PC gone mad The Australian proudly reported this morning that the Press Council had found its notorious “Firebugs fuelling crisis as national arson arrest toll hits 183” headline was, apparently, “accurate and not misleading”.
The report had spread through the mainstream media and was leapt on by such alt-right figures as Donald Trump Jr, neatly shifting the discussion away from the possibility that climate change had played a role in fuelling out-of-control infernos.
As the Oz’s own take concedes, the opening paragraph had to be updated to make clear that the time period was since the beginning of 2019 (not “in the past few months” and “since the start of the bushfire season”). In the case of Victoria, the data concerning stats had nothing to do with the then-current bushfire season.
The figure also included 101 Queenslanders “picked up for setting fires in the bush”. A Queensland police spokeswoman told Guardian Australia at the time the figure not only included a broader range of offences than arson, but was also not a total of arrests but a total of “police enforcement actions”.
The Press Council argued in its decision that it was “difficult” to aggregate all the various state-based definitions of “arson” over that time period. As such, the 183 figure included dropped cigarette butts, failing to comply with total fire bans, and other lesser offences.
Victorian authorities said after the piece that there was no evidence any of the fires were deliberately lit. The New South Wales bushfire inquiry concluded that not a single major fire during the disastrous 2019-20 season was caused by arson.
Without wishing to second-guess the Press Council, we’ll leave you to conclude whether that amounts to a misleading story.
Sky watch Alan Jones, in a not-at-all horrifically offensive bit of overreach, told Peta Credlin on Sky last night: “There is no difference between Myanmar or Hong Kong and Victoria under Daniel Andrews.”
To those who need updating: government figures in Myanmar have been imprisoned after a military coup. In Hong Kong, amid increasing interference from mainland China, the public square is shrinking as a national security law has seen a flurry of journalists and activists arrested. Victoria has … *checks notes* … been locked down for five days.
Wind in the Sales At the other end of the spectrum, there’s little as quakingly pathetic as a certain brand of Andrews fan at the prospect of a journalist asking the premier to explain himself.
Hence the caterwauling that accompanied Leigh Sales’ (always a target of vile misogyny and conspiratorial thinking) attendance at Andrews’ Monday press conference. Why was she in Melbourne? Was she running distraction for the government after reports of its horrifying mishandling of rape allegations? “Why doesn’t she ever ask Coalition politicians questions?” (Which … What?). “She’s friends with a co-worker? No wonder the country’s in the state it is.”
It seems it should be obvious beyond the need to state: journalism involves interrogating powerful people about the decisions they make… even if they happen to be people you voted for.
Readers’ corner A regular Tips and Murmurs reader writes to say that the latest outbreak is undoubtedly due to aerosol transmission: “Some aerosol brought in a nebuliser!” Thank you, dear reader. We think that would give our prime minister, Mr Menzies, a good laugh. Coming up: the introduction of TV in four years’ time.
You miss the point. People are just asking for equality of treatment between the parties.
Just as Leigh Sales turned up at Sam Dastyari, she now does the same with Dan Andrews. Does she ask new, relevant questions? No, it’s the same as has been asked dozens of times.
Does she question Gladys Berejiklian similarly? No.
Is her show currently running about their 30th Victorian lock-down story, 99% anti the lock-down? Yes.
Do Leigh’s tweets show a decidedly Right lean? Undoubtedly.
Has Leigh a history oif interviewing the political party guests differently? Yes, from fawning over Turnbull to detailed, incisive questions of the ALP.
People on Twitter had the same questions about Chris Uhlmann being biased and were ridiculed. We now see the extent of Uhlmann’s far Right bias.
It’s not about journalists asking questions. It seems that only journalists can’t see the double standard.
One of the best examples of Sales rank shilling for Tory governments was her interview with Sally McManus.
An utterly disgraceful performance, her failure to do no more ‘prep’ than read government ‘talking points memos’ shown up in stark relief when McManus GOT HER!
S: ‘If precarious employment is such a danger to Australian workers, why aren’t union membership numbers rising?’
M: They are!’
Lewis’ own “caterwauling” is “quakingly pathetic”.
I long ago gave up on the ABC, but find it interesting that so many now contrast the difference in journalistic capability when Laura Tingle sits in the 7:30 chair.
Which, of course, begs the question – was Sales at the National Press Club, and did she join in the guffawing when Morrison completely disrespected Laura Tingle, with his rip snorter of a ‘one-liner’?
I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Sales is a partisan hack, and it’s got naught to do with her gender, private life, or any other distraction.
She’s just no good at her job – which is why she keeps her job at Ita’s ABC.
Another explanation as to why she showed up at Andrews’ presser is that LS is a bit of a showboat, and it was politically safer for the now-cowed ABC to do this in Victoria rather than risk the Coalition’s further ire by doing the same in recent Gladys pressers.
Another Sales pitch? “Caterwauling”?
“Research”…..?
She doesn’t get the interviewees that she gets coquettish with, and indulges, wound up.
Turnbull? “Go Sharkies”? Any number of Coalition MPs including Jethro and Dutton?
Contrasted with her curt (and worse) attitudes going back to Milne, Rudd, Gillard, Tanner, Shorten etc etc?
The post Budget contrasts between her approaches to Hockey vs Bowen?
The latitude she indulged Abbott, ’til even she saw the folly of that?
[If you can get hold of that footage of her vs Chris Evans (Lateline 2009(?)) you can almost watch the paint peel off the wall behind him? The vehemence was almost palpable.]
A 7:30 “expose” re the Qld election and Labor’s “dodgy tactics”?
No mention of “expert” Toby “Razz” Ralph’s connections – til the end of the program – and after that story.
And no mention of similar Limited News Party m.o.?
She’s a two speed prima donna hack – who plays favourites and indulges them.
The sort of “media” that would otherwise be criticised and called out – if it was someone else – by Crikey.
Nyah, Charlie -did you listen to the presser? I go hot and cold on Leigh Sales, and I know that she has been subjected to vile and scurrilous comment and attacks, for which there is no excuse whatsoever. I watched and listened to the presser, and later heard a more distinct version of what Ms Sales’ questions involved (the reporters’ questions were apparently not on microphone). At least one of her questions involved a proposition that the premier did not have confidence in “his” contract tracers. The premier has never said or done anything to convey such a notion. I was disappointed to hear this, and I formed the view that Dan Andrews responded directly and appropriately to her loaded question. I thought to myself “Kerry O’Brien would never have stooped so low, and he would have got a lot more out of Andrews.”
Leigh Sales has long played a double game. She all but flirted with Turnbull but played the pit bull with Shorten.
She has a list of questions and she is determined to get through them. Just when she gets to the point when she can go for the money shot with Morrison, she’ll say “Moving on…”.
Her interview with Paul McCartney a couple of years ago finished with her sinking into his arms for a hug – this during the Me Too movement when the topic de jour was inappropriate touching.
Sarah Ferguson would have been a worthy successor to Kerry O’Brien. Stan Grant is also a cut above. Sales is mediocre.
Stan Grant? I think I’d rather Sales. Tingle is excellent, why not her?