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Last updated on March 6th, 2018 at 12:30 am
New Media Watch host Liz Jackson makes her stand for media diversity:
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been asked what difference will it make to have a conservative in this chair.
Well, look, I don’t think I’m storming the last bastion of left-wing power here, but after 15 years and four lefty hosts — maybe it’s about time.
Well, she doesn’t say exactly that, but her point is broadly similar. Gerard Henderson has more on diversity and the ABC.
- I always thought the ABC fixable, but no longer believe so; a writer to the op/ed in the Oz yesterday summed it up well- the entire basis of the ABC is socialist- a public broadcaster is one of the most glaring examples of government interference in a commercial arena; unfortunately none of the exisiting commercials are any more interested in competition and free trade than the ABC and SBS- I’m sure that if a network was set up to cater to the demographic currently catered to by public broadcasters (educated middle class professionals and business types) it would make a poultice- this is the demographic that has the most disposable incomes; not too many viewers of Big Brother and Wheel of Fortune are in the market for a Porsche or a Bang and Olufsen. Unfortunately this group has to put up with the sloppy histrionics and obsession with “culture” that is the overweight baggage of public-funded media. Imagine a Fox News with decent BBC docos and dramas not made for pubescent pinheads- what the ABC should be, and a good profit-maker through advertising and sponsorships rather than the combination Pravda/undergraduate blatherfest black hole it currently is. BTW- is Liz Jackson a bigger cretin than David Marr or what? She’s off to a blinding start with a lengthy spray about a dull, pointless and unfunny Leunig cartoon- earth-shattering stuff.Posted by Habib on 03/07 at 08:53 PM • #
- I really like David Marr’s quote “the natural culture of journalism is kind of vaguely soft left” and “sceptical of authority”. As a graduate of political theory I should point out to him that “left” is defined by its belief that the “State” should allocate resources. I.E. that the government has the right and responsibility to fix all problems.
This is the justification underpinning the mass of totally unenforceable laws we have in NSW. For David the say that “left” and “scepticism of authority” are compatible shows how deeply he thinks (not!). Once more for the dummies: the left believe in Big Government the right in Small Government, David.
- Yes, Marr’s fantasy of the government-sceptical journalist who still, at the end of the day, expects the government to fix everything, is just another version of the rebellious twentysomething who’s still living at home. He comes back from the anti-globo rally, expecting mum to have dinner on the table and to do his laundry.
- It’s the second part of that Marr quote which is more revealing.
“The natural culture of journalism is kind of vaguely soft left�? and “sceptical of authority�?.
“If Journalists don’t come out of that world, they should find another job.�?
As for Liz Jackson, common decency prevents me from suggesting what she can do with that “censored�? Leunig cartoon.
- If you want to see a perfect example of creeping rightwing influence, check out the Independent headline over at Little Green Footballs…Posted by richard mcenroe on 03/07 at 09:55 PM • #
- Habib, you are correct, though what do we really expect? One leftist system begats another. Presumably Marr and his peers start by being groomed by leftist academics, a state funded system that encourages not diversity of thought though a slavish adherance to ‘socially aware’ thought. How many of the gender/race/Aboriginal, touchy-feely , social worker led groups have we seen that now have become so ‘important’ in our society? We only have to look at the response to the Macquarie Fields riots to see how far this has gone. Look also at the report in yesterday’s Age regarding the lesbian student teacher. Whilst I think the teacher was poorly treated, have a look at the way her University handled the problem, as self appointed social engineers.
My point is that when leaving University, where do our young Marr’s go? The Fairfax press, state funded wank-fests or the ABC. The ABC has created the situation it is now in by having become a de facto arm of state funded social meddling. To rid the ABC of its endemic bias would be like ridding a weatherboard house of termites. I think its time to go beyond the ABC to the state funded groups that feeds our feather-bedded ‘experts’.
- If Liz Jackson is capable of uttering the words ‘John Howard’ without sneering or gnashing her teeth, she’s a conservative. By ABC standards, anyway. For those of us in the real world…hmmm.
Michael Duffy’s programme COUNTERPOINT is genuinely at odds with the moonbat Friends of Aunty. Can Liz provoke audience outrage similar to what Duffy stirs up? That’s where she should be setting the bar.Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 03/08 at 12:35 AM • #
- We get to see some ABC up here in the Great White Waste of Time through that bizarre co-production news show “Hemispheres” they do with the CBC. Seriously, is that Felicity Whatshername a robot? How does she manage to talk with her jaw wired shut? Does she ever blink? Does she always have that creepy 1000 yard stare?
The only other Aussie TV we get to see is “Water Rats”. It gets repeated endlessly on one of the cable channels. If anyone remembers it, did they really end that show with Jack floating face up in the harbour?(Hey, I work rotating shifts and after four 12 hour night shifts I don’t have the brainpower left to do anything but watch crappy TV.)
- Habib, Marr took the easy lefty line and started bagging opinion piecers more than news reporters. If Liz can get away from that and get back to the highlights of Littlemore’s “Barcelona Tonight” the show is bound to be more palatable to the right as well as the left. Crappy journalism knows no political boundaries.
Crappy journalism knows no political boundaries.
So true. And yes, Media Watch did have it’s good moments during the Littlemore era, even though he was not above the occasional ideological posturing. “Barcelona Tonight�? was brilliant. But aside from the odd moment, such as the story on Mike Carlton’s gushing admiration for Sen. Robert Byrd (a man of admirable background!!), it’s been pretty much downhill since then. I have no faith that Liz Jackson will reverse the Marr trend, and given her performance last night regarding the disgusting Leunig cartoon, this lack of faith does not seem misplaced.
BTW – what’s wrong with “old Hendo”. He is one of only a handful of MSM columnists in this country worth reading.
- Further to my last comment, I should add that the Carlton/ Byrd story was first exposed on this blog, and Media Watch basically let Carlton and the “ancient and eloquent” Senator off the hook. But at least they ran with it.
- I’ve always loved Mediawatch but it’s now officially on borrowed time.
Have a look at the hack and slash job they’ve done on the mediawatch site http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/
Last year it was easy on the eye and readable.
This year, well it’s a bit 1996. It’s almost like they’ve decided that it wasn’t even worth devoting a few kilobytes to design.
The new transcript layout, awful.
Trust me, it will be gone by the end of the year, after all, who puts a house up for sale without getting rid of some of the more embarressing furniture.
It might be missed by me and leftist people like me, but hey. The ABC like democracy is suppossed to be for all of us. Not just for the latte set.
- The idea that little Quentin Dempster should object to anyone’s appointment to the ABC Board is…like wow! Spectacular in its audacity!
What the hell is THAT little Gerbil doing there?
Have you seen the NSW edition of Stateline recently? It’s rarely about anything of any relevence to anyone, it seems only to serve as a platform for Dempster’s sneering, sarcastic opinions and a vehicle for middle-aged, wealthy “dissenters” like him!
He’s precisely what’s wrong with the ABC. It’s populated by wealthy, indulgent, Vietnam era dinosaurs who talk like Lenin but live like Louis XIV!
- In defence of Dempster I heard him on ABC radio a few months back. Under repeated pressure the question was essentially:
“Surely there is a politician you admire”
“No they’re all in it for their own good”
Stateline in NSW does more to bag the Carr government than enything else so why are you complaining? Are you that scared of Brogden?
