Thursday, October 26, 2006
WHAT'S TO DEBATE?
Leftist Marieke Hardy, writing in the leftist Age, defends the leftist ABC’s leftist Media Watch and its leftist presenters against charges that the program has a left-wing bias. She supports her case by quoting former Media Watch host David Marr:
When you look at it dispassionately, there isn’t much to debate. When you catch somebody plagiarising, what’s to debate? When you catch someone faking their sources, what’s to debate? When you catch someone telling porkies in the press, what’s to debate?
If only Marr was capable of looking at things dispassionately. Here’s somebody plagiarising; somebody faking sources; and somebody repeating lies. Media Watch declined any on-air mention of these cases [UPDATE: Not so]. An open-minded type, is Marieke:
I’m afraid I can’t get past politics in a friendship ... I know my parents have Liberal voting friends, and my communist grandfather was good buddies with Barry Humphries, who is an out-and-out Tory. I’m glad that they could see past politics to break bread with their comrades and neighbours, but it’s just too big a deal for me. It’s too important.
Do continue, young lady:
I could not possibly allow a staunch monarchist conservative pro-war liberal to stick his wang in my business. That would make me feel dirty in a bad way.
Our loss, guys.