I missed out on a memorial post for Malcolm Fraser over the weekend, so here is a Media Circus to focus on his achievements. Like many who were young in 1975, I despised him for many years after The Dismissal, only to eventually admire his dedication to helping refugees and immigrants become valued Australian citizens. I’m not sure it was a matter of forgiving The Dismissal, more of an acknowledgement that his voice speaking out on current concerns was considered, conscientious and important.
Parliament has suspended ordinary business today to dedicate their session to condolence motions. Katharine Murphy aka @murpharoo is liveblogging the tributes for The Guardian.
Murphy notes that it is only 3 (parliamentary) working days until the delivery of the May Budget, and I’ll remind you all that this coming Saturday #NSWVotes.
What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?
As usual for media circus threads, please share your bouquets and brickbats for particular items in the mass media, or highlight cogent analysis or pointed twitterstorms etc in new media. Discuss any current sociopolitical issue (the theme of each edition is merely for discussion-starter purposes – all current news items are on topic!).
Categories: ethics & philosophy, media
So I only just discovered the Tomlin Rule 
This my axiom, by me, which is mine 
QOTD: on the blaming of progressive scolds/shamers for the rise of Trumpists 
Hoyden About Town 
Hells bells, on the same day that The Hoopla suspends operations because they no longer have the budget to pay writers as they used to, NewsCorp launches a glossy special women’s issues zone called Rendezview where such charming personalities as Miranda Devine and Rita Panahi can enjoy yet another space to vent their spleen at those awful screeching feminists.
I need a drink.
BTW a couple of #NSWVotes links – the ABC’s NSW2015 VoteCompass checklist/quiz for anyone wanting to doublecheck that their default party is still actually on the same page regarding polices as you always thought they were, and the Election Day Sausage Sizzle & Cake Stall registry for checking which polling stations in your electorate actually are offering a burnt sacrifice and things with icing and/or choc chips on the day.
“Intelligent but busy” …? is this some kind of dog whistle that I’ve missed? Are most clever women sitting around twiddling their thumbs? Should you not read the magazine if you’ve gotten your work-life balance sorted out?
angharad, I believe the line of logic here is that the screechy banshee feminist brigade may possibly seem intelligent but are obviously simply not busy enough to avoid getting sucked into silly social justice distractions QED
Piping Shrike has an excellent essay on Malcolm Fraser and how the perceived shift from being Australia’s most right-wing ever Prime Minister to became one of our most left-wing former occupants of the Lodge has been over-simplified, not least by the man himself.
I’ve found it fascinating to watch the overlap this week between the subset of males who are devastated at the thought of Top Gear without Jeremy Clarkson and the subset of males who gleefully mock tweens who are devastated at the thought of One Direction without Zayn Malik. How their heads don’t explode from that level of cognitive dissonance is beyond me.
It never occurred to me to think of it like that Viv. Not being much of a Clarkson fan anyway I really don’t care. But I suspect that like me they haven’t seen the connection. Possibly also – things that are important to me = important for everyone thinking?
I see Baird is promising to get right on with privatising NSW’s power infrastructure after being returned to government. I still have a sliver of hope that he won’t hold the balance of power in the Upper House by the time all the votes are counted, but it’s a very wee sliver indeed.
What is folks’ take on (warning for lethal violence against women) the suppression orders that related to media mentions of Adrian Bayley? I am honestly not sure what to make of it.
I can’t work out why his conviction for the rape and murder of Jill Meagher would be suppressed, you would have had to be living under a rock to not know about that already.
I believe the point of these suppression orders is to prevent new media coverage that uses the defendant’s name at all, because any reminder of a well-publicised crime may reinforce a prejudicial effect on the jury’s deliberation regarding whether there is reasonable doubt pertaining to the separate charges before them. I believe this practice is hardly unique to the Bayley case, either.
Interesting ructions over Pru Gowards comments about character references given by various high profile people for a convicted rapist. I now have a grudging respect for her and hope she continues in this vein.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/03/germanwings_co_pilot_mental_illness_suicide_is_linked_to_depression_but.html
A piece from slate.com about society’s keenness to attribute the germanwings atrocity to depression.