Journalism, Nut Jobs and Terrorists

When it comes to most main stream media outlets, I have no positive expectations that they will be able to report on events with any credibility. The best one can do is to note the event and if you require relevant background information, then you need to search around and possibly wait a day or two for some of the real journalism to offer opinions and their take on events.

With the attacks and slaughter in Paris recently, the first reports pointed out the obvious, that someone had gunned down some cartoonists and other works. The press called them Islamist Terrorists. Having read some of the first reports from the recent Sydney attack, one had to wait to see what the reality was.

The Sydney attack turned out to be the work of some strange guy who was known for a host of unhinged behaviours. The good journalists eventually reported and commented on the reality of this terrible event. Murdoch blurted out his usual insane comments (isn’t time his phone was removed)

As for the Paris disaster, there is more evidence of links to activity by a terrorist cell. But it is still early days (as I write) and although the main culprits are dead, the details of who else is involved are still be revealed.

The world has always had to put up with nut jobs. We have one as a Prime Minister right now. His government takes refugees and shunts them off to hideaway concentration camps and punishes them for wanting to escape from terror to a safer place. He flies off to Iraq for a photo-opp with the troops. This million dollar visit served absolutely no purpose than his own ego. Meanwhile that million dollars would have underscored a heap of valuable work that could have been done by several of the smallish NGO’s who have their funding cut by this same Prime Minister. I am sure there is sense in all his decision within his own head. Nut jobs always believe themselves to be right despite the evidence.

Then there is that great US nut job, Murdoch. Just have a look at this tweet. click here. I think that this is equivalent to that shock jock who was fined recently over his on-air statements that led to the Cronulla riots. I suggest that Murdoch should be charged next time he arrives in Australia.

This government banned a sicko DJ recently who was holding meetings on how to treat women badly. Maybe the Australian Government should ban US citizen Murdoch from visiting this country on the basis of his encouraging bigotry and attacks on the Muslim communities. Hmm, fat chance of our Murdoch controlled government doing that to their sponsor!

Australia, like so  many other countries, has yet to elect a government that can deal with the realities of these complex situations when we have these nut jobs exploiting those things we cherish, free speech etc, in order bring down those very aspects of our way of living.

The great democracy experiment is ongoing and we could we could really do with some humanitarian and intelligent leadership right now.

But as I said earlier, there is some good journalism out there.

Here’s an article by Anne Summers – click here.

An article in ‘openDemocracy’ – click here.

A piece from John Birmingham – click here.

One of the many pieces on Sunday’s rally –  click here

J K Rowling responds to the walking-dead-Murdoch – click here.

From the New Yorker – click here

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Paul Costigan