Rupert Murdoch HATES bats

It is no co-incidence this fear mongering about bats appeared on the front page of last weekend's 'Gold Coast Bulletin', as well as appearing on their on line version [19/6/10]

In Rupert Murdoch's world, the environment and human beings exist independently of, and in conflict with, each other:

Queensland biosecurity officials have locked down an area near the Gold Coast Turf Club fearing a potential outbreak of the fatal Hendra virus which could cripple the multimillion-dollar industry.

Government officials have banned trainers indefinitely from walking their horses in the popular forest area near the racing precinct because of a fruit bat colony which could carry and pass on the illness through bodily fluids.

The danger could last several weeks with the council and environment protection agencies forced to preserve the protected species rather than cull or remove the breeding ground for the virus.

It is believed up to 1500 fruit bats may live in trees next to the state-of-the-art Traintech education facility opposite the racecourse. ...

Murdoch's little foot soldiers pick and choose what to tell the citizenry according to their master's dictates, not what is in the community interest.

They would have known about this Bat Care Brisbane event:

'Bat Watch with Gilbert' Flying Fox Information and Display

Saturday 19 June from 4.30pm to 7.30pm - Cascade Gardens, Broadbeach Gold Coast Hwy, Broadbeach

Have you always wanted to know more about the creepy creatures that fill our skies at night. Come along and separate the facts from the fiction about these amazing native mammals! You get to take home a free flying-fox food plant, witness an evening fly-out then enjoy a free BBQ. RSVPs essential to Louise, Bat Conservation and Rescue. Funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country program so it’s free to enjoy.

This event was mentioned on the ABC's Coast FM last week in conjunction with a story about flying foxes starving throughout South East Queensland:

... Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland president, Louise Saunders, says more than 850 people have reported injured animals so far this year, compared to a total of 1,000 reports in 2009.

She says fewer native flowers are opening in the cold weather and the animals are travelling further and taking bigger risks to feed. ...

The Hard-Core Zionists have a famous saying: "I can forgive you for killing my child, but I can never forgive you for forcing me to kill your children", and it is this mindset that dominates Murdoch's hatred of the natural environment.

Cause, Effect, and Vicious Merciless Retribution. Never mind that our unsustainable development is the cause of the problem, the solution is violent retribution against the effect - in this case the bats trying to find somewhere to live and something to eat.

Interestingly, these Murdoch pieces always successfully dog whistle up the same type of predicitable comments, along the lines of this one:

"it's ridiculous they are looking to save the bats, surely people are more important!!"
Jason

Cascade Gardens, Broadbeach

Do you really think Murdoch wants to save the whales?

Footage of the 'Sunday Times'' entrapment of the National Director of Fisheries for the Republic of Guinea, broadcast on 'Lateline'

Last night [17/6/10] the ABC's 'Lateline' ran a report based on an unethical "sting" conducted by the 'Sunday Times':

... Undercover reporters posed as representatives of a billionaire conservationist who was willing to, in effect, buy the votes of those countries to change from pro to anti whaling.

Europe correspondent Philip Williams spoke to one of the reporters involved,
Jonathan Calvert, who requested his face not be shown on television. ...

This is yet another example of ethically corrupt behaviour, universally common across the Murdoch empire. Curiously, the fact that this entrapment is unethical was not even mentioned in the 'Lateline' report.

With regard to clandestine devices and subterfuge, Britain's Press Complaints Commission's "Editors' Code of Practice" states:

i) The press must not seek to obtain or publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine listening devices; or by intercepting private or mobile telephone calls, messages or emails; or by the unauthorised removal of documents or photographs; or by accessing digitally-held private information without consent.

ii) Engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge, including by agents or intermediaries, can generally be justified only in the public interest and then only when the material cannot be obtained by other means.

Attempting to suggest bribery and corruption by engaging in bribery and corruption proves nothing. It's like a journalist sneaking into your house and shooting you, and then publishing a headline: "Householder Involved In Shooting Crime". It's false logic.

The "public interest" must be proven by the person "engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge", and in this case it wasn't. If there is corruption, then evidence of that corruption should be obtained. Creating new corruption just makes News Ltd. a bunch of crooks and proves nothing.

It seems as though all of Murdoch's properties get a turn to rotate around the ABC. Was it the 'Sunday Times'' turn last night?

