With the ABC neutered these past decade and Murdoch media, Ch9 and other mainstream organizations tied to the Government and it’s donors for financial gain political media in this country holds any oppositions to account rather than the Government. Democracy is no longer being served and an autocracy is encouraged to flourish. Grass roots politics brought an end to the slippery slide and has temporarily allowed the nation to catch its breathe.
Revelations about Scott Morrison’s power-grab of five secret ministries raise serious questions about the health of Australian media and in turn, the media’s commitment to contribute to a strong democracy.
The core function of political media is to hold power to account. The fact that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison was able to secretly sign himself in as co-minister in the portfolios of health, finance, resources, treasury and home affairs, in collusion with the Governor-General, speaks volumes of journalists’ unwillingness to scrutinise the powerful.
In the lead-up to President Joe Biden’s inauguration, conservative media spent weeks fearmongering about his immigration policies, arguing that he would allow in an immense number of new immigrants who would overwhelm the United States — a familiar line of attack used by the right to demonize both elected Democrats and immigrants.
The worst remain. So while shrinking they have greater control of non-news and persuasion while the LNP has spent 7 years cutting the ABC budget after Abbott promising NO CUTS TO THE ABC (ODT)
Media,Business,and Recruitment to the Dark Side is normal Murdochian practice in Toryland,Trumpland and OZ. Logic and economy of scale in the Capitalist Angloshere demands it (ODT)
On Channel Nine’s Today show, the network’s political editor Chris Uhlmann accused elements of the media of “waging a war against the prime minister of Australia”.
For this, he singled out the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corporation newspapers such as The Australian and The Daily Telegraph, the Murdoch-owned pay TV channel Sky News, and the Fairfax-owned Sydney radio station 2GB.
Watch John Pilger in this commentary on Russia Tonight on the British Government’s accusations against Russia over the poisoning of the double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
Nunes and Trump know that Rupert Murdoch’s lying Fox Cable News will be happy to become The Nunes Memo Network 24/7. They know that Sinclair radio stations (which have virtually taken over radio news nationally) will play it up big time. They know that NewsMax and Breitbart and other right wing webzines will beat this drum continually. They know that YouTube celebrities with millions of followers such as Alex Jones will spread the word of the perfidy of the FBI, or the “Kenyan FBI” as they likely will call it.
They already have 36% of voters and just need to create doubts in or support for Trump in 15% of voters who are independents, and they keep winning politically.
Research shows that people with idees fixes don’t change their minds just because they are presented with factual information that challenges them. In fact, they dig in. Thus, by the time the minority Democratic report comes out, many Republicans will be so wedded to the Nunes narrative that it will be very difficult to dislodge their certainty.
Regulator says deal would give Murdoch too much control over provision of news
Regulator suggests Sky News could be spun off, divested or insulated from Fox News
Government will receive the regulator’s judgement on the takeover on May 1
However, as Murdoch’s vehicle for exerting influence on policymakers, it became increasingly conservative. By 1975 it had become so biased to the right in its political coverage that its own journalists went on strike in protest.
Murdoch makes no bones about his right to control what goes in his papers, and his editorial staff have to accommodate themselves to this – or exercise the privilege of resignation.
At Fairfax, the internal culture has been entirely different. In 1988, journalists at The Age persuaded Fairfax management to sign a charter of editorial independence guaranteeing no improper interference in editorial decision-making. Over the following three or four years, the company’s other titles adopted this charter.
Rupert Murdoch, the 86-year-old conservative mogul who heads Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, is attempting to reshape his sprawling media empire in a way that could vastly expand his role in U.S. political life.
Murdoch’s greatest asset in that endeavor is President Donald Trump, whom Murdoch has cultivated by serving as his informal adviser and giving him fawning coverage through his news outlets. That effort now appears to be bearing fruit.
Yesterday, the White House publicly signed off on a deal that would allow Murdoch to refocus his holdings on news programming, while Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a step that would allow Murdoch to dramatically expand those holdings.
Together, those steps could lead to a future where Fox’s pro-Trump commentary is piped into local broadcast news stations across the country.
An Alabama Fox News viewer might not notice that his local news is lying to him.
Because now that Sinclair Broadcasting is buying up local news stations, they are pushing right wing propaganda into homes nightly in the guise of local coverage.
So Breitbart says the Moore charges of child molestation are baloney.
Fox News says so too.
Then a local Alabama reporter interviews three people and says “I can’t find anybody who thinks Roy Moore’s past is an issue.”
And Breitbart / Fox then report that a local reporter “on the ground” says support for Moore is tremendous. Zurawik raises the alarm on this echo chamber:
It must be difficult to be Syrian today. Not only are you seeing your country crumble before your very eyes and overrun by foreigners intent on imposing a system you never requested, but when you attempt to say what your aspirations are, you are ignored.
Pointing the finger at refugees sidesteps the problem of homegrown jihadism, and stirs up anti-immigrant hatred, further polarising European societies.
The ABC is hopeful the instillation of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister will allow it to claw back some of the $250 million slashed from the broadcaster last year as tension between the government and broadcaster cools off.
Trump repeatedly attacked the media as “fake news” in several tweets in recent days. One Fox anchor has hit back.
Pointing the finger at refugees sidesteps the problem of homegrown jihadism, and stirs up anti-immigrant hatred, further polarising European societies.
olddogthoughts 