One of the central complaints from Pauline Hanson and her coterie of media mates is that the two part documentary on One Nation’s US adventure — in which they tried to get hold of $20 million in donations from the National Rifle Association, and in which Hanson “questioned” the Port Arthur massacre story — was somehow tainted because it was produced by Qatari-financed news service Al Jazeera.
At Hanson’s Thursday afternoon press conference (where she spoke but refused to take questions) she said the comments captured on camera by Al Jazeera had been taken “completely out of context”, called Al Jazeera an “Islamist” organisation and implied the Qatari government was involved. She is not alone in her complaints about Al Jazeera being foreign-owned — they have been echoed by others, such as Alan Jones on ABC News on Friday night.
But Jones, Hanson and Andrew Bolt (her other defender) forget that the various News Corp media outlets in Australia are foreign-controlled, by the US-based Murdoch family. That’s all the News Corp papers — from The Australian to The Courier-Mail and many daily and weekly newspapers across Australia — plus Sky News, which is 100% owned by News and broadcast on the 65% owned Foxtel.
In fact, more than 70% of Australia’s newspapers are foreign-owned through News Corp, controlled by the Murdoch Family Trust and Rupert Murdoch via a combined 39% holding of News Corp’s voting shares. In addition, the Nova radio network is foreign-controlled by Lachlan Murdoch.
And there’s a great deal of cross-exposure between Murdoch’s platforms. Bolt has a column in the Herald Sun, plus The Bolt Report, a weeknight program on Sky News. Jones also has a Sky News program; Chris Kenny, a columnist at The Australian, has one, as does Janet Albrechtsen, another News Corp writer.
So when Hanson moans about foreign-owned media pushing agendas in Australia, it’s good to remember she is supported by commentators employed by a US-based and controlled company.
She didn’t note this support when she lumped Murdoch into her shit-list during her Thursday media conference, a list that included new ABC chair Ita Buttrose, Scott Morrison, Bill Shorten and Sunrise host David Koch. Given the level of support and attention Hanson has received from them over the years, it seemed very churlish to be lumping Murdoch and Sunrise in with her accusers, when their companies have done everything to aid and abet her comeback.
Finally.
Let’s face it, she’s not the only one – when it comes to slagging off “foreign owned media/entities meddling in our politics” how often does our media (not least the ABC) forget those similarities with Murdoch’s US Ministry of Misinformation and Obfuscation empire?
She complained about a foreign owned entity who caught her party seeking donations from a foreign lobby group.
Ironic.
Very ironic, I would suggest she was fishing around for as much she could save face…. Let’s be honest she’s one of those people where she is trouble seems to follow her…
Is it worth mentioning that the US, a big supporter of the Saudis, is thus automatically an enemy of Qatar and therefore any criticisms of Al Jazeera from within the Murdoch press, no matter how irrational, are welcomed?
It’s not that simple. Qatar provides the US with a big military base.
It’s a bit of an ask to expect any intellectual rigor or consistency from our”Poorl”. That she actually got through her entire denunciation with only one misspeak; Ahern instead of Adern, was more notable than the rest of her typical word salad.
No not just one, our PH can’t tell the difference between the NRA & NRMA…Yes there’s a definite problem there..
Thanks, missed that lovely one. Not giving my full attention to the pearls of wisdom from the mother of the nation.
When we have close to 80% foreign owned media, and several highly influential, one side opinion commentators, all driving their own agenda, one has to ask, how robust is our democracy??
I agree it’s highly questionable in regards to whether we have a ”really form of democracy,” at all..
Having said this most people I speak to who read Murdoch’s rags seem only to do this for entertainment value, as the opinion pages are apparently hilarious…
Trouble is that, by reading those rags, they perpetuate the myth that Murdoch speaks for the majority of the nation.
Nothing can diminish my enjoyment of PH being her true self, dopey to the end!
Almost 100%. When Seven West Media bought Mudorc’s Perth Sunday Times some of us hoped that represented a slight winding back of the News Corpse dominance. Instead The West Australian looks like a Mudorc rag now.