Paul Holloway, a Labor pollie in the South Australian parliament, had a bone to pick with local rag The Advertiser. Plus Murdoch’s new training course (sans phone hacking) and all sorts of tasty media treats.
April, 2011
Political snippets: Australians frugal as personal lending finance decreases
That Australians are being cautious with their finances was shown again this morning.
Video of the Day: Tim Minchin gets animated
Comedian Tim Minchin’s wonderful nine-minute beat poem Storm — about science, reason and debunking alternative medicines — now comes in the form of an animated film.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
SA cuts to mental health help. Further to reports on neglect in the state’s mental health system, which South Australian government department is just about to close its support scheme for young gays and lesbians — another well-known vulnerable group in society with higher-than-usual rates of suicide? Drug giants in a spin over legal action. David and […]
Crikey Says: Crikey says: what’s gone missing at News Corp?
It has obviously come as a tremendous shock to Rupert Murdoch and his senior executives to discover that his company’s biggest-selling newspaper, the News of the World, has been systematically and illegally hacking the private voicemails of public figures for years.
Mayne: why hasn’t Rupert personally apologised?
Media outlets worldwide are declaring that Rupert Murdoch has apologised for outrageous phone hacking at his British tabloids, but the man has said nothing.
The ‘hysteria’ around NBN cost blowouts
So far April hasn’t been a great month for the National Broadband Network. But communications minister Stephen Conroy isn’t worried — he says it’s all “hysteria”.
After $50m in pay, how do we define Wal King’s legacy?
Leighton Holdings this morning announced it would write down more $1.14 billion from the value of its assets. So what role did boss Wal King play?
America’s unlikely allies in Libya
The presence of devout Islamists in Libya has raised questions about the background of rebel fighters. Babak Dehghanpisheh sat down for spinach stew with one of them, Abul Hakim Hasadi, who once narrowly escaped American bombs while training in Afghanistan.
The strange case of the wiretapping Hollywood star
Reporting on a twist to the News of the World phone tapping saga that seems lifted right out of a Hollywood movie, Christina Patterson explains how star Hugh Grant slipped into secret agent mode and turned the tables on the media.
Review: Andrew O’Neill in Out of Step (MICF)
No show has ever lacked artifice more than Andrew O’Neill’s Out of Step, a mixed-bag hour which reaches interesting heights to complement some desperate lows, writes Vince Chadwick.
Japan earthquake: online media’s epic #fail
Online media’s coverage of Japan’s earthquake and subsequent nuclear “crisis” reeked of the sickly smell of worst-case scenario reporting, writes Glen Clancy.
Re. “Grey areas shape the Assange Debate” (17 March 2011)
The original version of this story contained a line about a story published by Nick Davies in The Guardian on December 18 2010, headed ‘Ten Days in Sweden’.
Wankley winner no swan song
It is with great reluctance, and some trepidation, that Richard Farmer felt bound to express strong disagreement with the editorial judgment of his Crikey editor regarding the choice of last week’s Wankley award winner.
The climate change conference no one is talking about
Another UN climate change conference was held in Bangkok last week, but very little global media focused on it. Laura Griffin searches for the latest news being covered on climate change.
Maley: will Iceland’s austerity chill spread?
Are we nearing the point where people in developed countries have decided they’re no longer prepared to stomach harsh austerity regimes for the sake of fiscal probity, asks Karen Maley of Business Spectator?
1001 Australian Nights: an interview with Dave Graney
Rocker Dave Graney sits down with Gerard Elson to chat about his new memoir on life on the road as a dirty muso, 1001 Australian Nights, as well as living in London and his favourite works of art.
Vale Sidney Lumet (1924 – 2011)
Director Sidney Lumet, has passed away, age 86. In a career that spanned more than five decades, Lumet directed more than 40 feature films, which collectively generated more than 50 Oscar nominations, writes Luke Buckmaster.
The nature and culture of birds
In a guest post on Crikey’s Northern Myth blog, Shepard Krech III pens an essay on the interaction between culture and birds, and the difficulty with distinguishing between different bird species.
A cautionary note about calls to crack down on chiropractic
In response to recent calls for the government to close a chiropractic clinic run by RMIT university, Jon Wardle discusses the many benefits to keeping chiropractic training within the university sector.
The PBS deserves sensible reform
The government has been taking some heat recently over its decision to defer listing of new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Perhaps it’s time that some wider reforms of the PBS were considered, says Rebecca de Boer.
Re. “Fairfax ed count: where the chiefs outnumber the Indians” (7 April 2011)
Margaret Simons apologised for getting the title of Senior Editor at The Age Mark Baker wrong.
