Via Domainfax:
Kevin Rudd’s description of Rupert Murdoch’s news outlets as a “cancer” against democracy that should be subject to an inquiry has been met by ridicule from ex-News Corp bosses who say the former Prime Minister should “pull his head in”.
In an opinion piece published by Fairfax Media on Monday, Mr Rudd was scathing of News Corp’s owner, saying there should be a royal commission into the future of Australian media ownership and a revisiting of the Finkelstein Media Review from five years ago. He further said Murdoch press operates as a “political party” with commercial interests and a far-right ideology, saying the media mogul enabled Trump, Brexit and the recent Liberal leadership reshuffle.
Former News Corp Australia boss John Hartigan, who spent more than four decades at the media company including as editor of several major newspapers, said it was “nonsense” that showed Mr Rudd needed to “pull his head in”.
“I’ve not known an editor in this country that has ever suggested Rupert Murdoch or any family member has instructed them to do anything [political with their news coverage]. I’ve spent 42 years in the joint and I certainly didn’t see that,” Mr Hartigan said.
Rupert is part of the problem. But only part. There are just as many mastheads that reflexively defend the Labor Party and Greens. Domainfax is one. The Guardian is shockingly biased towards The Greens. Outside of the immigration question, the ABC is pretty reasonable.
Rudd is illustrating the real problem by preaching to the converted at Domainfax. There is no sensible centre any more. It’s all tribes on all sides with each enjoying a hall of mirrors in which to admire themselves. Indeed, MB is the only serious sensible centrist masthead that I can point to.
Those arguing that Rupert is the problem are also ignoring that the radio shock jocks blamed for Turbull’s demise all work for Macquarie Media.
The media’s Fake Right niche and the Fake Left niche are as bad as one another, playing out memes and ideologies based upon closed loops of logic and hypocrisy.
Both sides played a role in the demise of Malcolm Turnbull. When Trunbull gifted the conservative splinter group, One Nation, back into parliament the Fake Left kissed his butt. When Turnbull nurtured ON with an unprecedentedly destructive mass immigration program into huge economic slack the Fake Left ruthlessly attacked all opposition. When Turnbull lorded it over the ON vote with a policy platform that spat directly into their faces – the disastrous NEG and company tax cuts – the Fake Right piled in behind him.
But above all, by ignoring the simple reality of his fracturing base, Malcolm Tunbull killed himself.