Rees retired for a reason but Nixon got nixedDeparted fire chief Russell Rees got a dignified farewell and positive media coverage, the exact opposite coverage that Christine Nixon — who had a far lesser role in operations — did. Why? asks Jane Cowan.
April, 2010
Follow the Goldman Sachs hearing live
The Washington Post is liveblogging the Goldman Sachs Senate hearing, featuring the Fabulous Fabrice Tourre, Loyd “The Squid” Blankfein, and the relentless Senator Carl “shitty” Levin.
Why you should live-blog your own death
Live-blogging your death is apparently So Hot Right Now. But it’s not as crazy as it sounds, argues Sadie Stein: surely it’s better than dying alone?
LA Times: It’s fascist
Meghan McCain: A bad law with good intentions 
NYT: Arizona is now a police state
Arizona has passed controversial new laws requiring all immigrants to carry proof of their status and requiring police to interrogate them if they suspect they’re illegal. The NYT’s Linda Green says the US state is now on par with the Soviet Union and apartheid-era South Africa.
Van Onselen: The embarrassing tales of Buswell
Ex-WA Treasurer Troy Buswell is a talented pollie, but he’s also talented at constantly shaming himself. But he’s gone from a larrakin to a disgrace and WA politics will suffer from it, writes Peter van Onselen.
Richardson: Why I’ve stopped reading News Ltd
The latest NSW Newspoll found latest Newspoll found premier Kristina Keneally’s personal ratings are going strong — so why did The Oz run with the line “the Keneally government is dead in the water”, asks Charles Richardson.
So You Think You Can Be PM
Question time may be full of fireworks, but most politicians these days are a fizzle. We need to jazz up the political experience and attract politicians who are willing to try crazy, creative ideas, writes Oliver Marc Hartwich.
Rudd throws ETS in the “too hard” basket
Daily media wrap: Kevin Rudd is giving up on what he once described as “the greatest moral challenge of our time” — but is Australia’s attention span really so short? Crikey hasn’t forgotten, and neither has the world’s media.
Rudd on Rudd: I’m a coward on climate change
Less than six months ago, Kevin Rudd believed bailing on an ETS would be “political cowardice” and “an absolute failure of leadership”. Now his words have come back to haunt him, writes Jason Whittaker.
How the leaked iPhone cost Gizmodo $20,000
Gizmodo’s big iPhone 4 scoop may have hit all the headlines, but since all the advertising was presold, it’s actually cost the site significant money in legal fees and bandwidth. That’s OK, though: Gizmodo just wants the traffic.
Talking bull about Bush
George W Bush may not be the most eloquent of presidents, but he is about to become an author with the release of his memoir Decision Points. Gawker offers up its take on Bush’s big decisions.
Rudd runs from independent election debates
A proposal to establish an independent commission to control federal election debates has been sunk by the Rudd Government. Not prepared to let a fair and independent process interfere with a winning election strategy? asks Bernard Keane.
News v Guthrie: Nixon, Murdoch, Calvert-Jones and other dirty linen
The massive court book prepared on Bruce Guthrie’s behalf threatens to unleash a treasure trove of privileged News Limited information. Andrew Crook was in court for the first day of the trial.
Catholic priests on what it’s like to live without sex
The Catholic Church sex abuse scandals have stirred up the old debates about whether it’s actually healthy — or even possible — to live a life of celibacy. Current and former priests weigh in.
Morning Market Report: Citibank and Greece still worrying the markets
Financials underperformed on the US government saying they will sell 7bn Citibank shares and Greece’s debt issues continue to worry markets.
Keane’s analysis: asylum seekers dog the Government, and forget about tax rises
New polling data from Essential Research undermines the claim that people support higher taxes if they like what they’re spent on, and finds Australians rate the government’s management of asylum seekers very poorly.
Essential: Voters back health plan, optimistic about change
Kevin Rudd has won support for his sweeping health reforms among voters, according to a new Essential Research poll, with most believing it will have a positive impact on health services.
Why the $47 billion media giant can handle Storm’s losses
The solvency of Melbourne’s rugby league franchise is not in question for as long as News Ltd is prepared to keep adding to the $66 million it has invested so far. Or should it cut its losses and run?
Search engine optimisation is killing music
Immediacy and the race to be first on the internet is killing quality music criticism and journalism stone dead, writes Everett True.
Bieber fever creates chaos, but Sunrise still cashes in
Sunrise dumped its entire format, keeping its focus on the Bieber situation. News bulletins continued as scheduled, but the rest of the show was wall-to-wall Bieber.
Business As Usual: Paper cuts in US and good news and bad for Murdoch … Hockey just doesn’t get it …
US newspapers are feeling the pinch as circulations continue to drop, Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott launch predictable responses to the government’s wholesale changes to the business of financial advice and other business news.
