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Sky News AU
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Media Watch Dog: ABC's Sarah Ferguson has her own 'what would your mother say' moment berating Jacinta Price, glass-jawed Niki Savva needs a new crystal ball
It's become oh-so-boring and predictable when individuals say how 'EXCITED' they are about taking up a new position. So, it was refreshing to hear ABC 7.30 political correspondent Laura Tingle say that she is 'EXCEPTIONALLY EXCITED' to be appointed to the position of ABC's Global Affairs Editor. La Tingle will fill in the position vacated by John Lyons when he was appointed Americas Editor in February 2025. As avid Media Watch Dog readers know, Comrade Lyons said on ABC TV News Breakfast on 18 March that his role was to 'translate the Trump presidency to an Australian audience.' Somewhat pompous, don't you think? Especially since the comments implied that the ABC's three-person strong Washington D.C. bureau was not up to the translation task. Now, Laura Tingle has also thrown the switch to condescension. In her 'I'm exceptionally excited' statement, Tingle also declared: It's so important that the national public broadcaster has Australian eyes on the world, putting the significance of major global events into context for local audiences. ABC Director of News Justin Stevens supported Tingle's case, declaring she has 'experience, knowledge and skills to help audiences make sense of the extraordinary times we're living in'. It may well be that Australia really needs the likes of John Lyons and Laura Tingle travelling around the world telling us mere mortals what's going on. Or it may be that these appointments are convenient for ABC management. Writing in The Daily Telegraph on 31 May 2024, former ABC board member Joe Gersh had this to say about Lyons' role as ABC Global Affairs Editor: Has the ABC passed the test of impartiality? Take the case of its Global Affairs Editor, John Lyons, the ABC's lead on this issue. Lyons is an experienced and knowledgeable journalist, but also the author of a book highly critical of Israel and a long essay expressing contempt for the leadership of the Jewish community [in Australia] and its advocacy groups. How can he possibly be suitable to lead the ABC's Israel-Gaza coverage requiring, as its charter does, impartiality on the issue? Laura Tingle is on record as accusing the Coalition government, when led by Scott Morrison, of 'ideological bastardry'. She was an antagonist with respect to the Liberal Party when it was led by Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton. Moreover, at the 2024 Sydney Writers' Festival, Tingle declared that Australia is a 'racist country'. At the time, Justin Stevens had this to say: Laura Tingle's remarks at the Sydney Writers' Festival at the weekend lacked the context, balance and supporting information of her work for the ABC and would not have met the ABC's editorial standards. Although the remarks were conversational, and not made in her work capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media. Today she has explained her remarks in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and detail. The ABC's editorial standards serve a vital role. Laura has been reminded of their application at external events as well as in her work and I have counselled her over the remarks. So, there you have it. John Lyons, the vehement opponent of Israel, got the prize Americas Editor job. And Laura Tingle, the vehement critic of Australia's (alleged) racism, got the prized Global Affairs Editor position. All this suggests that, at Australia's taxpayer funded Conservative Free Zone, leftists-behaving-badly get the best appointments. ABC BRANDS SENATOR PRICE A FIREBRAND On ABC Radio News on the morning of Friday 9 May, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was referred to as a 'firebrand'. This is not news – it is opinion. The term 'Firebrand' was also used by Jacob Greber and Olivia Caisley in their column about the Liberal Party on ABC News Online. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has a full name and a title. Neither contains the word Firebrand. EDITORIAL KEY OVERSEAS POSTINGS AT THE ABC & NINE NEWSPAPERS GO TO LEFT-OF-CENTRE TYPES As mentioned above, at the ABC, Laura Tingle has become Global Affairs Editor replacing John Lyons – who is now the Americas Editor based in Washington DC. Two left wing journalists who have been rewarded with great gigs at the taxpayer funded public broadcaster. Meanwhile, Nine's overseas-based reporters are also left-of-centre types. David Crowe is off to London to be European Correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald (re which see Can You Bear It?) Meanwhile, the able Michael Koziol, another left-of-centre inner city type, is Nine's North America Correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald . What's more, the word is that Nine's Australian Financial Review is sending its deputy editor news Jessica Gardner to Washington DC. Not a political conservative among this lot – who have, or are about to get, plum overseas postings – replete with generous allowances, lots of travel, housing assistance and so on. It would seem that at the ABC and Nine such gigs go to left-wing types. This sends a message to young journalists and those in mid-career positions that if you want to get on at the ABC or Nine, it helps to be on the left. CAN YOU BEAR IT? SARAH FERGUSON'S VERY OWN 'WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER SAY?' MOMENT WHEN BERATING SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE Perhaps the most dramatic media event of the May 2025 election campaign occurred when ABC TV 7.30 presenter Sarah Ferguson asked Liberal Party frontbencher Michael Sukkar: 'What would your mother say hearing you [Sukkar] interrupt her [Clare O'Neil]? Comrade Ferguson was berating Sukkar for interrupting Labor's Housing Minister Clare O'Neil. In fact, Ferguson interrupted Sukkar 16 times but only interrupted O'Neil on 8 occasions. Moreover, O'Neil interrupted Sukkar more than Sukkar interrupted O'Neil. How times change. Move forward to the night of 3 May election when Sarah Ferguson interviewed Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – the Opposition's Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs. Let's go to the transcript: Sarah Ferguson: Peter Dutton tonight has lost his seat. With your embrace of Donald Trump 'Make Australia Great Again' are you part of that loss? Jacinta Nampijinpa Price: Oh, that's a big call, don't you think? I mean, you sling enough mud in an election it sticks. And we did see a prime minster who absolutely misled the Australian people all the way through and was rarely called out for his conduct and I think that's absolutely deceitful – Sarah Ferguson: [interjecting] But Jacinta, let's just talk about this seriously. At a time when Donald Trump was sending