The Murdoch papers are really going for Labor's throat. The pickup in the
polls by Labor must be putting the wind up Murdoch.
There was a disgraceful story in the Courier Mail yesterday on Gonski.
Frontpage headling "Funds Block" sub headline "Anger grows over schools
cash review".
It turns out to be a story based on 2010 figures in an unsourced report
commissioned by The Australian.
One claim was that Wooree State High School in Cairns which has a huge
number of Aboriginal and Islander students, would lose $4.4m in funding
under Gonski. They listed a number of schools from disadvantaged areas that
would lose huge sums of money. All completely false . Obviously placed to
nullify Gillard's later planned statement that no school would be worse off
under Gonski.
It's a difficult question, but something has to be done about the so-called
''Free Press" which is only free to be owned and operated by
multi-billionaires with their own economic and political agendas.
Laurie
Comments
Some fervour from the powerful for more inclusion of women
Laurie,
One of the somethings that is being done is to achieve greater diversity on boards of directors which control media outlets, thus encouraging greater diversity of opinion and decision-making. In 2010 Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, with support from the Australian Stock Exchange, set a target of 40% inclusion of women on the ASX top 200 corporations within 5 year or quotas and sanctions on trading would be considered. With a board comprising 15 men and one women, Newscorp is firmly in the crosshairs of this initiative. While there’s some who still question the effect of diversity on decision-making, those with their hands on the levers of powers are pursuing this approach with some fervour.
philip
Gillard v. Abbott
Well Gina Rinehart is a woman, and she has certainly showed her interest in being represented on the boards (and in the editorial offices) of Media.
This is not to say that female representation is not desirable. Labor has shown a willingness to promote women amongst its leadership team, and 40 percent of all candidates for labor are women. One of the things I am gratified to see when I watch Parliament Question Time is the very strong presence of women on Labor's side, which cannot be said of the other side.
In reference to the media, you cannot control what the media reports, although you can control somewhat whether or not it is telling the truth, but even ensuring the media reports truthfully is difficult. The idea that you can control the media is simply erroneous. The media is privately owned. This is what makes newspapers like the Age with its independent editorial staff so valuable in a democracy, and also vouchsafes the independence of the state broadcasters in ABC and SBS.
We simply have to work harder to present the truth in reporting. Fortunately today, with social media, and the internet, we have many ways in which we can do this. This is one reason I endorse labor policy on here so strongly, not because I necessarily always agree with Labor policy, but because I know that the alternative - the only realistic alternative in this society, at least - is Tony Abbott and the madmen of the political right.
It is gratifying that the polls are shoring up Gillard's position, but we are twelve months out from the election, and the next year will be very important for the future direction of this nation. An Abbott led Coalition government would be a disaster for this country.
I know others will point to the limitations of Labor, but it is simply disingenuous to say the two sides of politics in Australia are identical. It is myth making in the extreme. People who promote this view are simply doing the male dominated extreme right wing side of politics a huge service by undermining the Gillard government.