspiring journalists.

    Learn writing, critical analysis, economic and political history from the from the other fine denizens of that comment on this site.

    Best of all, you’ll discover how hanging with the right side of politics enhances your knowledge and future employability outside of journalism.

    —Nora

    Posted by The Thin Man Returns on 2006 01 03 at 03:31 AM • permalink

  14. PIMF - You see I need a good subeditor.

    —Nora (boy that G&T is beginning to kick in)

    Posted by The Thin Man Returns on 2006 01 03 at 03:34 AM • permalink

  15. Errr, Thin Man, some of us pay for our blogs because we are too technologically inept to use the free versions.

    So anytime you see somebody with Typepad or something like that it means they’ve paid even though they could get it for free.

    Bugger, what does Ant have against we old folks. That’s discrimination and yes hasn’t he got a thing for boy journalists.

    Posted by Major Anya on 2006 01 03 at 03:48 AM • permalink

  16. Re #8, the site identified by captain is worth a look.  It gives information about Macquarie University’s Centre for Middle East and North African Studies, the board of which Mr Lowenstein is joining.

    Some highlights of recent Centre activity (there are other things that seem pretty good but these kind of stand out):

    Professor Igor Primoratz spoke about “the main varieties of Jewish/Israeli terrorism against Palestinians and neighboring Arab countries” and concluded that “All the campaigns of terrorism Israel has carried out throughout its conflict with the Palestinians have been morally indefensible”, although he did, to give him credit, also say that …the Palestinians’ resort to terrorism was not justified in the past, and is not justified today.”

    The Centre’s Director, Dr Andrew Vincent, presented a paper in Melbourne on anti-terrorist legislation, and his paper suggested that “rather than providing for enhanced security as claimed, such legislation is more designed to appeal to the rising tide of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment which many western countries are experiencing”.

    So we have moral equivalence, bad faith on the part of governments implementing anti-terrorist legislation, and rising xenophobia in western countries.

    Mr Lowenstein should feel right at home.

    Posted by Seneca on 2006 01 03 at 04:10 AM • permalink

  17. What a dickhead! Why wouldn’t said aspiring young journalist just start up a blog for free and get writing? Worked for me ...

    Posted by Gareth on 2006 01 03 at 04:18 AM • permalink

  18. Can he only scrape together $120? Surely Melbourne University Press provided him with a massively generous advance for his eagerly awaited revisionist look at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. A lefty backing the Palestinian cause - now that’s original!

    Posted by James Waterton on 2006 01 03 at 05:17 AM • permalink

  19. This “unique voice” wouldnt be the same one you see other winos having conversations with in the middle of the street would it?
    Or the muffled sound of Mr L with his head stuck so far up his own ass?
    just askin.

    Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2006 01 03 at 05:41 AM • permalink

  20. - 50 megabyte hosting package
    - blogging software
    - domain name registration

    That’s worth $120!! from Smartyhost.

    The numbers don’t add up to current Smartyhost pricing.

    DNS $19
    http://www.smartyhost.com.au/cheapdomainnames.html
    50 mb plan $80
    http://www.smartyhost.com.au/bargainhosting.html

    So what is ant really giving away not [$120 internet package]

    The prize he won?
    To share the 50mb’s? (that wont last long)
    A DNS he didn’t need.?

    Posted by Gary on 2006 01 03 at 05:50 AM • permalink

  21. I’ve thrown my hat into the ring.

    Posted by James Waterton on 2006 01 03 at 05:50 AM • permalink

  22. I suspect Lowenstein won’t give the prize to the 16 year old American kid who ran away to Iraq to study “Immersion Journalism”.

    Too easy.

    Posted by Dan Lewis on 2006 01 03 at 07:21 AM • permalink

  23. Hold the presses! This is an amazing development! A lefty is giving away his own money instead of taxpayer funds! Can they do that?

    Woops. On second thoughts, it just means that Ant doesn’t have enough influence to get a grant out of anyone. That must be very humiliating.

    Nevertheless, we should stop being so cynical and encourage this new kind of left-wing funding. Or am I the one being too cynical here? Maybe I should apply for a grant to study this question ...

    Posted by Chris Chittleborough on 2006 01 03 at 07:44 AM • permalink

  24. Darlene: yes, but you pay your money directly to Typepad instead of giving it to a third person to set everything up for you.

    Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 2006 01 03 at 08:01 AM • permalink

  25. I see this offer is limited to “Australian Citizen[s]” Doesn’t sound very universalist of him, but maybe this is part of what he meant when he said he was “trapped in an Australian body.”

