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Last updated on July 24th, 2017 at 11:45 am
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?”
Oh my god. What is that woman doing in my state?
Posted by James Waterton on 09/22 at 10:10 AM • permalink
No, seriously. Shouldn’t there have been a preceding public mental health announcement or something?
Posted by James Waterton on 09/22 at 10:12 AM • permalink
“…first professional citizen journalist…“
Wikipedia does define “Citizen Journalist” as “…a volunteer journalist who contributes to the production of news at a local, national or international level.” But the key term is “volunteer”.
A “professional volunteer”?
I dunno, this is just ….trite? An oxymoron? Stupid? Words fail me.
I just wish words would fail Margo.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 09/22 at 10:36 AM • permalink
I suppose the additional consideration resulted in Catherine Job (or perhaps one of the 527 WD editors?) realizing that much of the article content was crap and, not having anything to replace it with, the “more considered” version actually ran shorter.
I do wholeheartedly support this push for shorter and shorter WD articles.
OK, OK, I missed the “offer a question in comments” the first time. I plead not guilty by reason of reading Margo.
In any case, here’s my question:
“Margo, are you nuts?”
James, please add bold as necessary, thank you very much.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 09/22 at 11:06 AM • permalink
I would be interested to find out who pays for the bandwidth, and how she ever intends to make a living out of an “online newspaper” without evil capitalist advertising.
Then again, given the appalling quality of the content, it won’t last long anyway.
Obviously Judy Moylan, alleged MHR, was either drunk, or has finally lost the remnants of her mind.
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 09/22 at 11:16 AM • permalink
Catherine wrote a short version of this for Crikey. I asked her to write a more considered piece for Webdiary, which she did.
It’s true. She did consider it. And then decided to submit the same article except without the salutations to Crikey. And then take a nap.
She doesn’t want to work any harder than Margo does.
Posted by wronwright on 09/22 at 11:18 AM • permalink
Nah, it should be much more interesting to induce funny answers rather than just pose funny questions. For example:
“Margo, seeing as you want to ‘rescue the nation from both major parties’, what are the major components of your political platform?”
The answer to that alone should provide enough fodder for an entire Bulletin column for Tim.
Tim, this is some opportunity!
The_Real_JeffS:
I can’t decide whether to go with
“Margo, are you nuts?”
or
“Margo, are you nuts?”
or even
“Margo, are you nuts?”Parhaps I should just settle with
“Margo, are you nuts?”, but Tim’s given me a budget to work within and I’ve got a bold-thirsty Marylin Shepherd post pending. This job is much harder than I thought!Posted by James Waterton on 09/22 at 11:24 AM • permalink
Wikipedia does define “Citizen Journalist”…
I’m pretty sure Margo’s using “citizen journalist” in the same sense as “citizen’s committee” or “dictatorship of the proletariat”—a journalist paid to mouth far-left slogans and call it “news”.
Which leaves me wondering why anyone would consider that a significant difference from the current crop of journalists.
Posted by Rob Crawford on 09/22 at 11:54 AM • permalink
Just a bizarre little Webdiary update:
The conspiracy-funsters are now suggesting that terrorist bombings and “so-called suicide attacks” in Iraq are the work of Coalition troops in disguise… And there are dark mutterings about the “nefarious activities of the British black ops specialists”…
I’m gobsmacked. (again).
How do people this terminally stupid afford to buy food, let alone a computer?
Please don’t use arrows. Neither up ^, nor down v, left <, or right >. I’m hoarding them for the next natural disaster (which will undoubtedly result due to the incompetency if not out right racism and Halliburtonian hatred of Chimpy Bushitler).
Sorry James.
Posted by wronwright on 09/22 at 03:55 PM • permalink
- I prefer my posts to be as expensive as possible.
Hey, bold AND italics!Posted by Quentin George on 09/22 at 04:03 PM • permalink
It remains extraordinary that Moylan does not understand the kind of beast that she has become aligned with. As deprogrammed ex-cultist Harry recently observed, all roads lead to Rome ie the removal of Howard. Moylan would be wise to understand Margo’s support for her immigration detention rebellion within that context.
Now had she been praising the gorgeous Marilyn Shepherd we would all perfectly understand.
- I’ve heard Webdiary will be floated soon on NYSE.
You wouldn’t want to miss out.Posted by Honkie Hammer on 09/22 at 05:50 PM • permalink
WebDiary fever? Is that anything like a staph infection? Or Hep C?
Posted by richard mcenroe on 09/22 at 06:43 PM • permalink
How will WD make money? Well, the foundation of WD is based entirely on theft: theft of a database, which would have take about 6 minutes; and now theft of reputations – “I believe I can steal Fairfax’s reputation in six months”.
So, their costs are very low. I guess only capitalists have costs, the rest steal.
If someone writes a “more considered” piece for Margo, does that mean the original piece was a pile of crap?
m – very generous of you to donate all of the question marks, but if you have any left over, make sure you keep them safe, so that no-one steals them.
Mark Latham’s doing an interview with Margo? For some marginal little website? Sheesh, is there anyone the man won’t whore himself to?
Maybe I can interview him for my website too? I’d love to hear his opinions on ‘Slave of the Cannibal God’ and other fine films.
Posted by blandwagon on 09/22 at 08:03 PM • permalink
I notice Colebatch drew attention to Latham’s statement about Liberals “smearing people’s private lives and inventing stories about their sexuality … Howard must get off on this sort of stuff.” Reads well in juxaposition with his diary and the obsession revealed there with women’s “boxes” etc. etc., not to mention his accusationsa against Beazley, who as far as I know is not a Liberal.
Posted by Susan Norton on 09/22 at 10:25 PM • permalink
In my secret identity as an employee of a firm based at UWA I was advised by email of Margo’s visit. After a lenghty moral struggle – thirty seconds, lengthy by my standards – I decided to pass. I had the horrible suspicion that of all the bodies in the audience mine would be the only one that hadn’t been dragged out of Karrakatta Cemetery to fill a seat.
Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 09/22 at 11:15 PM • permalink
Latham has really been getting stuck into some of his interviewers: could actually be quite mesmerizing to sit in on the Margo & Latham interview. Apart from the “watching a train wreck and not being about to look away” quality of it, I’d also be intrigued to hear his responses. If he “goes” Margo, the way he has with other journalists asking him stupid questions, will she report accurately on that – alas, we’ll never know; we’ll only get her deluded version of the story.
The massive turn out for her WA appearance is a worry. Let’s see: 8 states & territories; allow for massive over estimation of numbers in attendance, but need to allow for humongous attendance when she “launches” herself (frightening thought) in Sydney; so, I figure, she has a total turn-out Australia wide, of around 480 people. Okay then, if they each contribute a dollar, that’s her Internet connection paid for the year. And 480 people are a great start to her revolution and overturn of democracy and governance as we have known it to date; only about another 20.8 million more to win over, and the country will be hers.
- Richard,M.R.S.A. perhaps?
Judi Moylan ex-nurse,asylum seekers’ supporter,bleeding heart Liberal.Anti anti terrorist legislation.Anti most things the Fed government stands for.Why doesn’t she resign rather than consort with the evil Howard.
Hey,in the interests of saving dollars for excess bolding,Margo could take her stand beside Natasha S D who is also taking a stand.Two stands for one..
“I’m doing an interview with Mark next week. Any question you’d like me to ask?”
Margo should ask lacker is he thinks she’s quality box.
Posted by Young and Free on 09/24 at 09:14 PM • permalink
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My only question for Margo is: how on earth does she plan on making Webdiary financially viable?