Comments on: Facebook spam http://gatewatching.org/2007/09/11/facebook-spam/ researching citizen journalism Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:40:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: rmcg http://gatewatching.org/2007/09/11/facebook-spam/#comment-11 rmcg Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:21:04 +0000 http://gatewatching.org/?p=10#comment-11 Sadly, i find this comment quite true. Having worked in the MSM I found it full of people who felt some sort of "born to report" mentality. This is not to say the MSM doesn't have its fair share of excellent journalists - it does. But what disturbs me is the agenda of management and their fear of the intellectual. Take a look at the recent Monthly mag and its story on intereste rates. Once you read it you find yourself asking: How come the MSM never pursue these kinds of questions? Sadly, i find this comment quite true. Having worked in the MSM I found it full of people who felt some sort of “born to report” mentality. This is not to say the MSM doesn’t have its fair share of excellent journalists - it does. But what disturbs me is the agenda of management and their fear of the intellectual.
Take a look at the recent Monthly mag and its story on intereste rates. Once you read it you find yourself asking: How come the MSM never pursue these kinds of questions?

]]> By: Matthew Clayfield http://gatewatching.org/2007/09/11/facebook-spam/#comment-9 Matthew Clayfield Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:01:01 +0000 http://gatewatching.org/?p=10#comment-9 Hi guys. My name's Matt Clayfield and I'm covering the election as part of the Vibewire <a href="http://www.electiontracker.net.au" rel="nofollow">Election Tracker</a> project. I was hoping one of you might be able to e-mail me; I have some questions I want to ask for a piece I'm putting together on sites like ET, YouDecide2007, and political blogs generally. I tried e-mailing you through the YouDecide e-mail form but I haven't heard anything back. Hi guys. My name’s Matt Clayfield and I’m covering the election as part of the Vibewire Election Tracker project.

I was hoping one of you might be able to e-mail me; I have some questions I want to ask for a piece I’m putting together on sites like ET, YouDecide2007, and political blogs generally. I tried e-mailing you through the YouDecide e-mail form but I haven’t heard anything back.

]]> By: Dell on the Darling Downs http://gatewatching.org/2007/09/11/facebook-spam/#comment-6 Dell on the Darling Downs Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:15:04 +0000 http://gatewatching.org/?p=10#comment-6 Thanks for a good one, Jason. There is nothing Media magnates like Murdock fear more than that they lose control of the information they and those they support want Joe Public to know. Two TRUE anecdotes (a bit long but, I think, interesting) will explain what I mean. Both involve information (on an Australian government) that, while widely discussed in the UK and (in the second case, Western Europe as well), were either not reported, or reported very differently in Australia. (NB The veracity of these comments can be checked through microfiche & on-line newspaper files) (1) January 1980 - Frazer's actions on boycotts of the Moscow Olympics (supported bans on the Games, but not on trade with USSR, esp in wool & wheat): (a) UK response. Margaret Thatcher just about blew a valve in the House of Commons condemning Australia's refusal to enact the trade boycott. Aussies in our group & at pubs and other meeting places were cock-a-hoop that Thatcher put the boot into Frazer. Rumours circulated that the Frazers themselves were selling wool & wheat to USSR. Could hardly wait to get home to Oz & enjoy the fracas! (b) Back home in Oz a few days later, we find that Frazer is "Leading the Free World" in his boycott of the Olympics. And Magie T's tirade?? You guessed it. No one knew about it! (2) 30 Sept 1982-16 Jan 1983. As we leave OzLand, the C'wealth games are opening in Bris. The drought is dire & getting much worse. The "Commodity Boom" being talked up by Frazer & Howard has not eventuated (some daring pundits opine that there wasn't, isn't & won't be one, but they're howled down). "Bottom of the Harbour" scandals rock the Frazer Gov, swamping good-will created by the over-generous tax-cuts Treasurer Howard has thrown at voters - although there is a general feeling that they won't survive a looming election that F & H are hell-bent on having as soon as polls improve, the drought breaks etc. (Naturally, given the looming election & out absence from Oz, we will assiduously read every paper we can find - & translate - looking for an election date) (2 a) On 4 Oct 1982, en route from Tokyo to London, we read in "Frankfurter Zeitung" about the dire state of the drought-stricken Oz economy & that it's $6 billion in debt. This was but the first of many such articles. Unusually, Oz is all over the media for something other than sport. They appeared in UK, German, Swiss, Austrian & Italian newspapers (probably more, but these were the only languages I could read easily) Jostling for space with Lindy "A dingo took my baby" Chamberlain's trial and the Ashes tour of Oz, were article after article about Oz economy as drought & it grew worse, the tax cuts were a fiscal disaster, but still the scandals ran & polls were low. The A$ was grossly overpriced, but Aussies were borrowing bigtime in underpriced Swiss Francs etc - with dreadful consequences if Frazer & Howard, as threatened, floated the A$. Before we took off for home, the Oz Budget debt had risen to $9 billion. (B) Back home in Oz, what had been published about the economy bore little resemblance to what we'd read in Europe (luckily for our own credibility, we had kept papers & clippings). True indications of how deceived the coutry was, include: * Frazer's comments on the "good shape" economy in his tearful March 1983 electoral defeat concession speech. * newspaper headlines during the first couple of weeks of the Hawke government as the budget deficit estimates blew out to ... you guessed it .. first $6b then A$9 billion *The Weekend Oz's Ulysses cartoons for the same weeks, covering the way the incoming Hawke Gov had to change tack & dump many policies because of the debt! Think what we would have done with the European articles if we'd had Internet! THIS CONTROL OF MEDIA IN THE INTERESTS OF ONE POLITICAL PARTY is what interactive internet-based media has cost the mainstream media. PS. Do I trust Costello's claims about the budget surplus - current or past? Do I think that the gov might be running scared of what an incoming ALP government might find out about "the Future Fund"? Cheers & thank's again for a good read & nostalgia bout! Thanks for a good one, Jason.

