The Capital Territory... more like Zimbabwe

Ged said :

…it’s funny how so many of you subscribers seem to be commenting on stories in every forum!

Someone let me in on the joke… I need a chuckle.

Do we need to come up with a new version of Godwin’s Law now?

… and in promulgating the infamous ‘Hermangate’ affair.

It doesn’t matter what side of politics that you support the lack of media scrutiny and accountability in Canberra is a major concern.

The fact that a Government (Stanhope) can ‘lean’ on the media is a fundamental breach of democracy.

Queanbeyan City Council (under Mayor Pangallo) used to do the same by threatening to pull council advertising.

2CC seems to not have lost their balls in covering ACT politics.

“We all know that the ABC has plenty of lefties in it”

We sure do tabascoted. My suspicion is that its easier to be a headline grabbing sensationalist manipulative arsehole if you have left wing views than if you’re at all rational and more centred in your opinions.

I am only new to this system, but it’s funny how so many of you subscribers seem to be commenting on stories in every forum! As well as on my blog about Herman’s Phoney “Hermanless” Hermits.

Seriously, I agree that the local media, especially commercial TV news is dismal — as if we are not in the national capital, but merely an outlying province. When I came to Canberra in 1992, it wasn’t so bad. You had three competing commercial TV news programmes on Capital, Prime and WIN, with particularly good presenters like Greg Robson, Mal Grieve, Ken Begg, Melissa Doyle and Jessica Rowe, amongst others.

Of course, there has always been excellent local news on ABC-TV.

But then the whole system was castrated, leaving only a full bulletin on WIN-TV to represent commercial TV news, with the ever-bland Peter Leonard. He was replaced some time ago by Jessica Good, a person I consider to be the worst TV news presenter in the history of the world. Am I being cruel here?

Jessica is probably a very nice person, but as a newsreader she comes across as an expressionless, animatronic “reader” in the literal sense. Only that perpetual vacuous half-smile gives away the fact that she is alive, together with a turn of the head, when she’s finished talking down to the viewers in that kindergarten-teacher tone, to let Phill Small present the sporting.

I always thought news presenters were selected because they had some authority, believability and a presence — like Virginia Hausegesser, or Sandra Sully, or Chris Bath, to name a few. These ladies also have an on-screen PERSONALITY.

Really, is it only me, or do others feel the same way about our only full-time commercial TV news presenter?

Yep. Nothing like a bit of ostrich on your sanger to give you that bit of extra vim for ducking and weaving through a riot ….

The major problem with your thesis, as I see it, is this: wasn’t it actually the Canberra Times that broke the “WinTV is owned by the government” yarn?

south africa is better, though.

nothing like Boerewors or Biltong. Actually, Boerewors is perfect for the BBQ – surprised that it wasn’t taken up here…..

spiral sausages – who’d of thunk?

Granny said :

… meerkats and warthogs, even!

meerkats??

I am so there!

shame about the bloodshed and rioting (in a bad way) but meerkats are all good.

I (a lib) agree with tom-tom (AlP) on this matter. There’s not lefty ‘bias’ in the media, they are just giving the people what they want (or attempting to).

Our media is inept, not biased. They don’t have the competence to conspire against the poor widdle liberals.

you do realise all these agencies, except for the abc, are trying to turn a profit right? Its in their interest to run stories that their viewers are interested in, perhaps a percieved bias reflects more on what the audience wants to see, for instance instead of seeing pro alp bias in the ct I tend to see that the average ct reader isn’t interested in hearing about how horrible stanhope is.

But yeah I think local media are pathetic embarrassingly inept but not biased.

Zebras and some inspiring tribal music as well.

… and a crap cricket team.

… meerkats and warthogs, even!

Surely if this was Zimbabwe, there’d be more black people??

johnboy said :

People didn’t just wake up one morning and find they were living in what we now think of as Zimbabwe.

Subversion of the media to the point it never says anything that might offend anyone important is one of the early steps along the way.

the only way to ensure that the free speech of each canberran is heard is to listen.

we are far more free than zimbabwe – at least they don’t shoot you here for saying the wrong thing, being a part of the wrong party, or the wrong racial background.

they just heckle you to death on forums.

People didn’t just wake up one morning and find they were living in what we now think of as Zimbabwe.

Subversion of the media to the point it never says anything that might offend anyone important is one of the early steps along the way.

Submitter should venture outside ACT to see how bad things can get.

Should also watch out for rogue, commas.

What are we to do?

Get a sense of perspective?

You give the power of stanhope too much credit. And frankly comparing it to Zimbabwe is just offensive.

What are we to do? God only knows. For the end seems nigh if you are to be believed.

I’m not sure that the media is any worse here now than it is was in some idealized pre-Stanhopeian era. Certainly it seems no worse than the media in NSW, or anywhere else in Australia for that matter.

want to change the media?

change the government.

Duke said :

As rotten as Stanhope may seem to some he is not murdering and torturing his opponents

That’s what they want you to think.

More like Zimbabwe? Your fondness for hyperbole does your cause no good. As rotten as Stanhope may seem to some he is not murdering and torturing his opponents nor is there any proof (yet) that he is responsible for the sackings/discipline over at WIN.

I think it’s in rather poor taste to compare the horrors of Zimbabwe to the comparitively fair system of democracy we enjoy in Canberra.