shock waves around the world – Jacinta Nampijinpa Price: [interjecting] I'm talking about it seriously – Sarah Ferguson: [interjecting] Well, it's not a smear campaign. I want you to address it seriously Jacinta. At a time that Donald Trump was sending shock waves around world, disturbing – disturbing – Jacinta Nampijinpa Price: [interjecting] Ok so if you don't think – if you don't think that I'm addressing this seriously, I am addressing this deadly seriously… Which raises the question. What would Sarah Ferguson's (late) mother say hearing her daughter interrupt Senator Price? And what would the late Mrs Ferguson think about Sarah Ferguson's evident aggressive condescension in implying, on two occasions, that Senator Price's answers were not serious? Comrade Ferguson's double standard in handling a Labor minister and a Coalition shadow minister raises the question: How unprofessional was that? And here's another question: Can You Bear It? DAVID MARR CALLS A YOUNGER MAN (ALEXANDER DOWNER) 'RATHER AGED' As Media Watch Dog readers are well aware, Ellie's (male) co-owner invariably walks the said canine on her Late Night Walk listening to David Marr presenting Late Night Live (aka Late Night Left) on ABC Radio National from 10.05 pm. Comrade Marr and his team invariably provide great copy for Hendo. And so, it came to pass on Monday 5 May – some 48 hours after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed victory for the Australian Labor Party in the 3 May election. As usual for a Monday, your man Marr spoke with ABC TV 7.30 political correspondent Laura Tingle. However, last Monday the segment was extended by around 20 minutes to over 40 minutes – presumably to accommodate a second commentator. Enter The Age and Sydney Morning Herald columnist Niki Savva – who is also a panellist on ABC TV's Insiders program. What do Comrades Marr, Tingle and Savva have in common? Well, they are all vehement critics of the contemporary Liberal Party of Australia and all are antagonists of former Liberal leader Peter Dutton. This session was (yet) another example of the taxpayer funded public broadcaster's lack of viewpoint diversity. As would be expected in a Conservative Free Zone. Now it's accurate to say that, as Opposition leader Peter Dutton conducted a poor election campaign. This was also true of Scott Morrison in 2022 and Malcolm Turnbull in 2016. However, Morrison did win in 2019 and three years later the Coalition was attempting to win a fourth term in office. MWD just loved it when Marr, Tingle and Savva did a pile-on against The Australian and Sky News Australia – tinged with lotsa ageism. For example, La Tingle (ABC TV's 7.30 political correspondent) referred to News Corporation appealing to 'old people in grey cardigans'. As distinct from contemporary ABC audiences, apparently. Soon after, Tingle mocked 'old white men in general'. Then there was this with respect to The Australian columnists: David Marr: Well, they tend to be white men, and they tend to be rather aged, but some of them can write terrific rhetoric, Laura. And you mustn't, you mustn't disparage them for that. I mean, there was Alexander Downer condemning the fantasy of changing the weather…. Fancy that. David Marr (born 1947) regards former Liberal Party leader Alexander Downer (born 1951) as 'rather aged'. Laura Tingle (born 1961) was the LNL 'youth' on Late Night Live that night. As to Niki Savva – her age appears to be a state secret. But Hendo recalls first meeting Ms Savva in 1976 in Old Parliament House – i.e. half a century ago. As to David Marr's comment that The Australian 's columnists tend to be 'white men' – this would suggest that he doesn't read what such women as Janet Albrechtsen, Peta Credlin, Judith Sloan, Gemma Tognini and Caroline Overington have to say. How sexist can a 77-year-old bloke get? In fact, MWD's estimated average age of the Marr/Tingle/Savva trio is circa 74 years of age – that is, older than the 'rather aged' Mr Downer. Can You Bear It? [Interesting. Does David Marr really believe that Australia can change the weather? – MWD Editor.] DAVID CROWE THROWS THE SWITCH TO SELF-INDULGENCE At the end of ABC TV's Insiders each Sunday, the three panellists are invited to make a comment. It's usually about Australian national politics. However, on Sunday 4 May, the morning after the election, David Crowe, the chief political correspondent for Nine's The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, spoke primarily about the topic he knows best. Himself. Let's go to the transcript. David Crowe: I'll see if I can say all this quickly. On Trump, it's interesting, he loves winners and so that could hold Anthony Albanese in good stead when that visit to Washington DC comes. But my main point was going to be a self-indulgent one. I'm leaving Canberra after 20 years. I've got a new gig at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age . So, I want to say thank you – David Speers: Tell us the new gig. David Crowe: It'll be in Europe. Covering mayhem there. Instead of mayhem in Canberra. And it's sad to leave this this set up here, but I hope that you'll have me back in a couple of years. And on that note, I also wanted to acknowledge that all the people who campaigned and all the people who fought to hold their seats – there are so many good people in politics. We're very conscious sometimes of the narcissists and the awful people. And by the way, wasn't it a shame that Clive Palmer didn't do all that well? But there are so many good people, and they will be a loss. We saw that with Keith Wolahan's remarks, and I wish them well. David Speers: Yeah, really well said David… Talk about self-declared self-indulgence. Do viewers of Insiders really care about whether or not Comrade Crowe is being sent to Europe for a couple of years to be Nine's Europe Correspondent based in London? And did anyone need to hear Comrade Crowe's best wishes to 'all the people who campaigned in the election and all the people who fought to hold their seats'? That's usually the role of political leaders. As to Clive Palmer of the Trumpet of Patriots Party, Nine's chief political correspondent tried his hand at irony/humour. Without success. Well, for all his faults, Palmer spent an estimated $60 million on campaign advertising. Quite a lot of which went to Nine Entertainment – Crowe's employer. And Comrade Crowe condemned narcissists – after having engaged in a bout of self-indulgence. Can You Bear It? IN WHICH QUENTIN DEMPSTER ADVISES PREFERENTIAL VOTING A CENTURY AFTER IT WAS INTRODUCED IN AUSTRALIA Lots of thanks to the avid Mumbai reader who drew the attention of Ellie's (male) co-owner to this post on X by former ABC journalist Quentin Dempster: How about that? Preferential voting for the Commonwealth House of Representatives election began a century ago. And Comrade Dempster feels the need to declare – at 11.36 on a Thursday morning - that to prevent any defeat