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March 17, 2008
The Australian is well known for its mixture of news and opinion, attack dog polemics in the culture wars and being the partisan media voice for the Howard government. Yet, here it is defending the very opposite with its "Detachment Matters" editorial. The editorial agrees with John Hewson's complaint in the Australian Financial Review about journalists becoming players on the political stage rather than mere observers. As the editorial says:
Journalists are outsiders, not political players....Commentary and opinion are important elements of the political discourse and enhance the democratic process. A detached and independent mindset, however, is always important, especially for those paid to scrutinise politicians. Journalists need to guard against becoming too close to those they write about. Relying on a "drip feed" of press releases or strategic "leaks", at the expense of probing and independent analysis, demeans their profession and sells the public short. It can lead to a conflict of interest tempting journalists to turn a blind eye to the mistakes of those on whom they rely as sources.
So what are we to make of an editorial defending the very opposite of what The Australian actually does:--- its hacks (well-trained house dogs) work as insiders rather than outsiders. Shanahan, Milne and Albrechtson are well known examples.
Since there is no self-criticism is the editorial another example of the schizophrenia or split personality in the conservative camp?
To answer this we need to turn to John Hewson's op-ed in the AFR that the editorial was riffing off on. That op-ed was a defence of Brendon Nelson, the Liberal leader, from intensive media criticism. In making his Hewson remarked that we now see politics as a game, and observed that:
... perhaps, more than any time in our history, the media now are, and see themselves as, significant players in that game. In the run up to the last election a significant number of journalists nailed their flags to the Rudd mast, either by urging Howard to go, or simply overtly supporting the new "messiah"...Rudd knows this He cleverly crafts his spin to feed them with each and every of his policy initiatives --in some cases mere stunts.
Hewson laments the media becoming significant players in the political game, even though he recognizes that this is now the norm for the Canberra Press Gallery print and television media.
Murdoch's Australian has been doing the player routine for some time, as has his Fox News in the US. Since they view politics as a game in which they would say or do anything to win, the real cause of the Australian's complaint must be the way that the Canberra Press Gallery has sided with Rudd Labor and knocks down the Liberal party.
If political partisanship is the Australian editorial's raison d' etre, then being partisan for the conservative movement means that the Australian will defend detachment, rational debate and fostering the national conversation. These are just useful tactics in the current situation of having to shed some of its conservative skin to regain some political credibility now that Australia has new leadership in Canberra and issues like climate change dominate the business and political agenda.
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Pffft.
"This is one of the hardest columns I will write...Under Howard it became cool to be a conservative...telling the Prime Minister that he should make way for a new leader will be seen by some as an act of treachery...It's time to hang up the pads"
Albrechtson.
You should give your preferences to Turnbull to spite your ex-boyfriend.
Overington.
Prefered PM numbers show Howard running rings around Rudd with a 2 point gain this week.
Shanahan.
Labor's win is a clear win for conservatism because they promised to continue with Hawke and Keating's economic policies which necessarily means the right has won the culture wars. We understand Rudd because we own him.
The Australian generally.
They can shed their conservative skin all they like, they're still the same reptiles underneath.