Category

Media

If each politician is like a character from a book, then journalists are, in effect, the collective authors of that book. Any examination of the character that Morrison had created would have to look closely at the journalistic habits that made his success possible. The notion of objectivity is important, but often is used as an excuse for uncritically repeating what politicians say. Too many in the media too readily treat politics as a game, with political cleverness admired more than substance. (The Guardian, Sunday, 7 November, 2021)

Sean Kelly
November 7, 2021

Vladimir Putin’s disinformation campaigns have sought to exacerbate divisions in western democracies and undermine popular trust in their institutions. By creating and exploiting a market for crazy conspiracy theories untethered from the facts, let alone science, Murdoch has done Putin’s work – better than any Russian intelligence agency could ever imagine possible. (The Guardian, Monday, 18 October, 2021)

Malcolm Turnbull
October 19, 2021

It is a baseline responsibility of political journalists to require that politicians tell the truth to the public. If they don’t, more politicians will lie more often, and the public will be more misinformed than they already are. It’s an accountability responsibility of the fourth estate which involves seeking to uncover the truth and insisting that politicians who have not told the truth correct the record and explain the reasons for their falsehoods.

Margo Kingston
October 14, 2021