A Press Council ruling, published in The Daily Telegraph today, on a 2011 story warning thousands of boat people would “invade” NSW:
“The Press Council has concluded that use of the word ‘invade’ was gravely inaccurate, unfair and offensive because of its clear connotations of forceful occupation. Accordingly the complaint is upheld on this ground for what the council regards as an especially serious breach of its principles.”
The statement was published in a sidebar — under the headline “Press Council makes ruling on headlines” — on page six.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority ruling on Channel Nine’s broadcast earlier this year of pro-pokies propaganda:
“There is no prohibition on a licensee running its own political campaign, but the licensee did not make clear, in the broadcast impugned, that the script had been prepared by Nine management and was broadcast at the initiative of Nine management. Nor did the licensee make clear that the website to which it directed viewers for ‘more information’ was a website of a campaign funded by Clubs Australia and other industry associations which considered that their revenue would be negatively affected by the introduction of MPC [mandatory pre-commitment].”
The result? “The ACMA proposes to raise this matter with Free TV Australia in anticipation of the next code review.”
What exactly is the point of media regulation that can’t find fault in a network that disguised advertising of its owners’ interests, or a newspaper that offers no correction or apology to a report deemed gravely wrong?
Thankfully, Tracy Grimshaw is on hand to call out the mainstream press for its ethics and story agenda. In offering comment on the bullies who picked on radio personality Chrissie Swan and her plump kids, she raved on A Current Affair last night:
“… It was also about the often white noise between social media and traditional media. And how a bunch of anonymous bullies took to websites to vent their prejudice and inexplicably made the jump to mainstream news outlets. Remember when to express your opinion you had to write a letter to the editor? The paper would only run the best letters with a view to balance and content. Now there’s no such filter and the online tyrants are running amok. Let them have a Twitter page, that’s democracy. But why translate their jaundiced opinion and intemperate language into news copy that’s supposed to actually carry some authority?”
It all leaves us a little speechless.
People are so unkind to poor Tracy Grimshaw.
She, unlike the chattering classes on social media,
clearly understands the truly *subtle* nature of irony.
We are not worthy to pay her meagre wage.
It all leaves us a little speechless.
Yes it does, this may be the reason so many crikey readers of late have been objecting to the habit of some of your reporters of just repeating the myopic view of Limited news line.
The problem with the media generally is that THE MEDIA IS OWNED BY BUSINESS giving business influence which goes beyond ‘balance’ or what is fair comment in many cases. A business owned media is always going to serve its master no matter how many times the industry spokesperson says otherwise.
We only need to look at the recent track record of the media:
1. “cash for comment” where well known entities like Alan Jones were peddling advertising dressed up as comment whilst all the time being paid for their comment on top of a salary which would make any CEO blink.
2. Channel 9 was recently reported as having a (prostitute) eye witness who had serviced embattled MP Craig Thomson some 10 years previously. It was subsequently shown that the woman was paid handsomely by channel 9 and the story now looks like little more than a staged beat-up.
3. The Prime Minister and the Greens publicy alluded to media bias. I believe that the nice way this was describes was that “the media reports crap”. Anyone with half a brain would be aware that reporting in the past couple of years has been little more than one sided propaganda designed to remove Labor and bring back the Liberal Party. No great surprise given that the media and the Liberal Party are owned by business interests. Given that Labor has tried to level the (financial) playing field it is not difficult to see why the media blitz is on. Sadly most Australians will buy the tripe which has been served up day in and day out. God help us.
I welcome an investigation into the operation of the media. Just like Great Britain once its workings are scrutinised we will all see the horror of what we have been ignoring for too long. Only then might a sense of accountability be restored…..for a while.
And the media wonders and continue to wonder why there is such a slump in newspaper sales, advertising revenue, and TV ratings. Wait for it! worse to come, you betcha.
On the weekend Natalie O”Brien reported with documented proof that Australia allowed 108 people to die rather than have the AFP expose their illegal spy in Indonesia.
4 Corners last night saw Sarah Ferguson act as if she was on ACA or TT as she hounded some poor sod who some gossips said was a smuggler rorting our system.
In the promo for her stupid show she claimed that hundreds of people smugglers are posing as asylum seekers – she came up with one based on zero evidence.
Today I rang ABC and spoke to Mark who had not read any of the proof Natalie O”Brien had reported and so the greatest misfire in 4 corners history was allowed to go to air to incite hatred and rage.
It”s hard to be self righteous when it is shown that the AFP kill people.