by preferences, a candidate must win 50 per cent of the primary vote. You don't say. [Yes he did. MWD Editor] It would seem that your man Dempster is somewhat puzzled that the Liberal Party candidate Steph Hunt polled 19 per cent and recommended that her voters preference the Labor Party ahead of the Greens – thus defeating Greens' leader Adam Bandt. MWD does not recall Comrade Dempster being upset when Adam Bandt won the seat of Melbourne in 2010 on, yes, Liberal Party preferences. Can You Bear It? BENJAMIN LAW SEEMS TO BELIEVE THAT POLITICS IS A RELIGION Did anyone read Zoe Daniel's interview with Benjamin Law in his 'Dicey Topics' column in The Good Weekend ? The date was 19 April 2025. Comrade Law is a leftist type and he invariably interviews those of similar ideological disposition. For those who don't follow Law, his clever trick is to roll a dice and choose three topics out of six. Namely, Death, Money, Sex, Religion, Politics and Bodies. Comrade Daniel's dice landed on Death, Religion and Bodies. The interviewee is expected to answer questions on the three topics. Law's first question in the Religion segment was: 'What do you tick on the Census under Religion?' The answer was 'agnostic'. No surprise there. But the second question was this: Benjamin Law: You and fellow-independent, 'teal' MPs, represent a shift in federal Australian politics. Do you feel the country has lost its faith in the two-party system? Zoe Daniel: I do. It's not just opinion: it's borne out in the statistics… Can you believe it? Comrade Law reckons that Australian national politics is a religion. As to Zoe Daniel, she told Good Weekend that she has a 'potty mouth'. And here's another question: Can You Bear It? MAIN PICTURE – FORMER ABC JOURNALIST ZOE DANIEL, WHO BECAME A TEAL MP IN 2022, PICTURED BY THE ABC DANCING WHEN SHE BELIEVED ON SATURDAY NIGHT THAT SHE HAD BEEN RETURNED AS THE MP FOR GOLDSTEIN SMALL PICTURE – HOW THE DAILY TELEGRAPH BROKE THE NEWS TO ITS READERS WITH A FRONT-PAGE DINKUS ON WEDNESDAY 7 MAY THAT COMRADE DANIEL HAD BEEN DEFEATED A NIKI SAVVA MOMENT NIKI SAVVA TEXTS ABC TV'S INSIDERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT ATTENTION FROM HER LATE 2024 CLAIM THAT PM ALBANESE SHOULD STEP DOWN WHETHER OR NOT LABOR WON THE 2025 ELECTION There is one thing which many journalists have in common. Namely, what in boxing parlance, is called a glass jaw. In this instance – an inability to accept criticism. This was evident in the ABC TV Insiders program on Sunday 4 May – the morning after the (election) night before. David Speers was in the presenter's chair and the panel comprised David Crowe (Nine Newspapers), Jacob Greber ( ABC ) and Samantha Maiden ( ). In discussing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's stunning success in leading the Labor Party to a large majority in the House of Representatives – reference was made to Nine columnist Niki Savva (who happens to be a regular panellist on the Insiders' couch). Let's go to the transcript: David Speers: I seem to recall was it Niki Savva who wrote that win or lose he'd [Albanese] will be gone in this term. I'm not so sure. I think Anthony Albanese – David Crowe: [interjecting]. No, I don't think it was Niki. But there was that idea that Anthony Albanese would have to move on in the second term and that was a judgment maybe six months ago by a commentator. I better not freewheel and try and name that commentator. Turn it up. Comrade Speers was correct. On 5 December 2024, Niki Savva's column in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald was titled 'If Albanese wins the next election he should celebrate, then step aside'. This is how Comrade Savva's column commenced: If Anthony Albanese wins the next election to govern either in majority or minority, he should, after a decent interval, retire so Labor can regenerate. Albanese succeeded brilliantly, certainly beyond his wildest imaginings and that of his friends, to become leader then prime minister. He should count his blessings, then gracefully relinquish the job. This is a benign view. The more drastic, which has been bubbling away inside the wider Labor family, is that he has lost his mojo, his judgment has deserted him and if he can't summon the discipline to shape up, he should ship out before the election to allow someone else to take on a rampant Peter Dutton… As avid readers well know, Media Watch Dog follows the maxim that it is unwise to make predictions – especially about the future. Niki Savva's claim that Anthony Albanese should step down as prime minister 'after a decent interval' even if Labor won the 2025 election was foolish. Right now, Anthony Albanese stands as one of Labor's most successful leaders – Bob Hawke won four elections, Gough Whitlam won two and Anthony Albanese has now won two as well. Moreover, he is the only prime minister to increase a government's majority in the House of Representatives at its second election. And what about glass jaws and all that? – MWD hears avid readers cry. Well, this is what happened towards the end of the program – apparently after Comrade Savva texted David Speers or Insiders' executive producer Samuel Clark – when Comrade Speers had this to say: David Speers: Niki Savva – mentioned earlier her forecast [that] the Prime Minister wouldn't see out this coming term. She did, however, forecast the other day that Peter Dutton and Keith Wolahan would be in real trouble of losing their seats. Samantha Maiden: [interjecting] Do not mess with Nikki. She's coming for you now. Look out. How sensitive can an abrasive Nine columnist get? Comrade Savva's December 2024 assessment of the Prime Minister's political abilities was hopelessly wrong. Rather than accepting the reality of her false prophecy, Savva wanted Insiders' viewers to know that she had written on 1 May that Peter Dutton (in Dickson) and Keith Wolahan (in Menzies) could lose their seats. So what? Dutton was on a margin of 1.7 per cent and Wolahan was on 0.5 per cent. When Savva wrote this on May Day, two days before the election, Labor was well ahead of the Coalition in virtually all opinion polls. It was hardly a bold prediction. In any event, David Speers felt it necessary to state Savva's case while David Crowe remained silent concerning his earlier denial. And so it came to pass that Niki Savva did not acknowledge her misjudgement about Prime Minister Albanese and pointed instead to an obvious statement that she had made about Messrs Dutton and Wolahan. At the time Savva wrote about Dickson and Menzies – Anthony Albanese was saying out loud that Labor would win both seats. [Interesting. I wonder why Niki Savva doesn't junk her crystal ball. In December 2024, she wrote that Anthony Albanese should give away politics after the 2025 election – win or lose. And in 2019 Comrade Savva had a book ready to go to the publisher after the 2019 election. It was titled Highway to Hell: The Coup that destroyed