Finkelstein Report: Volume of media vitriol in inverse proportion to amount of evidence

Commentary: After all the overheated rhetoric over the Finkelstein Report, it may be an anti-climax to know that the key issue is the right of reply, or the right of redress, to those who feel they have been misrepresented in the news. Such processes are now done through self-regulation by the Australian Press Council, while the Finkelstein Report sees this as insufficiently effective and recommends a government-funded statutory agency

“Public Service” and the Journalism Crisis: Is the BBC the Answer?

Professional journalism is under extraordinary pressure: not only are its traditional business models under enormous strain but it is also regularly accused by the Right of peddling ‘fake news’ and criticized by the Left for failing to play a robust monitorial role. In this situation, there is a temptation to see public service media, and the BBC in particular, as beacons of light in an otherwise gloomy picture. This article attempts to provide a note of caution to those who see the public service model as the most effective means of holding power to account and as the most desirable alternative to the flawed news cultures of both commercial and authoritarian landscapes. It considers some of the structural and institutional factors that constrain the BBC’s journalism and suggests that its intimate relationship with elite power has long undermined its ability to act as a reliable and independent check on power

Why are “others” so polarized? Perceived political polarization and media use in 10 countries.

This study tests the associations between news media use and perceived political polarization, conceptualized as citizens’ beliefs about partisan divides among major political parties. Relying on representative surveys in Canada, Colombia, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, United Kingdom and United States, we test whether perceived polarization is related to the use of television news, newspaper, radio news, and online news media. Data show that online news consumption is systematically and consistently related to perceived polarization, but not to attitude polarization, understood as individual attitude extremity. In contrast, the relationships between traditional media use and perceived and attitude polarization is mostly country dependent. An explanation of these findings based on exemplification is proposed and tested in an experimental design

Seventy-two coups later, leaders seem less safe than ever

Leadership coups have become an increasingly common feature of Australian politics, but the electoral results aren’t always encouraging Malcolm Turnbull’s defeat of Tony Abbott was the seventy-second leadership coup among major political parties at state or federal level since 1970 – a remarkable figure indicative of an underlying volatility in Australian politics. On each occasion the leader was either defeated by colleagues in a party room vote, or resigned under duress when it became clear that continuing in the role was no longer viable. As the table below shows, these coups have become increasingly common. In the 1960s, there was none; in the 1970s, just ten; and in the 1980s, eighteen. The figure dipped slightly to thirteen in the 1990s, but in the fifteen years of this century, thirty-one leaders have been felled, or an average of two a year… Read the full articl

Polls, elections and Australian political history: a primer

Rodney Tiffen looks at the pitfalls of poll-watching and the lessons of post-war Australian elections THERE have been so many records set recently in Australian politics that the politicians should be tested for steroids. We began the current electoral cycle with the personal defeat of a prime minister for only the second time in 110 years, with John Howard following the 1929 precedent of Stanley Bruce and being swept from parliament. Then, for the first time, the Liberals staged two leadership coups within three years. Finally – and again for the first time ever – a successful leadership coup was launched against a first-term prime minister, the leader who had achieved the equal-third-biggest winning swing since the second world war. This raises an obvious question. Will this month’s election follow the precedent of the 1931 election, with Julia Gillard joining James Scullin as leader of one of only two federal governments defeated after only one term? Or else, will she follow Paul Keating as the only leader at either state or federal level – at least in the last half century – to win an election after… Read the full article Photo: Andrew Jeffre

Deep Throat comes out: revisiting Watergate

The last great secret from Watergate has been revealed 31 years after the scandal forced President Nixon to become the first US President to resign. In the frenzy of comment following Mark Felt\u27s revelation, many legends about Watergate have been revived - and many have only a tenuous relationship to the facts, writes Rodney Tiffen

On trial for hacking: the story so far

It’s now the defence’s turn to put its case in the News International phone-hacking trial in London. Rodney Tiffen untangles the testimony to date. IT IS half time at the long-running trial of former Murdoch executives Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, and five others, on charges of phone hacking, bribery and destroying evidence. The long-anticipated trial finally began on 28 October last year, and the prosecution has now finished its case, with the defence to begin theirs on 17 February. The judge has told the jury that they will be retiring to decide their verdict not later than 11 May. Further trials will follow, each of them likely to involve several defendants, some of whom will face multiple charges. It is not yet clear how many there will be, but around thirty others have been charged. It’s possible that the verdicts in the current trial could expedite future proceedings; if these seven defendants are all found guilty, for example, some others may change their pleas to guilty… Read the full articl

Celebrations and critiques of contemporary journalism

A new book presents a seemingly endless and always depressing catalogue of irresponsible journalism. Another explains why judgements of political newsworthiness derive, at least partially, from journalists\u27 sense of where the centre of gravity of power lies. Meanwhile, in the new Newseum, the exhibit about News Limited is sponsored by News Limited. So much for the critical role of the fourth estate

Canberra journalist, Costello spin doctor, Howard whinger

This essay analyses Canberra journalist and Costello advisor, Niki Savva\u27s memoir. \u27First we had the "Howard battlers": working and middle class Australians repelled by Keating\u27s exotic pursuits and attracted to Howard\u27s sound economic management. Then we had the "Howard haters", the term his supporters attached to those who criticised his government\u27s actions, especially on asylum seekers or the Iraq war. Now we have the "Howard whingers" ...\u2