The state of modern journalism in general is appalling. Students of journalism and media, across the country and in many tertiary institutes, are not taught one of the most basic principles of news reporting - separating opinion from fact.
There is room for editorials and opinion pieces. In fact, there is a huge demand by readers to read different opinion pieces. But news is news, and the front pages of newspapers are supposed to be free from editorializing, colorful language, spin, cartoons and imagery.
The Age and SMH are 2 of the worst newspapers in Australia, because they proudly violate this concept on a near daily basis. The left wing hatred and cynicism towards Howard, climate change hysteria, animosity towards liberty and capitalism pervade almost every paragraph.
The Herald Sun also editorialize their headlines, but with a different bias - a more patriotic and nationalistic one. Its usually focussed on demonising criminals and social misfits, as "monsters", and celebrating soldiers, patriots and the winners of awards as valiant heroes.
The Australian is the best paper out of the lot of them, with as little editorialising as possible. There are still quite some detectable bias in support of Howard and Costello in their headlines, calling it a "Smart Budget" on their front page, but the spin is rather mild.
Yeah, they all let their opinion seep in a little - but when it's as overt as that pig cartoon, it's unforgivable.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon is fine for an opinion page, but for a front page, that's just disgusting.
The bit about "smart budget" - ALP keep referring to it as a clever budget themselves... and to Howard as a clever politician (with emphasis to imply that clever is a bad thing - ie, cunning and devious).
A commenter elsewhere rightly pointed out that, if it hadn't for the hated Howard, there wouldn't be any pork in the barrel.
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