Malcolm Turnbull and left the Liberals in Ruins. As MWD readers know, the problem was that Scott Morrison led the Liberal Party to victory in May 2019. So the Savva book needed a new conclusion – as well as a new title. It was renamed Plots and Prayers: Malcolm Turnbull's demise and Scott Morrison's ascension. And yet, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, along with the ABC, regard Comrade Savva as one of Australia's top political commentators. Come to think of it, perhaps this item should have gone in your (hugely popular) Can You Bear It? segment. – MWD Editor.] AN ABC UPDATE MWD 'EXCLUSIVE'. MONICA DOUMIT WAS PRE-INTERVIEWED FOR COMPASS PROGRAM ON POPE FRANCIS BUT WAS 'CANCELLED' DUE TO NOT FITTING INTO THE ABC'S CONSERVATIVE FREE ZONE There was enormous interest in last week's Media Watch Dog segment titled 'ABC's Compass Demonstrates Lack of Viewpoint Diversity in Coverage of Pope Francis . ' The reference was to the Compass program Pope Francis: The Disruptor, which aired on Monday 21 April. Compass producer Noel Debien put together a group of eight contributors for the program – which was presided over by Geraldine Doogue. They discussed Pope Francis' legacy. MWD had this to say: There was not a Catholic conservative among this lot – as befits the taxpayer funded public broadcaster as a Conservative Free Zone. Everyone on the program – including Geraldine Doogue – was a progressive Catholic. Especially those who had most to say, i.e. Geraldine Doogue herself, Paul Collins, Bishop Mackinlay and Francis Sullivan – along with producer Noel Debien. No surprise, then, that the Compass program was very much a Case for the Progressive Catholic Prosecution. The views expressed by Geraldine Doogue along with those of Paul Collins and Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Sandhurst were of considerable interest. However, it is not clear how Francis Sullivan has suddenly become an 'expert' on the Catholic Church in Australia – or elsewhere. Unlike Doogue, Collins and Mackinlay. …The three Australians who were interviewed at length – Paul Collins, Shane Mackinlay and Francis Sullivan – were all progressives. A conservative voice would have added some balance to the discussion. The likes of Monica Doumit or Philippa Martyr come immediately to mind as conservatives who might have had something useful – and different – to say. But then, as the saying goes, the ABC is a Conservative Free Zone which is virtually devoid of viewpoint diversity. Lotsa thanks to the avid Perth reader who drew the attention of Ellie's (male) co-owner that Philippa Martyr had commented on the Compass program on Facebook. In reply, Monica Doumit had this to say: "LOL! I was actually pre-interviewed for this program. I spent about 90 minutes on the phone talking to the researcher but never got a call back. ðŸ¤' How about that? The Compass researcher spoke to Monica Doumit for an hour and a half. But Compass did not interview her for the program. Preferring to talk only to progressive Catholics – including Francis Sullivan, who, unlike Doumit, has never written about theology or Church history. All this is further proof that the ABC is a Conservative Free Zone which is almost devoid of viewpoint diversity. And so it came to pass that Paul Collins essentially agreed with Shane Mackinlay who essentially agreed with Francis Sullivan who essentially agreed with Geraldine Doogue who essentially agreed with herself. A familiar story about the taxpayer funded public broadcaster. THE ABC's ELECTION COVERAGE BY A SPECIAL MWD CORRESPONDENT The ABC's panel covering the night of the 2025 election chaired by Sarah Ferguson and David Speers featured Laura Tingle, Patricia Karvelas, Annabel Crabb plus Bridget Brennan. Antony Green was covering his last election before retirement, and Jeremy Fernandez and Casey Briggs made somewhat brief appearances. Also on the panel were Liberal National Party Queensland senator James McGrath and Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Redbridge Group pollsters Kos Samaras and Tony Barry provided additional analysis. With such a large group, you'd expect some comprehensive analysis. Not so. As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald CBD column on 4 May , despite being a part of it, Tony Barry took to Facebook afterwards to slam the ABC's election coverage. Barry posted that the ABC's coverage was 'beyond woeful', 'just 6 hours of shallow analysis,' and 'unwatchable drivel'. He also suggested that 'they should burn the ABC down to the ground and then salt the earth under it.' Ferguson and Tingle dominated the panel, often grilling James McGrath. At one point Tingle questioned McGrath about how a hypothetical Liberal government would boost growth – long after the Coalition had clearly lost the election. McGrath was sneered at for bringing up pre-poll and postal votes. However, although they couldn't win the election for the Liberal Party, pre-poll and postal votes have made a difference in close seats. Most notable in Goldstein where ex-ABC journalist Zoe Daniel lost to the Liberal Party's Tim Wilson. Bridget Brennan's notable contribution was to bring up the failed Voice referendum to Jim Chalmers, asking twice if Labor is considering legislating a Voice to Parliament. Brennan has a history of unhelpful contributions to the Voice debate – avid readers will recall that when appearing on the ABC TV Insiders panel on 31 July 2022, Brennan said the Voice 'does need to have teeth, it does need to be feared and revered'. In response to criticism of its coverage, the ABC pointed out that they outrated the competition. One wonders how many of those viewers tuned in to see the soon-to-be-retired Antony Green, versus the rantings of Sarah Ferguson and pointless comments from Annabel Crabb. Meanwhile, over at Sky News, Tom Connell proved he has become the most accomplished psephologist in the Australian media. [I think you were a bit tough on Ms Crabb. After all, she showed style in presenting a bunch of flowers to Mr Green at the end of the broadcast – only for your man Green to advise that he didn't have a vase. Oh well. Perhaps he can put the flowers in the bath. – MWD Editor. ] YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS 'You Must Remember This' is based on the chorus line in the song As Time Goes By which was popularised by the film Casablanca . It is devoted to reminding the usual suspects (living or dead) of what they and/or those they supported once wrote or said or did. Or, indeed, what they failed to write or say. HOW THE LATE JOHN PILGER DID A BUNK OUT OF SAIGON IN APRIL 1975 RATHER THAN AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THE COMMUNIST FORCES HE HAD SUPPORTED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR As Media Watch Dog readers know, 30 April 2025 was the 50th Anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the capital of (then) non-communist South