M62

Would you want to know the truth?

February 18 2013

One of the great things about our way of life, is the concept of free press. Actually this freedom has to generate profits for share holders, so it's often a special tinted, don't confront the readers freedom. Loose your readers, loose your advertisers, end of your income stream.So the press write stories about nice comfy stuff that people who by cars and white goods don't feel uncomfortable about.Ah free press, so refreshing. In 1972, the Washington Post brought down the biggest government in the world with some very uncomfortable reporting. As the story unfolded, we discovered conservative US Republican interests had even began to fiddle about in Australia. More uncomfortable than finding the morning milk in the fridge is sour. But it didn't matter, this was important news.It seems this is changing. News out, is that Washington Post reporters have known about unsavoury military drone operations in Africa and The Middle East for some time. Two years in fact. But they had stilled their quills on requests of the US govt. Surely this is not free press?As the world becomes more and more politically conservative in nature, should we expect more of this sort of behavior? If a state does something that will upset the people there in, should those people not be told? What happens to us when Govt's start instructing the press to tell lies?

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RHP User

12 years ago

and yes I would like to always know the truth However...what is THE TRUTH ?

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RHP User

12 years ago

Julian Assange would absolutely agree LRE.

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RHP User

12 years ago

if public forums are a policed state? Or are they just that? Public. Etymology is a fascinating thing ...

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RHP User

12 years ago

How can we have free press in Australia when it's essentially a monopoly. Many journo's here bemoan the fact that there is no such thing in Australia.- Posted from rhpmobile

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RHP User

12 years ago

I totally agree with you karynb. Having been out with and mixed with the media in my last profession, I know how much pressure is on them from editors and sub-editors. "so may lives to ruin so little time" is the journos motto and with the media being riddled with wanna-be politicians and editors with unsavoury lobbyists on the speed dial we have to hope the new breed will bring some freedom. Mind you the journos I went out with were always great fun, always..... ahh those were the days my friend LOL..

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RHP User

12 years ago

..for quite some time. They use to laugh at our concept of freedom.Natalia would say "we knew our press was bias, so it was OK. But here your press is just as bias and you don't."She was referring to the way it would not report anything that was socially sensitive in case it offended it's advertisers. And the fact that thinking you have some degree of freedom is dangerous when it does not exist."We only came here for sun and taxes" they use to say. It still makes me laugh.

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RHP User

12 years ago

All much prettier to live in the land of blissful ignorance.

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RHP User

12 years ago

The dollar is mightier than the pen ...

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RHP User

12 years ago

Even with a "free" press, we still have trouble working out what we want... equal time for every viewpoint, or proportionate time based on the acceptance of each viewpoint. The former gives a "radicalised" press, the latter a conservative press that doesn't challenge the status quo.- Posted from rhpmobile

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RHP User

12 years ago

While there is always an element of "truth" in the news there is always a bias towards the journalists/news companies opinions and allegiances. It's always worth reading a number of news articles on the same incident from different sources - ie limited news (news limited) and fair fax.

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RHP User

12 years ago

LRE, If you think the censoring of the drone issue is bad, wait till I tell you about XXXXXXX and what happened in XXXXXXX ! The XXXXXXX Government covertly sent XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and subsequebtly XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. The resultant XXXXXXXXXXXXXX had the effect that XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX which led to XXXXXXXX being XXXXXXXXXXXXXX and XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. I believe that XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX involved with XXX XXXXXXXXX as well XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX following the XXXXXXXXXXXX as XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX because XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX on their behalf. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX the XXXXXX whilst XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX but XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . Lucky that XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX here, hey?

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RHP User

12 years ago

... looks like you just got gob smacked :-)

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RHP User

12 years ago

Isn't it written in the law of a Democratic Country, Press cant be monopolized? So are the Owners of the " Press" doing something unlawful, and also our politician for allowing it to be?

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RHP User

12 years ago

It's frustrating the benign kind of impudence displayed by the media.I think the newspapers and government are in it together. For sure! It's not so much the age of the politically conservative but the age of the politically correct! The government will always do whatever they please anyway! The media are just not always allowed to publish or report on what is really going on in the world. The small amount of controversy that the government reluctantly offers-up for the masses via print media is but a 'token'. Crumbs! Anything legit that does let slip through is usually blatant propaganda. Nicely gift wrapped to distract us from the truth, take the heat off the real issues and blind us to the fact that our world (along with all of us who live in it) is in really deep shit! I often chuckle to myself at how they try to spoon feed us these periodical ritual sacrifices and take a few heavyweight people down just far enough to make it look good. Or they shuffle things around only to have it reappear somewhere else under another guise? The great recycling magicians, these monkey grinders that turn the cogs of our economy. All the while promoting the belief that we are safe because law and order reigns supreme. When the intent is really to enslave us so we are too uneducated, overworked, sick or poor to notice the big shots and power mongers are merely looking after their own selfish agendas, greedy vested interests and corrupt status quo. Sure we are afforded the light entertainment variety of 'quasi' journalism from the columns of people like for example Mike Carlton (aka 'papa smurf ' of the SMH) which we all know and love? His mixture of tongue in cheek opinion and nostalgic reminiscing designed to pull the piss out of the odd public figure or flagging and dogmatic institution? Or run some other obvious issue up the flag pole? Banter that is great for a laugh and that "we all know it's true" nod of acknowledgement we get when reading it on a Saturday morning but it's never anything serious.It's unlikely the newspaper industry will recover that spark of "this is on fire" untainted and instantaneous freedom of influence they once had because the government along with the rich have it all stitched up!

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RHP User

12 years ago

the man who is currently up on charges and standing trial in the U.S. for of passing on top secret military information to Assange's Wiki-leaks had first offered the story to several other well known publications. One of which was The New York Times. They declined.

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madotara69

12 years ago

John LennonBob MarleyPeter GarretRed GumGraham Connors (let the cane fields burn)And Pink (Dear Mr President)Play them loud.

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Would you want to know the truth?

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