by cameron | Mar 1, 2007 | Australian media, Australian politics, censorship, Podcast, science vs religion
I’m cranky as hell about the way the Christian Right is taking over this country. The leaders of both major political parties are kowtowing to them because they are mobilizing politically like never before, taking their cues from their US counterparts.
The latest embarrassment for us as a free, democratic society is they way our Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock has intervened in the matter of Dr Phillip Nitschke’s book on euthanasia, The Peaceful Pill Handbook.
In this episode I discuss why this whole affair is wrong, immoral and why we need to fight against it. I’m also exploring what we, as the “new” media, can do about it.
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The G’Day World Theme Song is “Save Me†by The Napoleon Blown Aparts.
by cameron | Feb 22, 2007 | Australian media, media 2.0
There is an article in the INFORMATION section on Google Australia’s online advertising revenues and how they are now bigger than Sensis. I noticed the article while skimming the paper in a restaurant at lunch time but, of course, I can’t find it online. I’d love to know the actual numbers though. I think Google’s revenue was something like $206 million vs Sensis at $196 million. “Google Schmoogle“, hey Sol?
UPDATE: a friend IMd me these numbers:
Google Online Advertising Revenue: $206 Million
Sensis Online Advertising Revenue: $192 Million
(figures from BRW, not AFR)
by cameron | Feb 22, 2007 | Australian media
The Channel 7 (Australia) news department must make money for their corporate bosses hand over fist. Otherwise, how else do they survive?
Remember when their former current affairs host, Naomi Robson (now retired), was the laughing stock of the country because members of her crew (allegedly) released a tape of her swearing and calling their audience “dumb”? (link)
Then there was the Channel 7 news story about how lax airport security is in Australia which featured a reporter walking onto a plane supposedly carrying box cutters in her handbag. When her day in court came around (because this is illegal) Channel 7’s defense was “YOU CAN’T PROVE SHE TOOK THE KNIFE ON THE PLANE”, suggesting that perhaps they just pretended and it was a post-production trick. (link)
And today there is the story that reporter Nicholas Boot at Today Tonight has been ‘suspended’ after chaining an old woman in a nursing home to a cupboard to fake a story.
Of course, faking stories isn’t new to Today Tonight. Older viewers might remember when Dave “Sluggo” Richardson made a highly misleading report on Christopher Skase. Richardson was suspended from duty for a month. This episode was fictionalized in the ‘One Rule for One’ episode of Frontline, where Martin di Stasio is suspended for a month for doing exactly the same thing. Of course, in Marty’s case, being ‘suspended’ means a month’s paid vacation. He turns up to work and just sits around reading the paper and drinking beer. He’s actually rewarded by the producer because of the ratings they scored for the fictional show.
Anyone know where Boot is today?