    Posted by debo.v2 on 2006 01 03 at 09:03 AM • permalink

  26. Do you have to be female and send a mug shot?
    As for the Middle East faction I rather like to conjure up a picture of the good PROFESSOR IGOR… who is running it.
    “Boris prepare the transducer..”
    “Yes masterprofessor Igor…

    Posted by crash on 2006 01 03 at 09:09 AM • permalink

  27. maybe he can engage an ET once Kofi makes contact

    Posted by KK on 2006 01 03 at 09:30 AM • permalink

  28. Antoine has displayed a noble impulse. Perhaps he can include a grammar book in the package; in fact, he might want to buy one for himself. “An Australian citizen . . . who is keen to start his or her own website and display their [sic] writing to the world.” I believe the singular nominative pronoun does not take the plural possessive; unless the hermaphroditic pronoun construction “he/she, his/her” is now considered plural (I defer to Ushie and McEnroe on this matter).

    On the other hand, perhaps he’s just looking for a prospective Trilby to amplify his own genius.

    Posted by paco on 2006 01 03 at 10:20 AM • permalink

  29. #9 Sickening pompous vain-stricken bombastic perverted toadfaced self-indulgent egocentric puffed up self-important callow pathetic miserable worthless piece of shit tinhorn arsehole.— Posted by geoff

    What the ....?

    Hey!  Someone wrote the exact same comment about my speech on the Rate the Speaker survey that Karl handed out at the Great Neocon Meet Up Convention last fall.  That is, someone who signed it “An Interested Party Who’s Just Trying to Help”.  And I mean word for word.

    geoff, you wouldn’t know an enlightening speech about orbital based death ray laser cannons if it bit you on the arse.  I’m fairly certain Karl trashed your survey and we’re all glad he did.

    (writes geoff’s name in List of Holy Retribution, V. II, notes that he should begin writing smaller)

    Posted by wronwright on 2006 01 03 at 01:32 PM • permalink

  30. #29: I filled out the survey form, and I can assure you that I did NOT use the word “callow”.

    Posted by paco on 2006 01 03 at 02:57 PM • permalink

  31. Get to work, youngsters! Uncle Ant awaits your applications!

    I’m gonna bet on that Singing Bridges woman.

    Posted by PW on 2006 01 03 at 02:58 PM • permalink

  32. $120?  That’s what, enough for one bolded sentence?

    Posted by dorkafork on 2006 01 03 at 02:59 PM • permalink

  33. Why didn’t he just say:

    Wanted:  Commie and/or Self-Hating Jew to write Newspeak articles.

    Save a lot of time IMO.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2006 01 03 at 04:21 PM • permalink

  34. Good Lord - Hey Ant’ny.  I have one word for you. “Blogger”.  Hint: it is a free service brought to you by the evil, globe-spanning corporation Google.

    Posted by Major John on 2006 01 03 at 05:22 PM • permalink

  35. Ironic that bugalugs uses a free service itself.

    Posted by CB on 2006 01 03 at 06:30 PM • permalink

  36. I got so pissed off at this one that I wrote a big long-winded diatribe, railing against this troglodytic, white anti-white, self-hating Jew making grandiose propositions which are so niggardly as to be laughable (be somebody, put up a grand at least!). In that comment I talked about how I was a published author, etc., etc., and that I not only taught people to write at university, I also mentored them, and I did so for free. Nor is there an age limit. Plus, said I, I’d wager that my mentoring was damned better than his. I still hold that opinion. But in the interests of bandwidth, I decided against it. I calmed down. But it steamed me.

    OK. That’s over. You can all go back to your comments. I’m going to take a nap.

    Posted by ekw on 2006 01 03 at 07:21 PM • permalink

  37. # 30 “I filled out the survey form, and I can assure you that I did NOT use the word ‘callow’.”

    Thanks Paco.  I knew I could count on your support.

    Posted by wronwright on 2006 01 03 at 07:32 PM • permalink

  38. Who’s going to be the next Walter Duranty?  The next Jayson Blair?  The next Mary Mapes?

    Posted by Steve Skubinna on 2006 01 03 at 10:55 PM • permalink

  39. Speaking of Lowenstein, apparently he’s found God after all.

    Posted by HisHineness on 2006 01 04 at 03:06 AM • permalink

  40. Will it be like Educating Rita…

    Posted by crash on 2006 01 04 at 07:24 AM • permalink

  41. Meanwhile at the gloriously unbiased 2006 ABC, within 10 hours..

    Adamski when asked for an opinion on Australia’s failure to sign Kyoto:  ‘I CAN’T give my own opinion on this, or I would be accused of political bias, and that’s not on…’

    And Stephen Crittenden:  ‘The wonderful [or was it marvellous?] Andrew is taking over Margo Kingston’s blog’.

    Posted by Barrie on 2006 01 04 at 06:14 PM • permalink

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