Paddy McGuinness continues to stir the pot.

Paddy McGuinness and the media

I seldom find myself in agreement with Paddy but I support his comments on journalists’ lack of integrity and hypocrisy.

I was a journalist and, in those days, would have been as indignant as any other hack at such criticism. But after more than a decade on the “dark side”, and in government media, I know Paddy is right. I constantly deal with ignorant and unscrupulous media reptiles who have no interest in facts. They want the “story” as they pre-conceive it before they pick up the phone.

And as for setting the record straight on their misreporting – forget it!

Beau Brummel

Mike Carlton vomits in public again

It is misleading to see Mike Carlton’s effusion of smutty schoolyard abuse billed as a flogging for Paddy.

Mike has not engaged with the issue, namely the tendency for commentators to “play the man” with personal abuse instead of playing the ball with reliable reporting and helpful policy analysis.

He exemplified the problem that Paddy pointed out. His approach is widespread among people who regard themselves as the leftwing intellectual avant garde and it will be interesting to see how much longer they can get away with it. Their ideas simply do not stand up to critical analysis, for example they have not laid a rational glove on economic rationalism, but this has been covered up because they have the weight of numbers among the talking and writing classes. They are like a great forest of trees that have all been neatly sawn through at the base, they remain upright by propping each other up.

Rafe Champion

Paddy and those vain journos

To this extent Padraic Pearse McG is correct. Try to get the Sydney Morning Herald to publish a letter that’s critical of it or its journalists – success is as likely as having John Howard to go Mass at St Mary’s in Ridge Street.

JJC

Paddy McGoose

Well I’ve only previously read Paddy in The Weekend Oz, and thought he was a bit of a goose. I’ve read his 1st column for Crikey & well, first impression always last, he’s still a goose. But anyone who’s putting the boot into the scum-sucking journos of this country should be given a voice.

Maybe you should get Stu Littlemore on here too! pines for the old days when he bought down the evil bastards like Gareth Powell 🙂

Keep up the good election coverage.

Chris

Paddy’s done his job well

Crikey – it’s great to have Paddy on board – look how quickly he could inspire that fabulous Mike Carlton tirade. Now all you need is for Mungo and Margot to join in.

What larks Pip!

Carlton’s spot on

Mike Carlton is in form with the email he sent Crikey and is spot on with his comments on the dreadful Miranda Devine (get her out of the Herald and back to the Telecrap), Akerman, Bolt (he was on Insiders today defending Ruddock’s disgraceful comments) and Paddy.

Jeff Woodhart

A refreshing take on a boring campaign

I was agreeably surprised by parts of PP McGuiness’ column. And Mike Carlton’s response was very entertaining. If Mr McGuinness succeeds in distracting a few more journalists into similar ripostes, and away from interminable interrogations about leadership, or worse, policies, he will lighten the prospect of the next few weeks. Nothing is more tedious than the media during an election campaign. I would rather be at the dentist.

Holey Molar

Carlton gets it right

Great idea to have Paddy on board but I think Mike Carlton is right on the money in his comments on Paddy. I am a 60 yr old political junkie, never rusted on to any party (I’m a retired RAAF officer!) but now a full on Howard Hater. I recall Paddy’s writings from his leftie days and enjoyed his style then but he really is a silly old fart now. I score about one letter per week to the editor published in The Australian usually sticking it to Howard as the most cynical and sneaky pollie seen in this country in a long time. I voted for the rodent in 1996 but now I know what a prick he really is. Keep up the good work as the only fair dinkum commentators not beholden to any political party or media mogul.

Anon

More praise for Mike

Mike Carlton is a poet extraordinaire. More please!

Elias Nasser

Crikey it’s fair and balanced

Although I threatened to unsubsrcibe – you’re right of course – diversity of views is good and it will help promote for Crikey an image of ‘fair and balanced’. Paddy has a regarded reputation but I’m not sure why. As I said before he’s so ploddingly, dull and predictable. Seriously lacks humour and verve. If your going to publish his comments again could you please ask him to either omit the phrase ‘chattering classes’ or get him to state whether he means right wing or left wing chattering classes – for some reason the commentariat of the right only think the chattering classes are on the left – not so!

Roger Noakes

Paddy on the Ramsey scale?

What I want to know is: where does PP McGuinness place himself on the Ramsey scale? Minus-17?

While we are talking about bias, can I please put in a request for an end to the inane internet and phone polling we are seeing in this election? It reveals NOTHING except the political leanings of the audience of the publishing media outlet.

Note this poll from the SMH site this week:
Who do you believe?
George Brandis – 13%
Russell Galt – 75%
Undecided – 10%
Total Votes: 7216

Then there was a network television poll this week showing enormous support for John Howard, and Ray Martin referred to it like it was an accurate gauge of the electorate.

Then the Crikey report of John Laws saying something like “we’ve had a lot more calls this morning from people who don’t trust Mark Latham than from those who don’t trust John Howard” and using this to conclude that the majority of Australians have serious concerns about Latham. Why doesn’t he just say “we’ve had a lot more calls this morning from people who don’t trust Mark Latham – wow, I have a really pro-Liberal audience, don’t I?”

Paul Somerville

Where are the moderate right-wing voices?

Well Crikey, I was about to renew my subscription to your newsletter, but I’m having second thoughts now that you are looking to include that God-awful drongo Paddy McGuinness as a columnist. His articles at the SMH were useful only for their predictability and constipated conservative views. Why should Crikey lower its standards, in the name of “balance”, by including a member of the mutual masturbation society of right wing ideologues?

Flawed arguments, specious logic, unsubstantiated claims, historical revisionism, unquestioning support of our half-baked Tory government, predictable rants about the ABC, cultural elites, chattering classes or that other illusory phantom, “leftist bias” – all of this is the stock in trade of McGuinness and his fellow right wing media foot soldiers (think Bolt, Akerman, Albrechtsen, Henderson, Devine (x 2), Jones, Sheridan). These twits have had an unchallenged run in the media for far too long already. Their contributions to political debate in this country are uniformly piss-weak and further accelerate the dumbing down of Australian society. Don’t succumb to the squealing demands of the noisy and brainless. If you are concerned about balance (though I don’t see why you should be), how about finding a fresh, new, intelligent and moderate right-wing voice to add to the mix instead – if such a creature even exists.

Daniel McMurray