Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame got blue-tick Australian journos out in force on Twitter yesterday defending their deadlines when she questioned why outgoing Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells’ explosive exit speech to Parliament wasn’t on the front pages of every paper yesterday morning.
This criticism from the outspoken advocate seemed to get on a lot of media people’s nerves. Journalists from Nine papers, 10 News and Australian Community Media were quick to defensively jump in and let Tame know that they were covering it, it just occurred way past deadline, and that her comments were “not really reasonable”.
Tame later tweeted a correction, saying “it should be the leading story across news outlets nationwide”. But that she “stands by her sentiments”.
So did it make the front pages today? Well… kinda. If you count former prime minister John Howard’s take on the whole thing — leading with it all being about “personal grievances” — as covering the speech as front-page news. Spoiler: a lot of Twitter does not count it.
So, is it corruption and collusion that kept Fierravanti-Wells’ valedictorian speech off the front pages, or just that Australian media still sits within an archaic system where what is considered “newsworthy” is shaped around a printing press with daily deadlines? Gosh, two great options.
Well, time will tell, as Crikey’s Bernard Keane points out.
Tame’s response to that? “Let’s count them, Bernard.”
Watch this space.
