The old publishing industry mantra that “men don’t read” is rubbish, says author Jason Pinter. Men love reading — female-dominated publishing houses just aren’t printing anything they like.
Op-eds
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.
Vanity Fair editor: Print’s not dead — just reincarnated
The internet may change print journalism, but it won’t necessarily kill it, writes Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter: a good story is a good story, whether you read it in a magazine or on an iPhone.
Sinead O’Conner: How I was abused by the Catholic Church
In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Irish songstress Sinead O’Conner recounts the horror of her childhood years spent in one of the infamous church-run “Magdalene laundries”.
US health reform: how the world reacted
Daily media wrap: Yes he did. Across the globe, the media has applauded the passing of Obama’s historic health care reforms, but in America itself, not everyone is breaking out the bubbly.
Kennett: Why NSW should be more like Victoria
Well, this won’t inflame the NSW-Vic tensions at all: former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett says the answers to NSW’s economic woes lie in becoming more like Victoria. Lane-ways bars for all!
If China throws out Google, let’s throw out their computers
The free market cuts both ways, says international trade expert Gilbert Kaplan: If China won’t give free access to Google, we shouldn’t give them free access to our consumer markets.
Costello: Abbott’s parental leave plan is a race to the bottom
Former treasurer and couldabeenacontenda Peter Costello savages Tony Abbott and his paid parental leave scheme in an op-ed for today’s SMAge: it’s all just a big pissing contest with Rudd.
Somali President: We are not a “failed state”
In an op-ed for the Guardian, Somalia’s President Sharif Ahmed says that although the country may be one of the most dangerous in the world, it has not yet “failed”: there is nothing “Somali” about piracy and extremism.
Toyota President: We’re off to the mechanic
Toyota’s image is taking a huge battering, with the company recalling thousands of cars around the world — including 2400 in Australia. President Akio Toyoda takes to the WashPo’s op-ed pages to explain how he plans to repair public trust in the company (might take a few weeks — need to get parts in from overseas…)
WSJ: Rudd doesn’t know what Australians want — we do
In an op-ed that reads like a Liberal Party press release, the Wall St Journal says Kevin Rudd is out-of-step with ordinary Australians, and calls on him to ditch his “big, fat tax” ETS plans and “other expensive, big-government ideas”.
Ban Ki-Moon: Help Haiti, help the world
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon tells of his experiences in Haiti in an op-ed for the Washington Post and makes his plea: helping Haiti swiftly and effectively in its hour of need will give hope to the entire world’s poor.
Obama: Why we must save Haiti
US President Barack Obama pens an essay for Newsweek explaining why he has “ordered a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives in Haiti”.
Bill Clinton: Haiti needs your help
Former US President Bill Clinton pens an op-ed for the Washington Post, appealing for cash donations for Haiti — not just to fix the immediate damage caused by the earthquake, but to continue building the country well into the future.
CIA chief: We’re proud to be getting blown up in Afghanistan
CIA director Leon Panetta pens an op-ed for the Washington Post in the wake of news that eight of his employees were killed by an Afghan suicide bomber: that’s the price of war.
Turnbull in the Times: I was fired for trying to save the planet
Malcolm Turnbull has — somewhat inexplicably — been given an op-ed in the UK Times, giving his own version of his downfall, in which he, the noble martyr of the environment, was knifed by nasty climate sceptics while trying to save the world.
Gordon Brown: Copenhagen must be a turning point
On the eve of Copenhagen, British PM Gordon Brown has written an op-ed for the Guardian, urging leaders to help create a legally-binding agreement within six months, and hitting out against climate sceptics and the Climategate emails.
Celebrity op-eds: the height of lazy journalism
US papers, even huge, reputable ones like the NYT and WSJ, are suckers for a celebrity op-ed, with Bono, Sean Penn, and even James Franco (really?) recently receiving column inches for no other reason than their stardom. It sucks, says Ravi Somaiya.
The case for a nuclear Iran
Gasp! Iran could be building “The Bomb”. Yep: just like Pakistan has bombs, Israel has bombs and North Korea has bombs. Does another one really matter? asks Aetius Romulous
Gorbachev: The battle over climate change is the new Cold War
On the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has a message for the leaders of today: climate change is your Wall.
In defence of people smugglers
Kevin Rudd may deride people smugglers as the “scum of the Earth”, but for Andrew Casey, they’re the people who gave him the opportunity for a better life.
Stop sucking up to Israel, America
Israel is spoiled, arrogant and condescending country, says Gideon Levy, and it will continue to behave like one until the US stops flattering and fawning all over it. Washington needs to learn to say “no”.
John McCain: We must fight on
America must succeed in Afghanistan as a matter of national security, writes Republican senator and former presidential candidate John McCain.
“Oi! That’s my mX!” Are free papers fair game?
Should you share your mX or City Weekly with total strangers just because you didn’t pay for it? Julie Bindel rails against the rise of “newspaper vultures”, who swoop in on your free rag as soon as you put it down on the train.
Why overweight kids are victims of child abuse
Being fat is one thing, says India Knight: feed your face as much as you want. But if you feed your kids so much, and so poorly, that they develop weight issues, expect them to be taken away from you.
