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When the newspaper tries to direct policy

heraldsun-jan28.JPGI am disappointed with the cover of today’s Herald Sun newspaper.  It is not reporting the news as a newspaper should.

This cover seeks to tell readers what to think on the issue of the flood levy announced by the federal government yesterday.  They have carefully selected a photo, doctored it and surrounded it with text designed to get people angry.

It is newspaper covers like this which are making the flood levy one of the most unpopular levies in recent memory.

The Herald Sun cover is the shrill I expect to see or hear from the ultra conservative FOX ‘News’ network. I say ‘News’ because FOX is less of a news network and more a lobby arm of ultra conservative forces in the US.  Both the Herald Sun and FOX News are published by the same business – News Corp.

I prefer newspapers to report news in a balanced and professional way and not seek to blatantly drive the political agenda of their owners.

Any concerns about the levy and the track record of the federal government could have been addressed in a far more professional way.  That they focus on the PM is odd given that the spending decisions will be made in Queensland by the Bligh government.

Sorry for being so far off topic in this blog post.  Seeing the cover of today’s Herald Sun go across the counter is frustrating.

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  1. Jim

    Great cover anything to put the boot into gillard

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  2. Wendy

    I agree, Mark, newspapers are appearing more and more like gossip mags these days as opposed to trustworthy news sources. Many push an opinion to have the reader think the way the paper would have them think. This is not news.

    We had home delivery customers request a change of publication specifically for this reason. During one such discussion where I was expressing my opinion that newspapers should be writing the news and saving opinion for the opinion pages, the customer laughed heartily at me and my naivete.

    Many newspapers today are about as impartial as an online blog calling itself a news source.

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  3. Derek

    I have seen 2 negative images and text on the front page this morning.

    Its a personal shot at Gillard.

    I hope people focus on the real issue here. Australians and our Infrastructure need our help on a grand scale and I am glad to help.

    Corporations have been bullying and flexing their muscles againsts our Governments for a while, this one is out in the open for all to see.

    Shareholders would not like it however a 1 off 500 million “donation” from the Billion dollar profit makers would be appropriate for a disaster of this magnitude.

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  4. Peter

    Newspapers have long expressed their own political opinions, this is nothing news. And the HS is really just tabloid trash anyway so it can’t be taken seriously.

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  5. Mark

    Hi Mark,
    QN want to discuss home delivery issues next month. They would do well at looking at the rubbish they want us to sell over the counter and to the door. Journalism has never been so poor in this country.
    I don’t think you are off topic at all. This is costing us customers, Wendy has it right in customers want to change product but unfortunately for us they don’t have the option for change. Exit another customer. We should approach this problem collectively.
    Take Care.

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  6. Chris

    I dont mind shots at Gillard.

    Shelve the National Broadband Plan for 5 years adn use the $42 Billion it would cost to help the Flood victims.

    There is enough money to go around if MANAGED PROPERLY!!!

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  7. Bruce

    Newspapers are now outdated. Just look at the age of the buyers.
    The younger people will appreciate citizen journalism available on the internet, Yes I make money out of selling papers (not uch), but I really hate that newspapers show their readers no respect, no credit for any intelligence.

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  8. Peter

    Think,

    the Adelaide Adveriser then Nationwide News, Pommy Land, the Good Old USA, the world Fox and now the Tea Party and Sarah Palin (sorry forgot Abott).

    Today SMH and Pommy News various ex and present very influential News Executives in the process of investigation for phone bugging and it would appear likely criminal proceedings.

    Maybe Han was close to the mark when he used the Term “Pravada”.

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  9. Jarryd Moore

    Chris,

    I would suggest looking closer at how the government is funding the relief and rebuilding effort.

    http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/43308.html

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  10. Fred

    Mark,
    This has been going on for years in the Murdoch media. Instead of unbiased reporting of news and events we are told how we should be thinking.

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  11. Jim

    Good on you Jaryd always for the ALP ,have a look some were other then the ABC ,left of left not saying that in the real world,

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  12. Jarryd Moore

    Jim,

    If one regularly reads the ABC they would see a great deal of criticism for both sides of politics. But that aside, the facts in the report were pretty clear as to where the majority of funding is coming from – which is budget cuts.

    The liberal party are almost a lone voice in calling for the NBN to be dumped.

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  13. Jarryd Moore

    And for the record i would have liked to see a slightly higher deficit to fund the recovery.

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  14. Ian

    Yes Jarryd, The ALP are hit with a feather compared to a mallet on coalition side.

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  15. Jarryd Moore

    Ian,

    I read a range of articles from the ABC every day and I assure you they are one of the most balanced sources of media. Their internal process even monitor for bias – down to the number of times politicians names are mentioned. The same can not be said for News Ltd publications which blatantly attempt to influence policy. They begin to look more like their Fox News counterparts in the US every day.

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  16. Jim

    Jarryd you have now become a joke

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  17. Jarryd Moore

    Jim,

    If you have a point to make, make it. Don’t throw insults masked as debate.

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  18. Jim

    Bob Brown loves the ABC,are you a green

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  19. Jarryd Moore

    Jim,

    No. I’m not affiliated with any party. I voted for the Sex Party last election.

    While I agree with many of the Green’s social standpoints their economic and fiscal policies are generally an abomination.

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  20. Ian

    Jarryd, are you sure your not a member of the Watermelon Party – Green on the outside and Red in the middle!!!!

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  21. Mark

    As I said in the original blog post, I would prefer to see newspapers report news.

    Why is it that debate through comments here so quickly turn into school yard style personal attacks?

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  22. Jim

    Jarryd have a look at Andrew Bolt add the two and get some balance

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  23. Y&G

    This is more about agenda-driven ‘news’, which Uncle Rupey has all sewn up. That’s the scary thing, not least because of the growing acceptance of such indidiousness as ‘journalism’.

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  24. Brendan

    The Sun is cheap tabaloid, all it’s missing now is a page three girl and a regular page called Heart Balm.

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  25. Jarryd Moore

    Andrew Bolt is a highly conservative ‘journalist’ who publishes more opinion than fact based reports. And from what I can find he actually makes appearances on ABC TV.

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  26. Former newsagent

    The point of that Herald Sun front cover is VERY valid. The Labor Party completely stuffed up the School Building program in 2009/10 and the home insulation rollout. Gillard was actually 100% responsible for one of these programs and was rewarded with the prime minister-ship! It speaks to Labor’s management of large scale projects. Over the years Labor has had a questionable success of managing large scale public spending and this levy will probably become yet another example. Sure it’s slanted but it ACCURATE. Newspapers have (broadly) reflected the mood of the general public since Guttenberg (spelling?) invented the printing press. Let’s not get too precious about thing.

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  27. Mark

    Former, at the risk of starting a bush fire, I’d note that the independent Auditor General investigation into the BER program uncovered a small number of problems. In the context of the overall spend it was considered to be minor – around 3% of schools.

    Every government has successes and failures in spending. Just look at some of the Howard Government failures in defence.

    My issue is with a publisher telling and pressuring Australians on what to think. It’s not their role.

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  28. Jarryd Moore

    Mark,

    I hope that bush fire reference was not alluding to Julia’s red hair! 😉

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