Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Also, a Pinata Party Can Be Helpful

FANCY a nice job in charge of an ABC opinion site, followed by a sweet little gig on Radio National? The first thing to do, after earning the respect of mates who can give your career a leg-up, is to establish your bona fides as a potential and worthy ABC recruit -- you know, someone who will fit right in.

Here is one small step on what proved to be an ABC star's ladder to the taxpayer-funded stars:

Apology to Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor
On 17 April, we published a feature article which falsely suggested that Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor had leaked Liberal party polling in August 2007. This allegation was not checked with either Lynton Crosby or Mark Textor. They have strenuously denied this and we accept their denial. The false allegation has caused them serious embarrassment, and we regret repeating it.

On 18 April, we followed up with a report that there were serious but unspecified allegations against Crosby Textor which had yet to be brought before any Court. We accept that we knew of no specific matter which could support this claim when we made it, and that to publish in those circumstances was both very damaging and a serious breach of journalist’s ethics.

Finally we alleged that Crosby Textor engaged in racism and thuggery. We acknowledge that this is not the case. We deeply regret having made this suggestion.

We sincerely apologise to Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor for the hurt and damage caused to them by our reports. We acknowledge that had we reported fairly, the compensation we have paid to them would not have been necessary.
Then, once inside the ABC shop, do not hesitate to lecture others about virulent curiosity and deplorable journalism.

3 comments:

  1. And on gaining a foothold at the ABC one comes very close to the pinnacle of moral superiority. Dishing out hypocritical sermons to the unenlightened is an obligation. But, you need the law as well, to make the buggers conform, and there sitting at the apex is Nits Roxon, the quintessential moral force in this great nation.

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  2. Had a peek at the comedies on offer by the ABC on iview the other day.

    The first was an alleged comedy about people living in the suburbs. Seemed to be basically them sitting about drinking beer, and reeling out cliches like 'bonzer' and 'fair dinkum' a lot.

    We gave that the flick after the first two minutes, and turned instead to another skit show... featuring a bunch of school kids doing their stuff. Again, not particularly funny.

    So we turned to an old hoary British sitcom that has been gracing - or maybe disgracing - the screens for probably a decade. The main plot, it seemed, was about the heterosexual dad going with his gay son to a gay bar, and the dad being disappointed at not being solicited by the other chaps at the bar.

    So we've got the oppressed suburban demographic (tick), the suffering young person demographic (tick), and the discriminated gay demographic (tick) being catered to there.

    Is it possible for the ABC to make a show without patronising their audience and treating them like victims or bit-players in a game of identity politics? It wouldn't seem so, from that little sample I had there.

    Bah humbug, I'll go back to reading my Walter Scott like the cranky old man I trust I am fast becoming :)

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  3. Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.December 12, 2012 at 11:52 AM

    Keep it up, Cranky.

    Someone has to tell 'em. Their dramas show no knowledge of any world beyond latte leftism.

    Even Rake, one of their better efforts, was tarred with that brush, and only worked at all because it was their own lefty world they were examining; in it, any characters to the right the bourgeois luvvie left were drawn as totally straw figures. Disppointing for their 'quality' effort, which had a certain charm marred by the PC-ness of it all.

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