Win a holiday to a military dictatorship

Fiji is a military dictatorship.

A military dictatorship needs a compliant media to run propaganda and keep the people uninformed. In Fiji, there are three papers: two are basically government controlled and the other, the Fiji Times, is owned by Rupert Murdoch.

In early April 2010 the military dictatorship decreed that all media would have to be locally owned and controlled within 3 months. It is safe to assume that (the American) Rupert Murdoch doesn't like that idea.

What a coincidence, then, that we see Murdoch's Gold Coast Bulletin promoting tourism to Fiji just when he might be trying to sweet talk the dictator into giving him the usual exceptional treatment he has come to expect from governments all over the world when getting around the rules that apply to everyone else.

Is it your ABC or Rupert Murdoch’s?

How are you finding your local ABC’s coverage of local news and issues of late?

Here on the Gold Coast, we wonder who is running our local ABC station - Coast FM - given nearly every day, precious airtime is devoted to parroting propaganda and PR from either the ‘Gold Coast Bulletin’, the ‘Courier-Mail’, or any other News Ltd. outlet.

For instance, the lead segment on the "Drive" program today [16/6/10] was about a nominee for the Pride of Australia™ Medal. – the ‘Courier-Mail’s cover story.

Pride of Australia™ is a commercial venture owned by News Ltd. (who own the vast majority of Australia's so called newspapers), yet the announcer failed to disclose this fact.

This is blatant promotion of a Murdoch corporate PR vehicle, and is surely against the ABC's editorial guidelines?

We also heard about the Dreamworld Bengal Tiger’s dental work [page 3 ‘Courier-Mail’] and Vu Vu horns [page 27 ‘Courier-Mail’].

Since the disappearance of popular and community-minded announcer Trevor Jackson at the end of last year, it’s been getting dumb and dumber at Coast FM.

A woeful state of affairs considering the Gold Coast is a one-paper town.

How hard would it be for a Coast FM reporter to file a weekly Council, Courthouse, police roundup, or actually do some simple community journalism?

Is there a journalist at the station following the current NSW Supreme Court Inquiry into the collapse of Gold Coast financial company Octaviar/MFS?

Now that’s an interesting story with local relevance to Gold Coast residents.

If you're getting as sick of the Murdoch Press’ constant infiltration of the ABC at all levels as we are, contact your Federal MP, and demand that they do something to wrestle back the ABC's independence and strengthen their local, non-Murdoch content.

Murdoch wants to take health care back to the 19th Century

... One night I was aroused from my slumbers by the screams of a new patient who was entered in my hall. The welcome she received from her keepers, Miss Smith and Miss Bailey, so frightened her that she supposed they were going to kill her. ...

This article in today's [15/6/10] 'Gold Coast Bulletin' is not about informing the community or attempting to solve a problem. It's all about perpetuating negative stereotypes, vilification, manipulating fear and the usual public hospital bashing:

Mental health patients are being let out of their ward at Gold Coast Hospital to take cigarette breaks alongside other patients, staff and the general public.

In 2009, Gold Coast Hospital removed its nominated smoking areas from hospital grounds in accordance with Queensland Health's smoking policy.

That has left just the footpath, which runs alongside busy Southport-Nerang Road, as the only place to smoke.

Gold Coast Hospital has confirmed patients from the mental health ward, including some involuntary patients, are being released from their wards to smoke.

Former president of the Gold Coast Medical Association and former director of the mental health unit at the Gold Coast Hospital Dr Philip Morris said patient safety could be at risk. ...

Typical 19th Century bullshit from the Murdoch empire.

If you care about truth, balance and fair reporting, contact your candidates in the upcoming election.

Tell them what you think about the disgraceful state of the majority of Australia's print media and ask them what they're going to do about it.

Ostracise and ridicule

The Rudd Government clearly have no plans to do anything about the shocking level of Murdoch control and influence of Australian media, let alone criticise it:

... BARRIE CASSIDY: You apparently told a meeting of Reuters clients this week that reform is harder these days because of the media. What did you mean by that?

LINDSAY TANNER: No, that's not quite what I said. I just said that the intensity of the media cycle now and particularly the far greater pervasiveness of electronic media means that it's harder to prosecute a reform case than it was maybe 20, 25 years ago. That doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means that it's tougher circumstances.

The newspaper industry has dumbed down because it's in a much more intense competitive environment.