Vietnam, to the armed forces of the communist North Vietnam dictatorship. In his column in The Weekend Australian on 3-4 May, Gerard Henderson wrote about the refugees from Vietnam who sought asylum in Australia in 1975 and after. See here. The leftist Australian journalist John Pilger (1939-2023) was based in Saigon when the city fell to the North Vietnamese Army on 30 April 1975. Comrade Pilger had two options. Stay in Saigon and witness the so-called 'liberation' of South Vietnam by North Vietnam (which received substantial military support from the communist rulers of the Soviet Union in Moscow). Or do a bunk with the so-called United States 'imperialists'. He chose the latter course – to what Pilger subsequently described as his 'shame'. It's just that he had no evident 'shame' at the time. The story is told in Chapter 17 of John Pilger's book Heroes (1986) titled 'The Last Days'. As the North Vietnamese Army marched on the South Vietnam capital in late April 1975, Comrade Pilger sought refuge in the US Embassy in Saigon. He described himself struggling 'through the crowd, pushing and using my strength in order to get my free ride away from the war' – adding 'I felt only shame'. But, shame or no shame, Comrade Pilger sought to be rescued by what the left used to call the US Military Industrial Complex. At around 6.16 pm on 30 April 1975, Pilger got a seat on a US helicopter, he called it a 'Jolly Green Giant' – which had landed on, and then departed from, the roof of the US Embassy. He was taken to the USS Blue Ridge, the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet, where he shared space with Tom Polgar – the last CIA station chief in Saigon. In his book, Pilger acknowledged that 'many' Vietnamese attempting to flee the communist forces at the time 'would not get out because there were not enough seats' on US planes and helicopters. So how about that? Given the chance to stay in 'liberated' Saigon and mix with communist forces – the anti-imperialist John Pilger managed to get a seat on a US military helicopter and sought the protection of Uncle Sam, per courtesy of the US taxpayer. You Must Remember This. Gerard Henderson is an Australian columnist, political commentator and the Executive Director of The Sydney Institute. His column Media Watch Dog is republished by each Saturday morning. He started the blog in April 1988, before the ABC TV's program of the same name commenced.
Sky News AU
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Media Watch Dog: ABC host infantilises Liberal Michael Sukkar with 'what would your mother say' rebuke, SMH's letters page compares Peter Dutton to Judas
It started off badly. And then it got worse – or 'better' – in the saying attributed to Josef Stalin that 'worse is better'. In any event, it has taken Media Watch Dog a week to recover from the occasion. Now Ellie's (male) co-owner regards the British philosopher A.C. (Anthony Clifford) Grayling as a septuagenarian in search of a (Marxist) hairdresser. He is, in English language terminology, a ' Guardian Reader' with orthodox leftist views. And he has an avowed faith in atheism, of the sneering secularist kind. No surprise, then, that A.C. Grayling is on the speakers' list at the forthcoming leftist stack that is the 2025 Sydney Writers' Festival. But MWD digresses, not for the first time. It so happened that your man Grayling was interviewed on the ABC Radio National Saturday Extra program. The date was 12 April 2025 – and Barbara Miller was standing in for the usual presenter Nick Bryant. This is how the Saturday Extra producer foreshadowed the occasion. The rise of social media appears inextricably linked to the fuelling of today's culture wars. People expressing views deemed offensive, dangerous and out of date run the risk of being cancelled. Those who are cancelled meanwhile hit back at so-called 'wokeness' with accusations of censorship. It's the messy politics of the culture wars. Well, that's pretty clear then. Comrade Grayling was expected to run the line that people expressing views with which he disagreed should be cancelled. But those expressing views that he agreed with should be heard. He did this, sort of. But the, er, loquacious philosopher threw the switch to verbosity. Let's go to the transcript: A.C. Grayling: There are two different kinds of cancelling endeavours. One is a protective cancelling. That is where you try to stop people using a position of influence or power which allows them, or has allowed them, to do harm to people. Then there is negative cancelling, or discriminatory cancelling, which is what, of course, historical, has happened to those groups now seeking a fairer place in society. And discriminatory cancelling is the thing that wokeism and political correctness and the civil rights movement in the 60s and so on have been fighting against. The Trump administration pushback against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a major example of cancellation. Barbara Miller: Let's fast forward to Trump a little bit later. You take a history perspective here and you say that Adam and Eve, for example, were cancelled. Is that where the history of cancelling begins? A.C. Grayling: I mean since there were no Adam and Eve – it's a figurative way of pointing out that history is about cancelling. It's about conflicts and competition of interests…. Let's stop there. A.C. Grayling is all for protective cancelling (i.e. the silencing of his political enemies) but hostile to negative or discriminatory cancelling (since this allegedly favours his ideological comrades). And then Comrade Grayling returned to the ABC's favourite topic. To wit, President Donald J. Trump. Barbara Miller: What does your study of the history of cancel culture tell us about where that current culture war might go – might end? A.C. Grayling: Well, I think and hope at the same time that the general trend of history – if we survive the Trumps and Putins of today – is towards a greater sense of justice in society. A much fairer dissemination of the goods and opportunities that society offers. It's just that if you thought of a situation in which every individual respected fully individual human rights of all other people there would be no discrimination. How about that? Your man A.C. sees President Donald J. Trump as much the same as President Vladimir Putin, the one-time KGB operative who runs what is effectively an elected dictatorship in Moscow and murders his opponents inside and outside Russia. As Dr Grayling (for a doctor he is) spoke to Ms Miller equating Trump to Putin, the president of Russia was directing Russian forces to indiscriminately shell civilians in Ukraine by means of missiles and drones. But Barbara Miller did not contest Grayling's view. Can You Bear It? SARAH FERGUSON ASKS THE 'WHAT WOULD YOUR MOTHER SAY?' QUESTION ABOUT MICHAEL SUKKAR'S INTERJECTIONS – OVERLOOKING THE FACT THAT SHE HERSELF INTERRUPTED HIM ON 16 