This is a video of the racial comments by US shock jock Don Imus which resulted in him being taken off the air for two weeks and facing the sack. CNN reports that his advertisers are running from him. Google lists over 3,000 news stories about this.
In a related story, here in Australia, ACMA, the Federal Government’s media watchdog says: Sydney radio station 2GB breached the code by broadcasting material on Breakfast with Alan Jones that was likely to encourage violence or brutality and to vilify people of Lebanese and Middle-Eastern backgrounds on the basis of ethnicity.
No sooner had ACMA announced their findings and the Prime Minister backs Jones. Huh? Is the Prime Minister that scared of Alan Jones and his Sydney coterie that he will go against the findings of the independent watchdog? I guess the response demonstrates the power of the Jones microphone and therein lies a reason for David Hicks spending five years in jail before getting his day in court.
While The Age in Melbourne runs the story on page 1 and devotes editorial space, I suspect that few in the media will go hard.
Alan Jones cannot take back his words just as Don Imus cannot. It is a test for the media as to how they report and follow up this story. Australian bloggers and independent media have an opportunity to demonstrate their point of difference – as they have done in the US over the Imus story.
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