Payback. I criticised The Australian. Now I must pay

[Matilda]

Within hours of the publication of the Finkelstein report, which documents the widespread public disillusionment with the ethical standards and the political bias of the commercial media in Australia, one of its senior reporters, Ean Higgins, phoned me at work. He informed me that The Australian had gained information from a successful Freedom of Information request with regard to two Australian Research Council Grants I had supposedly received for two Quarterly Essays written very many years ago - one for approximately $60,000, one for approximately $180,000.

(snip)

The Australian is of course not interested in the vast majority of the authors who receive grants from the ARC and publish commercial books - those who write for example on literature or military history or Australian 19th century gardens. It is exclusively interested in harassing those it regards as left-wing intellectuals and, a fortiori, the critics of the Murdoch Empire against which it wishes to use its vast resources and influence to intimidate and to wound and if possible to discredit. In cases like this, it can often seem that an editor whistles, and the well-trained team of attack dogs - Andrew Bolt, Piers Akerman, Miranda Devine, Tim Blair et hoc genus emerge from their various kennels, teeth bared, snarling, moving in for the kill. This is the kind of culture that now prevails in the media corporation that dominates between 65 per cent and 70 per cent of the Australian newspaper market.

The Finkelstein inquiry into media ethics in contemporary Australia was sorely needed. This little incident underlines why.

It is time for fellow democrats in Australia to stand up to the bullying tactics of the Murdoch press in general and in particular to the bullying tactics of its most important general staff - Chris Mitchell's editorial team at the Australian.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3871300.html


This makes very interesting reading. It's a great pity that the majority of the Australian public will never bother to read it, much less think about it.

That's how Murdoch thrives.