OCCASIONS A media highlight of the year occurred on ABC TV's 7.30 on April 17 when there was a debate between Housing Minister Clare O'Neil and Shadow Housing Minister Michael Sukkar. Let's go to the transcript: Sarah Ferguson: ..By how much and how many houses will you build? Michael Sukkar: We'll continue Housing Australia, we'll continue the Affordable Housing Bond aggregator, and we'll find ways of just directly funding social – Sarah Ferguson: No one's heard a number from you Michael Sukkar. You say you're going to do it. We know how many houses you've built while you were in government in that area, it was a few thousand. Clare O'Neil: No it wasn't a few thousand. Sorry, Sarah, I will correct the record on that. Sarah Ferguson: Let me just get – I'm going to ask you one more time, and everyone is listening to me ask this question, how many social and affordable houses will you build? Michael Sukkar: Well, we will fund social and affordable housing. Sarah Ferguson: Alright, that's it. You're not answering. Clare O'Neil? Clare O'Neil: You're not getting an answer. You'll get an answer out of me. Michael Sukkar: How many have you built? Sarah Ferguson: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Clare O'Neil: We've got an acute shortage of housing around our country, but particularly in the social and affordable housing space, for those of you at home who are wondering why there is growing homelessness around your suburb and your town, why we have an acute problem with women not being able to leave violent relationships, why we have an extraordinary issue with older women being our biggest growing group going into homelessness. All this comes back to an acute undersupply of social and affordable homes. Now our government has come into office. We are building 55,000 social and affordable homes over five years. 28,000 – Michael Sukkar: Currently being built? Sarah Ferguson: What would your mother say? Hearing you interrupt her? Just – Clare O'Neil: It's okay. I'm unflappable Sarah. I've done, this is my third run at this this week. How about that? Clare O'Neil had spoken some 103 words when Sukkar politely asked whether the number of houses, to which O'Neil referred, were currently being built. And Sarah Ferguson responded in anger: 'What would your mother say? Hearing you [Sukkar] interrupt her [O'Neil]?' Over the Easter Weekend, Ellie's (male) co-owner decided to view the debate again and count the interjections. Here's his report: Sarah Ferguson's interruptions: Of Sukkar: 16 interruptions Of O'Neil: eight interruptions Interruptions of each other: O'Neil interrupted Sukkar: nine interruptions Sukkar interrupted O'Neil: seven interruptions In other words, Sarah ('What would your mother say?') Ferguson was the interrupter-in-chief during the 7.30 debate. But she dressed Michael Sukkar down – despite the fact that he interrupted the least during the debate. Can You Bear It? ALLEGEDLY CASH-STRAPPED ABC FLIES REPORTERS TO ROME TO REPORT ON POPE FRANCIS' DEATH The taxpayer funded public broadcaster's chair Kim Williams AM AB (aka Always Begging) is invariably asking for more taxpayer funds for the ABC. He calls it an 'investment'. Really. In view of this, it might be expected that the ABC would be frugal with expenses. But this appears not to be the case. Media Watch Dog happened to watch ABC TV's News Breakfast on Monday 21 April. Lo and behold, Ellie's (male) co-owner noticed that the Melbourne-based News Breakfast co-presenter Emma Rebellato was in Rome to cover the death of Pope Francis. She happened to be talking to the ABC European correspondent Kathryn Diss at the Holy See. Now MWD just loves it when ABC journalists interview other ABC journalists. But, in view of the fact that the ABC is always crying poor, it seems odd that it should fly a Melbourne-based reporter to talk with a London-based reporter in the Holy City to report the fact that the ailing Pope has died – which was hardly news on the morning of Monday 21 April. Can You Bear It? When in Rome do what the ABC does: Melbourne-based Emma Rebellato discusses Pope Francis' death in the Holy See with London-based Kathryn Diss. SNEERING LEFTIST RICHARD DENNISS GETS FREE KICK FOR THE TEALS/GREENS TEAM ON RN BREAKFAST As Media Watch Dog has reported, there are considerable examples of the ABC giving special coverage to individuals and organisations whose policies are in line with the Teals and the Greens. On Thursday 24 April, ABC Radio National Breakfast (producer Rob Kelly) interviewed Richard Denniss, the executive director of The Australia Institute. Here's how the interview commenced – with Sally Sara in the presenter's chair – with this introduction and first response. Dr Denniss (for a doctor he is) used the occasion to fang the Defence Policy of both the Coalition and Labor – from a sneering leftist perspective, including mock laughter. Let's go to the transcript: Sally Sara: Joining me to discuss these figures and the language being used to sell them, is executive director of The Australia Institute, economist Richard Denniss. Richard, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast. Richard Denniss: Good morning. Sally Sara: Both sides are looking to increase defence spending, at the same time, they're pitching themselves as responsible economic managers looking to reduce debt and deficit. Are all of those things possible at the same time? Richard Denniss: [Laughs] No. I mean, when it comes to defence, we have entirely different rules for economics, it seems…. So there you have it. Comrade Sara did not mention that Comrade Richard Denniss is a committed leftist close to the Teals/Greens ideology. And Comrade Denniss used the occasion to mainly bag the Coalition's defence policy with a side swipe at Labor's policy. All done with occasional mocking laughter of a leftist kind. Can You Bear It? THE NINE NEWSPAPERS' UPDATE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD LETTERS EDITOR FIRES AT PETER DUTTON WITH RANTS, CLICHÉS, HYPERBOLE AND AN EASTER COMPARISON WITH JUDAS There was enormous interest in this segment last week which focused on Letters to the Editor published in Nine's Sydney Morning Herald on 8 April 2025 and 14 April 2025. They were 100 per cent antagonistic to Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Media Watch Dog was not so concerned about the fact that these two editions of the newspapers were hostile to Peter Dutton and the Coalition. After all, Nine Newspapers are written by the left, for the left, and are unlikely to be read by swinging voters. However, MWD focused on the written clichés, low-quality puns and abuse which the Letters Editor saw fit to print. It was much the same on Monday 21 April. Here we go: The heading of the Letters Page was 'The Voice was only ever about politics for Dutton' – and related to a profile by Deborah Snow in Nine Newspapers on 19 April. Gary Stone (of fashionable Springwood) declared that Peter