The Sydney Morning Herald and the Age are seething about the widespread criticism which followed publication in the Nine newspapers of the Red Alert series, in which an expert panel asserted Australia faced “the threat of war with China within three years”.
So passionate is the leadership of the Nine papers about the importance of Red Alert that they have referred to it in the newsroom as akin to “Churchill taking on the Nazis”, sources told Weekly Beast.
On day one of publication, Paul Keating said the series was “the most egregious and provocative news presentation of any newspaper I have witnessed in over 50 years of active public life”. On Monday on Media Watch, Paul Barry criticised the “comic-book sketch of jets flying out of red China to bomb Australia” and said the series presented “no contrary view and no shading of the possibilities”.
Even Channel Nine political correspondent, Chris O’Keefe, in a welcome sign of independence from the publishing arm of the media giant on the Today show, called the reporting “hysterical”. There wasn’t much social media support from Nine colleagues either.
It was not the reaction the executive editor of the Herald and the Age, Tory Maguire, expected when the three-part special was published across the mastheads last week. Maguire had predicted that the “landmark new investigation” would “resonate right through Australia’s highest levels of decision making”. We can assume she wasn’t expecting the former prime minister to call her international editor, Peter Hartcher, a variety of colourful names, including a “psychopath” and a “maniac”.
Red Alert, an exclusive review of Australia’s national security, says war with China is possible within three years - and we are not ready https://t.co/BkuBUI8G53
— The Age (@theage) March 6, 2023
Maguire was visiting the Melbourne Age newsroom on Wednesday, the same day Keating was at the National Press Club with round two of his criticism. In a live Q&A with the NPC president, Laura Tingle, Keating again got stuck into Hartcher and referred to him as “old acid drop”. When foreign affairs correspondent, Matthew Knott, bravely asked him a question, he didn’t answer directly but told him he should hang his head in shame for co-writing the series. “I’m surprised you even have the gall to stand up in public and ask such a question, frankly,” Keating said. “You ought to do the right thing and drum yourself out of Australian journalism.”
Knott fired back, standing by the paper’s reporting and interrogating Keating on China’s treatment of the Uyghurs.
However, it’s the kind of insult that would upset an executive editor. Staff say Maguire spoke with colleagues on the newsroom floor and was critical of Keating and the ABC, and suggested the Age “strike back” against it.
We presume that is what was behind the Age and the SMH editors sending out their Friday subscriber emails two days early on Wednesday evening with strong defences of their journalism and journalists.
The Age’s editor, Patrick Elligett, told readers Keating’s “personal attack on Knott and Hartcher were beyond the pale” and the paper didn’t have to “silently endure condemnation”. He didn’t mention that last week on the ABC, Hartcher called Keating “an apologist for the Communist party”.
Herald editor, Bevan Shields, said he would demand an on-air apology for what he called Media Watch’s “hypocrisy and poor standards” – because Barry didn’t give him a right of reply. Barry was quick to say the papers didn’t need one as they had their own “megaphone”.
News sites like the @smh don't need to be quoted on @ABCmediawatch to defend their journalism. They have their own megaphone--as you can see. But we did summarise their defence and quote from the SMH editorial. Fair and reasonable IMHO. https://t.co/eRqHNX8ii8
— Paul Barry (@TheRealPBarry) March 15, 2023
On Thursday, Margaret Simons spoke to a range of foreign affairs specialists for Guardian Australia who described the series variously as “pretentious”, “hyperbolic”, “irresponsible” and implicitly racist in its depictions of China.
At least the SMH has some supporters: another former PM, Tony Abbott, wrote an opinion column for the paper on Friday in which he said Keating is “seriously wrong” about the “rapidly intensifying strategic competition from the government in Beijing”.
2GB dethroned
For the first time in 18 years, Sydney radio station 2GB – made famous by shock jocks like Alan Jones and Ray Hadley – has been beaten in the ratings by KissFM, dropping 1.5 points to a share of 11.0%.
“Peking Paul.”
— Ben Fordham Live (@BenFordhamLive) March 15, 2023
That’s the new nickname of our former Prime Minister.
Paul Keating is barracking for China - and wants Australia to turn our backs on our oldest allies - the UK and US.
