When Murdoch Says News Should Be Paid For....

Murdoch's "Gold Coast Bulletin" is a 'sponsor' of the 'World Rally Championship' Rally in the Tweed Valley. If you're still wet from coming down in the last shower you may be surprised to know that Murdoch's next paper just South of the Gold Coast, the 'Tweed Sun', has been not only loudly shilling the Rally, but also making outrageously unjournalistic claims about crazy, radical, loony, fun-hating, dangerous 'greeny' types who oppose the Rally in their quiet region.

At the top of recent editions there has been coloured advertising counting down the weeks to the rally. Wow! How Exciting!

The Paper's headline comes in just below that. August 20 was: "Organisers slam 'guerilla tactics' RALLY PESTS". Good old Ed Earl shamelessly spews his shillery over onto page 3 (how apt for a Murdoch stenographer!), and it turns out that the 'rally boss' calls something 'guerilla tactics'. Of course he 'slams' those tactics, like you do.

Ed Earl then eventually makes the serious claim that the No Rally Group "has threatened dangerous protests". No evidence for this or the earlier assertions is given, but we are able to report that "some think these allegations are the usual fabricated Murdoch bullshit". Of course those thoughts are ours, Ed never tells us where his claims came from.

So, this week ("Just 1 Week To Go WRC Pure Excitement") has the headline: "No Rally group rejects radical protest plans MADNESS".

In this piece of pure Murdochian confection Ed can now report that the 'No Rally' group "has distanced itself from extremists" planning extreme things about which Ed still can't provide any evidence.

In the story, Ed states as fact in the first paragraph: "PROTEST pests are planning extreme measures to disrupt the WRC Rally...", shit man! If you have evidence of that you should call the cops, there are laws against 'extreme' things. Ohhh, you still don't have any evidence beyond your brief to demonise citizens who are a bit worried about having a car race in their front yards? Well, this is a job for a Murdoch shill!

We won't name the two men Ed names because they could probably sue him and we don't want to distract them. Ed attributes a 'vow', 'suggestion that fires be lit', 'claim', boycott' and 'target' to various named and unnamed people all without a single quote.

Pure Murdoch. Put that on your tomatoes and watch them bloom!

Thanks, Ed.

PS- Down that way there is a REAL newspaper called 'The Echo'. Picked up this week's copy which manages to be balanced in its reporting about people looking forward to the excitement of a car Rally and people not happy about the Rally and how it will affect them and the environment. They even carried some 'anti' and 'pro' car ads. As far as we know, worlds did not collide and civilisation did not collapse as a result of this balanced journalism.

Please, please, please Murdoch, take your papers behind a 'pay-wall' and charge a very high price. Please!