Thursday, September 22, 2005
PERTH CATCHES WEBDIARY FEVER
Hal GP Colebatch alerted Australia to Mark Latham’s essential weirdness in May last year. Anthony McAdam reviewed Colebatch’s piece in January, with further thoughts on the basketcase who would be Prime Minister. Citizen journalist Colebatch now reports on a major journalistic development:
Margo Kingston spoke last night at the University of Western Australia’s Institute of Advanced Studies about her new enterprise. I went along. About 60 people present. Margo did not say much not already on Webdiary. Some quotes:
* “I believe I can steal Fairfax’s reputation in six months. It is an empty edifice. It has collapsed ... Fairfax is trashing the asset.”
* “Webdiary is the beginning of a quality online newpaper ... I take pride in getting the spelling right and the grammar right ... I will be announcing the first professional citizen journalist next week.”
* She also stated she would be appointing a WA editor, and said: “People want to rescue the nation from both major parties. It’s time to make a stand ... I am now the owner and editor of Webdiary and I have huge ambitions for it.”
She was introduced in effusive terms by Liberal MHR and former Howard minister Judi Moylan. Quotes from JM:
* “I love Webdiary ... my good friend Margo Kingston ... My old friend Margo Kingston is an examplar of the heroic, committed, skilful, and conscience-driven professionals of whom I speak” (applause from audience.)
Margo, in turn, said Judi Moylan is “my absolute favourite politician.”
Kingston’s “quality online newspaper” recently posted a lightly reworked piece by Catherine Job that had appeared earlier at another junk site. Margo told readers:
Catherine wrote a short version of this for Crikey. I asked her to write a more considered piece for Webdiary, which she did.
Hmm. The short Crikey version was 1152 words long; the more considered Webdiary piece only ran to 949. Memo to Webdiary’s accountants: don’t let Margo near the books. Reader VJ sends a Margo alert:
Just thought you or maybe some of your readers might be interested in the chance to ask Margo Kingston a few questions. She will be on Perth’s 6PR this morning as part of the “Friday free for all”. The “free for all” starts at either 10 or 11am (Perth time) and is streamed live from their website.
Offer your questions in comments. This site’s WA editor—hey, we’re a quality online newspaper here—will act on them, once they’ve been properly bolded by my slave staffers Tran and Mbongo.
UPDATE. Margo writes: “I’m doing an interview with Mark next week. Any question you’d like me to ask?”