Media
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Elitists touched up by one of their own – The Callick case
The Murdoch Press sure knows how to whip up an eye-catching headline – it may be its longest suit. True to form, on 19 January 25 The Weekend Australian ran a corker – “HOW THE AMERICAN HATERS IN OUR MIDST GO EASY ON CHINA.” Continue reading »
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“Journalism is not a crime”: Gaza reporter slams international press as journalist death toll rises
As negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue discussions in Qatar about a possible Gaza ceasefire, we speak with Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed, who spoke at a press conference of Gaza media workers last week urging the international press to speak up for their Palestinian colleagues. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says nearly 200 journalists have been Continue reading »
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All at (sixes and) sevens and eights: Taiwan policy
The fate of the world may well rest on Taiwan but our policy is at sixes and sevens, or rather, according to recent statements in the Australian press, at sevens and eights. Continue reading »
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Facts, alternative facts and Edward Said: Narrating a genocide
As Donald Trump is inaugurated as a second-term president, readers may recall the infamous expression “alternative facts” used by Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s senior counsellor, to defend the false statements of Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary. At the time, the media mocked Conway for describing Spicer’s falsehoods about attendance numbers at Trump’s 2017 inauguration Continue reading »
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How Murdoch got a foothold in Foxtel (An updated post from 1 February 2014)
Rupert Murdoch relies on political threats for commercial benefit Continue reading »
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Australian broadcaster targeted by pro-Israel group, charged with ‘hate speech’
Yet another journalist — this one the prominent Australian broadcaster @MaryKostakidis — is formally charged with “hate speech” crimes. She was targeted by a pro-Israel group, led by a dual citizen of Israel and Australia, for the crime of reporting on Nasrallah’s speeches, writes Glenn Greenwald. Continue reading »
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Best of 2024: ‘Disingenuous theatre dressed up as major news’: Why the ABC is losing credibility
ABC supporters across the country are dismayed and angry with the national broadcaster. The biggest threat to the ABC today is its craven and distorted performance in television current affairs reporting. Continue reading »
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When will the Trump Musk bromance end?
How long will Elon Musk last in the Trump orbit? Currently he seems to be ubiquitous but that presents a problem for Donald Trump and his massive ego. Continue reading »
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The Hannibal Directive and mainstream media’s organised forgetting
Aeschylus (525-456BC) was, as current circumstances in the Middle East and in Ukraine amply demonstrate, entirely accurate when he observed that “In war, truth is the first casualty.” Continue reading »
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Best of 2024: Australian Prime Minister referred to ICC for complicity in genocide
“The Australian government and its most senior officials have both failed to prevent or respond to the genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and been complicit in the carrying out of this genocide in a manner which falls squarely within Article 25 (3)(c) and/or (d) of the Rome Statute of the ICC,” state Continue reading »
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A rogue reporter vs. the American Empire
The American material life is taken for granted. Things just appear. There is no consideration for what country the Empire destroyed to fuel their cars, which people are earning pennies inside sweatshops for their clothes or how many children’s hands touched the lithium in their phone batteries fresh out of the mine. The U.S. Empire Continue reading »
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John Menadue on Rupert Murdoch, the Last Mogul
We have a major problem with the damage that Rupert Murdoch has done to newspapers in Australia, and any self-respecting government should take steps to correct that as soon as possible. Continue reading »
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No longer possible to defend the slaughter of over 40,000 civilians as ‘Israel’s right to self-defence’
I know what antisemitism looks like and it is to desecrate the memory of my parents and the victims of real antisemitism when it is weaponised to silence justified criticism of Israel’s crimes. Continue reading »
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Anti-Semitism, a pandemic of concocted claims
In response to arson on a Melbourne synagogue, ill informed politicians, ignorant media commentators and a bully Israeli Prime Minister have rushed to declare this crime is not only anti-Semitic but an act of terrorism. A year of pandemic like claims about a rise in anti-Semitism has reached a climax in interpretations of the meaning Continue reading »
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Barack Obama wants us to care about the oceans
What are the five most precious things in my life? Continue reading »
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Western Media: an echo chamber for the US “Uighur Genocide” narrative
Let me directly address the narrative pushed by the United States and its allies regarding the alleged “genocide” of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province. This narrative is not only riddled with inconsistencies but reeks of the same imperialist strategies the U.S. has employed for decades to destabilise dozens of nations and advance its own geopolitical Continue reading »
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Hugh Marks does not have a background in journalism, yet becomes ex officio editor-in-chief of the ABC. Is he the right person for the job?