MY COMMENTS:https://t.co/2WIO11gmWI pic.twitter.com/jUUwxiGeVx
Helping this slide from grace for the Nine-owned station is Jones’ replacement in the breakfast slot, Ben Fordham. Despite being younger by decades he continues to fire at the same targets as his predecessor: migrants, Greta Thunberg, Labor and so-called cancel culture. These talking points of Fordham’s are amplified by 2GB’s social media posts which helpfully include his own pithy quotes, such as “Where on earth are the 300,000 migrants going to live: Ben Fordham”. And my favourite, “I think it’s nuts: Ben Fordham”.
We’re not blaming the social media strategy but Fordham dropped 1.7 percentage points to finish with a 14% share of the audience. Kyle and Jackie O, who jumped 1.1 points, overtook him to snag the breakfast top spot with 15.9%.
TV legend Brian Walsh dies aged 68
Brian Walsh, who has died suddenly aged 68, was best known as Foxtel’s director of television for 28 years. But Walshie, as he was known, had an earlier career at the Ten network where he is credited with launching some of Australia’s biggest stars including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce. As publicity director at Ten in the 1980s, Walsh used his trademark enthusiasm to promote Neighbours when it moved from Seven to Ten and was struggling in the Sydney market.
Brian Walsh was a giant of this industry. He cared about Australia. He loved and back our Arts scene. He supported so many of us. He mentored. He nurtured. He laughed and loved. Lisa and I are devastated at this news. Walshie we will miss you. Vale.
— David Campbell OAM (@DavidCampbell73) March 16, 2023
He took Minogue and Donovan to shopping centres and gave away free TV sets, eventually building the show’s audience until it became a hit. At Foxtel, he threw lavish launch parties for landmark dramas like Wentworth, and was the master of selling a show to the media and the public. He was loved by creative talents and management alike, and while holding the keys to power, was seen by those who worked with him as kind.
I’m in shock & utterly devastated at the news of losing my long time friend & mentor Brian Walsh. Your compassion & support will never be forgotten mate, nor will ur guidance as we journeyed down Ramsay st & beyond. Love you Walshie. May you travel peacefully sweet friend. RIP xx
— Guy Pearce (@TheGuyPearce) March 16, 2023
ABC reshuffle ahead of strike
By the end of the month, the ABC will have a new head of content who will sit across radio, TV and online, undoing a structure which was put in place five years ago by managing director Michelle Guthrie who was sacked in 2018.
Filling the newly created role of chief content officer is Chris Oliver-Taylor, a highly experienced television producer who left Aunty 10 years ago and worked at Netflix and production houses Matchbox Pictures and Fremantle.
The restructure won’t be in place until 1 July.
Oliver-Taylor will hopefully arrive after the staff have agreed to a new enterprise bargaining agreement with management, which has seen two threats of rolling strikes so far. With the first one called off after an improved pay offer, ABC staff have plans to strike for two hours next Wednesday. While the pay component was welcomed, the Community and Public Sector Union and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance say that the sticking point is inadequate career pathways for ABC workers.
ABC employees will stop work for an hour at 7am and 3pm on Wednesday 22 March.
Checked out
Mark Westfield has been a prominent business columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, a reporter on Four Corners, a business editor of the Australian, and a communications director to former Liberal party leader Malcolm Turnbull, so it was a change of pace when he took over as editor of the Examiner newspaper in Tasmania in January. Westy, who left journalism for communications in 2004, said he was “honoured” to go back to where he began as a copyboy in 1971.
But just three months into the adventure, Westfield has been sacked by publisher Australian Community Media after Launceston’s Examiner published a letter headed “Girls getting changed, then in walks a man”. The letter claimed a man had started to undress in front of children in the female change rooms at Launceston aquatic centre before being forcibly removed by a swimmer. The correspondent said the aquatic centre’s staff had refused to remove the person because they identified as female. Cue the response from the anti-trans lobby which shared the letter widely on social media. Only the letter was fake, and the city of Launceston confirmed no such incident had occurred.
Westfield told the ABC on Saturday he didn’t have time to check all the letters: “I have to trust my readers – 99.99% of letters I’m pretty confident are correct.” He published a clarification which said “unfortunately we appear to have been misled”.
On Wednesday, Westy’s short-lived run as a newspaper editor was over. Maybe he can get another gig with failed Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who he gave advice to at last year’s federal election.