Dutton's opposition to The Voice referendum was 'a political exercise' and added: 'Says it all, really'. Then Bruce Wright (Latham, ACT) commenced his rant as follows: 'One thing I detest about Dutton is….' Enough said. Then Mukul Desai (from fashionable Hunters Hill) declared that 'it seems that the Coalition and its media allies had only one bullet to win the election and that was Trumpism'. Overlooking the fact that Peter Dutton, unlike Donald Trump, is not a high tariff advocate. Your man from Hunters Hill then threw the switch to cliché and wrote that the Opposition leader's 'chickens have come home to roost'. Groan. Then Maurice Critchley (Mangrove Mountain) picked up the cliché movement and referred to Peter Dutton as 'a man who sees life in black and white and is not warm to those who are not in the 'white camp''. A cliché-driven accusation of racism. Then Geoff Nilon (Mascot) suggested that Dutton was a 'pariah' and declared that Dutton's (alleged) attempt to distance himself from Donald Trump is 'reminiscent of Judas' betrayal of Jesus'. Really. The SMH Letters Editor chose to publish this hyperbolic sludge. On Easter Monday, no less. Letters Editor chose to publish this hyperbolic sludge. On Easter Monday, no less. Then Paul Casey (Callala Bay) attempted to score a point against Peter Dutton by quoting from Don Schlitz's song 'The Gambler'. And then Peter Miniutti (Ashbury) commenced his rant as follows: 'Dutton, the Trump wannabe, would do anything from spraying his face orange to sacrificing a chicken if he thought he would win the election.' What a collection of literary sludge. The intellectual level of this abuse posing as letters is woeful. And the SMH claims to be 'Independent. Always.' DOCUMENTATION DAN ILIC RETURNS FOR ANOTHER CRACK AT THE BEGGING BOWL Avid MWD readers may be aware of Dan Ilic. For those who do not recall, Ilic – who self-identifies as an investigative humourist (yes, really) – has had the typical career of an Australian comedian of leftist bent. That is, bouncing around various TV projects, none of which ever attract much of an audience and many of which are paid for by the taxpayer at either the ABC or SBS. Comrade Ilic also has a long history of crowdfunding campaigns, putting out the begging bowl asking members of the public to fund various Coalition-bashing projects. Dan Ilic's It's Not a Race in no comment mode about Climate 200 finance On Monday 21 April it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that one of Ilic's operations, It's Not a Race, received $588,000 from the Teal political operation Climate 200 in the lead up to the 2022 Federal Election. Both Ilic and Climate 200 declined to comment on whether It's Not a Race had received any additional funding for the current election. Ilic later deleted a number of 2022 posts by It's Not a Race after being asked by The Daily Telegraph why they did not feature authorisations. Your man Dan is apparently quite frustrated by having to follow election laws. The current fundraiser for It's Not a Race features a whiny message about having to disclose the names of large donors and not being able to accept foreign donations 'Because the Australian Government doesn't like criticism'. Given his previous employment by Al Jazeera perhaps Comrade Ilic was hoping for a generous donation from the Qatari royal family? Though since he was fired by Al Jazeera for apparently using company equipment to film an audition for The Daily Show, so maybe not. Not content with the largesse received from the Climate 200 donors including multi-millionaire Simon Holmes à Court, Ilic still crowdfunded for It's Not a Race in 2022 (and is doing so again in 2025). By the way, this was all in addition to the $228,171 he raised for his Jokekeeper campaign in 2021. Oh, and the ongoing crowdfunding for his podcast A Rational Fear . Investigative humourism sure is expensive. So, what do donors receive for all this cash funnelled to Ilic and his mates? Well in the case of It's Not a Race the answer seems to mostly be a bunch of memes and short videos posted to moderately successful social media accounts. This seems like the kind of thing a politically motivated public figure could do free of charge during election campaigns. But perhaps the rate of posting would be lower if Ilic had to seek gainful employment to pay the rent. For those confused by the name ' It's Not a Race ', it is a reference to a comment made by Scott Morrison about Australia's vaccine rollout in 2021. Not bothering to update it to a more current political reference is typical of the lack of effort on display in all of Ilic's output. As covered by MWD at the time, his Jokekeeper campaign was not much better. It started with Ilic paying for anti-Coalition billboards to be displayed in New York and Glasgow in the lead up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. This at least attracted a lot of attention to Dan Ilic, who got on CNN to bizarrely proclaim he had forced Scott Morrison into attending the conference. Which allowed him to raise more money for more billboards for the 2022 election. Alas, despite all the money raised, the output by Jokekeeper for the election was a bit pathetic. Ultimately, it devolved into awkwardly-worded roadside signs referencing faecal – and false – rumours about Scott Morrison and leftist fantasies about future climate prosecutors punishing 'politicans' [sic]. Perhaps if he'd just raised another couple of hundred thousand, Ilic could have paid himself to proofread. Dan Ilic's Self-Proclaimed 'Investigative Humour' in Action in a 2022 Billboard Rant Against the Coalition Enter Julia Zemiro The quality of Ilic's efforts has not improved much in 2025. A recent video posted by It's Not a Race featured another leftist comedian (and ABC and SBS stalwart) Julia Zemiro lecturing viewers on the benefits of 'strategic voting'. Here's how Zemiro explained it: Julia Zemiro: If you don't want this man [Peter Dutton] to become Prime Minister, vote 1 for your local Independent candidate. Here's how it works. In your electorate the Labor and Greens candidates may never get enough votes to win. But you're lucky to have a community-backed Independent running, who can win. All we need to do is add enough of that Labor and Greens vote to the Independent vote. Then the Liberals lose a seat in Parliament that Dutton needs to form government, and that's it. By voting strategically, you too can keep Peter Dutton out of power. This is a very strange message to be sending out to voters. This kind of strategic voting can matter a great deal in countries without preferential voting but, in Australia, who you give your first preference to only matters in certain unusual scenarios where more than two candidates have a chance of winning. Specifically, it could come into play in a seat where the Coalition candidate finished first without attaining an absolute majority. And also, where the Teal independent