There is nothing Media magnates like Murdock fear more than that they lose control of the information they and those they support want Joe Public to know.

Two TRUE anecdotes (a bit long but, I think, interesting) will explain what I mean. Both involve information (on an Australian government) that, while widely discussed in the UK and (in the second case, Western Europe as well), were either not reported, or reported very differently in Australia. (NB The veracity of these comments can be checked through microfiche & on-line newspaper files)

(1) January 1980 - Frazer’s actions on boycotts of the Moscow Olympics (supported bans on the Games, but not on trade with USSR, esp in wool & wheat):
(a) UK response. Margaret Thatcher just about blew a valve in the House of Commons condemning Australia’s refusal to enact the trade boycott. Aussies in our group & at pubs and other meeting places were cock-a-hoop that Thatcher put the boot into Frazer. Rumours circulated that the Frazers themselves were selling wool & wheat to USSR. Could hardly wait to get home to Oz & enjoy the fracas!

(b) Back home in Oz a few days later, we find that Frazer is “Leading the Free World” in his boycott of the Olympics. And Magie T’s tirade?? You guessed it. No one knew about it!

(2) 30 Sept 1982-16 Jan 1983. As we leave OzLand, the C’wealth games are opening in Bris. The drought is dire & getting much worse. The “Commodity Boom” being talked up by Frazer & Howard has not eventuated (some daring pundits opine that there wasn’t, isn’t & won’t be one, but they’re howled down). “Bottom of the Harbour” scandals rock the Frazer Gov, swamping good-will created by the over-generous tax-cuts Treasurer Howard has thrown at voters - although there is a general feeling that they won’t survive a looming election that F & H are hell-bent on having as soon as polls improve, the drought breaks etc. (Naturally, given the looming election & out absence from Oz, we will assiduously read every paper we can find - & translate - looking for an election date)

(2 a) On 4 Oct 1982, en route from Tokyo to London, we read in “Frankfurter Zeitung” about the dire state of the drought-stricken Oz economy & that it’s $6 billion in debt.

This was but the first of many such articles. Unusually, Oz is all over the media for something other than sport. They appeared in UK, German, Swiss, Austrian & Italian newspapers (probably more, but these were the only languages I could read easily)

Jostling for space with Lindy “A dingo took my baby” Chamberlain’s trial and the Ashes tour of Oz, were article after article about Oz economy as drought & it grew worse, the tax cuts were a fiscal disaster, but still the scandals ran & polls were low. The A$ was grossly overpriced, but Aussies were borrowing bigtime in underpriced Swiss Francs etc - with dreadful consequences if Frazer & Howard, as threatened, floated the A$. Before we took off for home, the Oz Budget debt had risen to $9 billion.

(B) Back home in Oz, what had been published about the economy bore little resemblance to what we’d read in Europe (luckily for our own credibility, we had kept papers & clippings).

True indications of how deceived the coutry was, include:
* Frazer’s comments on the “good shape” economy in his tearful March 1983 electoral defeat concession speech.
* newspaper headlines during the first couple of weeks of the Hawke government as the budget deficit estimates blew out to … you guessed it .. first $6b then A$9 billion
*The Weekend Oz’s Ulysses cartoons for the same weeks, covering the way the incoming Hawke Gov had to change tack & dump many policies because of the debt!

Think what we would have done with the European articles if we’d had Internet!

THIS CONTROL OF MEDIA IN THE INTERESTS OF ONE POLITICAL PARTY is what interactive internet-based media has cost the mainstream media.

PS. Do I trust Costello’s claims about the budget surplus - current or past? Do I think that the gov might be running scared of what an incoming ALP government might find out about “the Future Fund”?

Cheers & thank’s again for a good read & nostalgia bout!

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