Aspects of Hugh Marks’s record as chief executive of the Nine Entertainment Company raise questions about his suitability for the position of managing director of the ABC, to which he has just been appointed. Continue reading »
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Are we the terrorists?
It’s ten years since the Lindt Café siege by a member of Islamic State who, despite multiple warnings, was not of concern to ASIO or the police. Yet Man Haron Monis’ attack had all the commonly accepted characteristics of terrorism. Continue reading »
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To defeat Dutton, Labor needs inspiration and leadership from its ‘mortal enemy’ – the Greens
Dutton’s nuclear plans provide an opportunity for a campaign Labor could win. But it won’t be won without girding for war. The need for some political alliance is greater given that neither Albanese nor his senior ministers, and the party organisation, have shown themselves up to serious political struggle on climate change. Continue reading »
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The dismemberment of Syria is a crime
What we are witnessing is not just the end of a regime but quite possibly the destruction of the Syrian state. We are being told by the Western media that we should join Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden and the Europeans in celebrating what risks being the creation of yet another failed state in the Middle Continue reading »
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White Man’s Media: The Washington consensus and legacy media frames and conditions our thinking and actions
In Gaza we have witnessed a litany of lies by Israel and America peddled by our media day after day.The lives of white Jews and Christians are clearly more valuable than the lives of brown Muslims. Continue reading »
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The ABC in Hungary: why “Christianity” and “woke” are weapons of war
Some of the most dangerous people in the world right now are those normalising and sanitising fascistic politics. It was not just in the banal media discussion that preceded Donald Trump’s re-election; it can also be found at the ABC, including on Radio National lifestyle programming. One of the tropes to look for is the Continue reading »
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Netanyahu and Australia
Netanyahu has demonstrated that he has the complete measure of the Labor-Coalition political class, that he only has to snap his fingers and bark an order and they will all do his bidding and follow his instructions with alacrity. Continue reading »
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Why is youth radicalisation framed solely within an individualist lens?
At the same time as the finding of Amnesty International – over twelve months into the ongoing destruction of Gaza – that the state of Israel is indeed committing genocide, the Five-Eyes security and law enforcement agencies released a jointly authored report sounding the alarm on youth radicalisation. Continue reading »
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Why Australian politicians are flocking to ‘Little Red Book’ to engage with Chinese voters
Wen Li, a graduate student living in Brisbane, ran for the seat of Mansfield as a Greens candidate in the recent Queensland election. Li promoted his policies on Xiaohongshu, one of the most popular Chinese social media platforms. When he lost, he posted a message on the platform announcing his desire to run in the Continue reading »
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The carving up of Syria
My heart is breaking over Syria, and it was already broken over Gaza. I watch the television reports of the ‘joy’ in Damascus and wonder what alternative planet the mainstream media inhabits. Continue reading »
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Addressing misdiagnoses and gaps in Australia’s COVID-19 inquiry
The national report on Australia’s COVID response is long, at 877 pages (depending upon the format), with 4,647 footnotes. But long is not synonymous with comprehensive, and there are significant gaps in the report’s analysis and conclusions. Continue reading »
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Pearls and Irritations – Editor Position
Our current editor Dr. Aran Martin is leaving us at the end of January. He has given excellent service to Pearls and Irritations. We are seeking a new editor and share the role description below. Continue reading »
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Adass Israel synagogue is not your political football
The Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne was firebombed this week in a horrific attack. Continue reading »
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Dutton scrambling on immigration levels
Having made bold promises to reduce immigration in his 2024-25 Budget reply speech and in a radio interview with 2GB’s Ben Fordham the next day, Peter Dutton is now scrambling to explain his position on immigration levels. Continue reading »