candidate and Labor candidate were competing to finish second after the exclusion of the minor parties. Then whoever finishes in second would move on to the final allocation of preferences against the Coalition candidate, while the candidate who finishes third would be eliminated. If the Teal candidate would receive a stronger preference flow from Labor than the other way around, whoever finishes second could determine whether or not the Coalition wins the seat. Obviously, this is not the case in the vast majority of seats. For instance, the Zemiro video shows someone marking a '1' next to the Independent in Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson. Although Dickson is a marginal seat, it is not one where more than two of the candidates are likely to receive a significant proportion of the vote, instead being a typical Labor vs Coalition seat. Of the seats contested by a Teal at the last election, only the (since abolished) seat of North Sydney featured a somewhat close contest for second place between Labor and the Teal. And as for the mention of The Greens, there is very unlikely to be any three-way Coalition vs Teal vs Greens seats, so their inclusion in the ad is just bizarre. By far the most likely seats where this sort of strategic voting could make sense are the LNP vs Labor vs Greens seats in Brisbane (where there are not even going to be any Teals on the ballot). Will Comrade Ilic's 'Investigative Humourist' career outlast AI? It's Not a Race's other efforts mostly involve juvenile memes. These seem designed more to amuse the kinds of people who donate money to Dan Ilic than to persuade voters in marginal seats. So, it would seem whoever is footing the bill for the 2025 iteration of It's Not a Race is not getting much bang for their buck. However, this has never stopped Dan Ilic before and – MWD looks forward to covering his 2028 crowdfunding campaigns, assuming the made-up job of investigative humourist hasn't been replaced by AI by then. CORRESPONDENCE This overwhelmingly popular segment of Media Watch Dog usually works like this. Someone or other thinks it would be a you-beaut idea to write to Gerard Henderson AC (Always Courteous) about something or other. And Hendo, being a courteous and well-brought-up kind of guy, replies. Then, hey presto, the correspondence is published in MWD – much to the delight of its avid readers. There are occasions, however, when (the late) Jackie's (male) co-owner decides to write a polite note to someone or other – who, in turn, believes that a reply is in order. Publication in MWD invariably follows. There are, alas, some occasions where the well brought up Henderson sends a polite missive – but does not receive the courtesy of a reply. Nevertheless, publication of this one-sided correspondence still takes place. For the record – and in the public interest, of course. All (RELATIVELY) QUIET ON THE JOHN LYONS TRUMP-TRANSLATION FRONT It was not so long ago – 18 March, in fact – that the ABC announced that John Lyons, then its global affairs editor, had been appointed to the position of Editor Americas in Washington DC – in spite of the fact that the taxpayer funded public broadcaster already had three journalists based there. It would seem that Comrade Lyons has replaced Virginia Miller, who returned to Australia from the United States recently. Now here is Ellie's (male) co-owner's essential problem. On 18 March John Lyons told ABC TV Breakfast viewers that 'It's great to be trying to translate the Trump presidency to an Australian audience'. This was open to the interpretation that the ABC trio then in Washington DC could not do this so well as your man Lyons. The appointment of John Lyons to Washington DC implied that he needed to be based there in order to put together his translations of President Trump and his team. But now he is back in Sydney, MWD has had lotsa trouble working out what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So, Media Watch Dog hopes for Mr Lyons' quick return – since 'translating' the Trump administration from Sydney is not quite the same as doing so from Washington DC. Or so the taxpayer funded public broadcaster appears to believe. Here is Gerard Henderson's correspondence with ABC Communications. Read on s'il vous plait. Gerard Henderson to ABC Communications – 14 April 2025 at 2.32 pm I am wondering what has happened to John Lyons. As you know he was recently appointed as Americas Editor – or some such title – and said that he would be covering US politics for the next three years. However, he has said little since then. I plan to mention this in my Media Watch Dog on Friday. But I do not want to draw attention to this if John is unwell or if there is another reason for his small contribution in covering the big news from the US in recent times. Your response would be appreciated. Cheers Gerard + + + + ABC Communications to Gerard Henderson – 14 April 2025 at 6 pm Hi Gerard. To the contrary, John Lyons has been an integral part of our coverage with reporting and analysis across the website, TV and radio, including being a key driver of our coverage of the Trump tariffs and their impacts on Australia. This is in addition to carrying out his role leading the Washington bureau. He is currently in Australia for a short period and will resume the role in Washington soon. Cheers. + + + + And later the same day at 7.08 pm, there was this. ABC Communications to Gerard Henderson – 14 April 2025 at 7.08 pm Hi again. Just to give you one example, in case it's useful, John's analysis of the Trump-China tariffs was the second most-read story on the ABC website last week, and ABC NEWS is the most-read Australian news website. + + + + To which the following response was sent on 15 April. Gerard Henderson to ABC Communications – 15 April 2025 at 10.30 am Thanks for your prompt response. I always like to check the facts. The problem I had was that the ABC proclaimed that John Lyons had been appointed the ABC's Americas Editor and he said that he was in Washington DC to 'translate' the Trump administration to Australia. However, in recent weeks I have not seen/heard John on such key ABC news/current affairs programs as News Breakfast , 7.30 , AM , PM , etc. And now I find that, after being introduced from Washington on 18 March as the ABC's lead in Washington, John is 'back in Australia for a brief period and will resume the role in Washington soon'. No wonder I was confused. Cheers Gerard + + + + Meanwhile MWD hopes that Comrade Lyons' return to Washington DC will not be long delayed. After all, MWD needs his 'translations' from the US each and every week. * * * * * Until next time. * * * * *
Sky News AU
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Data shows ABC's blatant bias during housing ministers' debate
Sky News Australia's Media Watch Dog Columnist Gerard Henderson blasts ABC host Sarah Ferguson's bias during the housing ministers' debate.