And so you're getting a kind of reporting that just makes it tougher to prosecute complex, nuanced reform projects rather than simplistic Tony Abbott style one-liners.

That's just the reality that we have to deal with. It doesn't mean you don't pursue reform. It just means it's got a bit harder.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Is that really the problem or is it your Government's obsession with the media that's the problem?

LINDSAY TANNER: No well first Barrie I didn't say it was, quote, "the problem" as you've just implied. I answered a specific question about has it become a bit harder and I said yes.

Secondly the suggestion that there is an obsession with the media in our Government I think is not correct. The media is an ever present part of modern politics, no matter who the government is, no matter who the players are. It is just a key part of the process. ...

Even as they are obviously out of control, as reported by Rafael Epstein ['The Age 12/6/10]:

Victoria's police watchdog yesterday cleared Chief Commissioner Simon Overland of wrongdoing over the leaking of a secret crime investigation as details emerged of alleged attempts by Rupert Murdoch’s media empire to intimidate law enforcement agencies.

Office of Police Integrity director Michael Strong issued a statement saying he believed Mr Overland acted lawfully when he told his then media director about intelligence that came from covertly taped phone calls.

A series of controversial articles in the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper this week claimed Mr Overland’s conversation undermined an investigation into the 2003 murder of prostitute Shane Chartres-Abbott.

But Mr Strong said Mr Overland acted within the law, ‘‘for a purpose connected with an investigation’’, in conveying covert information to a confidant.

His statement came as The Age obtained details of two incidents in which senior News Ltd executives appeared to threaten law enforcement agencies in Victoria and NSW.

Australian editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell wrote to the OPI and the federal police watchdog, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI), in March. He denounced their joint report critical of the paper’s coverage of anti-terrorism raids in Melbourne last year as ‘‘the greatest corruption of truth I have seen in an official document’’.

‘‘I assure you The Australian newspaper will use every journalistic and legal measure available to pursue what can only be described as an outrageous fabrication ... should our concerns not be addressed,’’ he wrote.

Last week the newspaper settled its court dispute with the OPI, and had settled with the ACLEI previously.

Meanwhile, law enforcement sources have told The Age that they were concerned about comments News Ltd chairman John Hartigan made to senior NSW police in March.

Several sources at the meeting said Mr Hartigan told officers they could choose to work with News Ltd or not, like Mr Overland. The sources interpreted this as a warning to police to co-operate with the group’s newspapers or they would receive negative coverage. ‘‘It really means the police [should] play ball or else we will carve you up ... we will get stuck into you as we have been with Overland,’’ one senior officer said.

Mr Hartigan spoke on March 17 at the Police Leadership Centre at the University of Western Sydney. Mr Hartigan’s spokesman said he ‘‘totally rejects that interpretation ...[and] he does not make threats to anybody, let alone senior officers’’. ...

In many traditional cultures, one of the most severe forms of punishment for egregious wrongdoing, is to ostracise and/or ridicule the wrongdoer.

So in the face Government inability or refusal to act, we propose a boycott of all Murdoch publications.

Don't give them your eyeballs, do not give them your money, don't interact with them, don't allow them to set the agenda every day and control the debate. Where possible, tell advertisers in the Murdoch Press why you can't do business with them.

In addition poke fun and ridicule at every opportunity.

Here's Russell Brand's comedic analysis of 'The Sun' to inspire you:

http://www.protectthehuman.com/videos/russell-brand-standup-at-amnesty-s-secret-policeman-s-ball-2006

Is Simon Overland Australia's cleanest cop?

We could all take a leaf out of the Victorian Police Chief's book:

... He accuses The Australian Newspaper of running a concerted and "disgraceful" campaign against him.

"The reason I criticised them is I thought their actions put the lives of my members at risk. And I still believe that," he said.

"I criticised them and I moved on. But they have been waging this relentless campaign ... that is directly aimed, at, I think, whacking me because I dared to have a go at them."

At a media doorstop later, Mr Overland ignored questions from a journalist from The Australian, repeatedly asking for the next question.

If you had to choose who to believe, would it be Simon Overland or Murdoch's hacks?

The Murdoch Press are not about journalism, they are about power and neo-liberal ideology.

For the sake of our democracy, contact your candidates in the upcoming federal election and ask them what they will do to restore some balance to media ownership and control in Australia.