Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Margaret Simons' Retirement Home

FROM deep within the bowels of the Parkville Asylum comes word of yet another publicly supported mouthpiece for approved leftoid thought – although that was not the chief reason the Billabong’s  informant passed along the ad now running on Seek.com.au. But first, here’s the ad:
EDITOR
Location: Parkville
Centre for Advanced Journalism – Graduate School
Faculty of Arts
Salary: $99,827 - $103,862 p.a. plus 9% superannuation
This new fixed term position will be located in the Centre for Advanced Journalism in the Faculty of Arts. You will act as the editor of the planned online publication - The Citizen - to be launched in the second part of 2012. You will also assist in the Master of Journalism by providing training and industry experience.
Close date: 15 July 2012
Position Description & Selection Criteria
0029455_revised_v2.pdf
Moved by compassion for those about to be shown the door at The Age, the Asylum insider wonders: “Margaret Simons will be the lead hand doing the selecting. Which one her mates from Spencer Street or Swinburne or the feminist vegetable collective has first dibs on this job?” 

Let us wait and see, shall we?  In the meantime, for those whose applications prove unsuccessful – perhaps because they lack an adequate background in abetting lame hoaxes on conservative magazines – it is worth bearing in mind that the Parkville Asylum has a long-established and formal protocol which obliges the selection panel to explain its reasoning. And if that does not satisfy you can always bring legal action.

27 comments:

  1. Even more government-funded competition for the commercial media and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be wall-to-wall leftwing propaganda. A monument to Symons' exceptional ability to play the academic empire-building system to the detriment of the journalism business, which is screaming out for genuine public interest reporting -- not the pushing of political barrows that Symons now specialises in.

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  2. I'm fascinated by the length and detail of the MU's staff selection guidelines. An unkind person might describe them as an idiot's guide to merit-based selection and wonder why such a level of guidance is necessary in an institution that presumably prides itself on having a workforce that's smarter than average.

    The same unkind person might speculate as to whether all that prescription means that the uni doesn't quite trust its staff to be fair or objective in vacancy filling.

    Consuela Potez

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  3. Oh dear. Another publication of "quality journalism" paid for by taxpayers. I wonder whose views it will mouthpiece. The staff or the students.

    Pedro of Adelaide

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  4. ".....first dibs on this job?"

    I nominate Adill, by a mile.

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    1. Have to move to Bleak City - not gonna happen!

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  5. The staff election guidelines just mean there is already someone lined up for the job...that person will ring every bell along the way and be confirmed without ado.

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    1. you're darn right there, Mother G. That seems to apply to almost every job advertised these days. The more specific the guidelines, the more likely it is that they were written to suit one person only. Meanwhile, the rest of us waste time and effort putting in applications that could never succeed. Some of the guidelines I've seen lately would require the talents of both God and the Devil.

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    2. Walter Plinge of Port LincolnJuly 10, 2012 at 1:15 PM

      That's why with any job like this it's worth asking, "Are there any internal applicants?". If the response is 'yes' then don't bother proceeding. The game is rigged from the outset and the organisation is merely going through the motions.

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  6. Just like les citizens of the french revolution, I am sure pundits of The Citizen will only be of the appropriate kind.

    entropy

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  7. The tovarishi are still dipping in the Bikkie Tin while they can , perhaps PM Abbot will cut back funding for Bourgoise Soshalist Bullshit? Make hay etc!

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  8. I nominate Bolta. The next sound you hear is a collective head explosion from the luvvies

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  9. 99 grand? I though the job was supposed to be important?

    How do you pay off an inner city bungalow on that?

    I'd rather be a cashed up bogan in the burbs earning some real coin.

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  10. What was that bloke's name, the one who called the union rep who told the activist who incited the mob to go and pound on the windows of a Canberra restaurant?

    It was when they got the funny pic of the liar being herded by a walloper and the enemy didn't do anything silly at all.

    Him, I reckon he'd fit right in.

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  11. I'm curious as to how Advanced Journalism is any different to Basic Journalism? Do they tilt their heads more?

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  12. So Is this paper a charity do they make money or is it all paid by the taxpayer

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  13. More competition for the phage. Clearly not leaving all the carcass to the abc.

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  14. Don't know if related but...18 June 2012 Editorial Assistant position advertised (reporting to Editor, The Citizen, and Director of the Centre). The ad was removed, replaced shortly thereafter (following day) by the one you speak of Prof:

    http://www.unijobs.com.au/show.php?title=editorial_assistant_65303

    A quick check of UMelb site advises this ad removed. Change of heart, need to salve the ego by a higher level appointment...who knows. Will watch out for The Citizen with trepidation.

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  15. James In FootscrayJuly 10, 2012 at 8:49 PM

    Is there no minimum qualification required? Am I missing something? After all, they're supervising Master's students.

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  16. The late and dearly missed Alene Composta would have been perfect for the role.

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  17. How do they equate 'Industry Experience' with an in-house publication which receives Government funding unless all graduates are expected to work at the ABC!

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  18. Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.July 11, 2012 at 1:52 PM

    "The Citizen", Prof? Gipsy Lizzie sees kind and patriotic words coming up for Outstanding Citizen Gillard, and Dancing Citizen Emerson, and Numerate Citizen Swanny, and many other Citizens, under a banner proclaiming Of the Citizen, By the Citizen, For the Citizen.

    Citoyenne Simon is doing her bit. And lo! Look yonder. Citoyenne Gillard is starting to knit. Le jour de gloire est arrive. Bring on the denunciations and the Pinky Finky.

    Citizen Robespierre, anyone?

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  19. The advertisement sounds and looks like it was written with someone in mind. Pity the poort suckers who spend hours getting their CV together to discover they were locked out before they applied.

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  20. Did David Marr hint at what he is going to be doing?

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  21. At least, if these porkers at the through chose one of their beloved members of the "leaky boat armada", he will have to refuse since he is forbidden to fraternise with piggies.

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  22. So that's why David Marr retired from Fairfax.......

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  23. It won't be former Age editor Paul Ramadge- he's scored a taxpayer funded Professorial Position at Monash

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