Friday, August 16, 2013

The first cuts at the ABC

Piers Ackerman, back in fighting form after his recent surgery, has noticed some curious excisions by All Bonza Comrades in the transcript of a televised encounter between Tony Burke and Scott Morrison. Apparently $1 billion is an inadequate sum to hire competent stenographers in an election year, the incompetent majority being otherwise occupied as advance persons for the PM and Old Mother Milne. Why those particular deletions? Read what Piers has to say and decide for yourself.

Last night on 7.30 Leigh Sales several times pitched her services as a moderator to guest Tony Abbott, asserting that the national broadcaster was the perfect vehicle for a debate with Kakoda Kevin of the Kush. Abbott politely begged off, saying that quality journalists quiz him every day about this and that, and now average Australians should  get their chance to do likewise. Credit him with keeping a straight face, but he will need to go to Confession after that one, because the polite rejection was surely at odds with thoughts left diplomatically unspoken.


"What, make myself available to the broadcaster that expects its talking heads to have worked as paid liars for Labor leaders? Yeah, right, Ol' Scrotumface and Red Kerry are fair and unbiased! And Tony Jones? Give me a break. Mr and Mrs Virginia Trioli, Fran Kelly, Alberici, Jon Faine, Young Chip, Robyn Williams -- I'd rather share an Oxford Street cab with Peter Slipper."

The Australian's editorial puts it succinctly, as did Senator Abetz at greater length during a recent Estimates session..

(It would have been nice to embed the Abetz video, which has had only 65 views, but the search function Blogger makes available is unable to find it, hence the live link above.)


3 comments:

  1. I run my own publishing business with no government subsidy. I would like to see more scrutiny of the ABC publishing arm. The books get massive subsidies via free advertising etc. Worst recent example is some radio presenter writing about their childhood - I thought that is what the queues at the Australia Council were for? do you know if someone would get info on sales numbers and royalties under FoI or would it all be commerical in confidence?

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  2. The Old and Unimproved DaveAugust 16, 2013 at 7:17 PM

    I wonder if anyone has a copy of the old WW2 Soldiering On poem of the Censors. The one with refrain "We cut them up, we cut them up".

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    Replies
    1. You might look here:
      http://catallaxyfiles.com/2013/04/08/lets-not-relive-the-vietnam-war-in-every-thread/comment-page-1/#comment-788288

      Cheers

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