The shame News Limited newspapers brought upon themselves this past week over the Pauline Hanson nude photos not only reflects poorly on their mastheads but on all newspapers.
Consumers rely on newspapers to check the facts. Newspapers, in criticising new news mediums such as blogs and social media websites, say it is only their rescources which can produce news which consumers can trust.
In publishing the photos last week and spinning the story for seven days, News Limited showed how poor they can be at the job which they say is the point of difference of their medium.
Nude photos of Pauline Hanson taken by a boyfriend decades ago should never have been considered news. That they were fake demonstrates how far the publisher has strayed from their mission.
Today’s Illawarra Mercury had quite a bit about this story and that legal papers have been served to News, channel 7 and another. Interesting to note i did not see a word mentioned in the Daily Telegraph this morning.
I hope Ms Hansen is compensated appropriately and it should be substantial. This whole situation stinks and because I am a conspiracist, I bet Tony Rabbott is behind it all.
News knew the story was rubbish from day one they are just so desperate to increase sale they would stoop to that level.
Media Watch gave this story excellent coverage tonight. It’s also at the ABC website.
Hello??
What do you think News Ltd have been working towards for the last 20 years? The insidiousness of blanket media ownership in conjunction with shock jock shenanigans has all but succeeded in eroding critical thought across an entire readership! No trick is too low, even overtly.
Remember when the Herald Sun was really the ‘working man’s’ paper? The fact that it has been a far right publication disguised as a working man’s paper for years and years without scrutiny reflects the insidiousness of politics in media ownership.
There is no shame if they don’t feel it.
Scary, scary stuff!
As for Pauline, personally, some of her views are quite offensive to me. However, with her jailing, and attempted comebacks, resulting in News’s dirtiest trick ever, she has proved herself to be a real woman of substance, and I take my hat off to her!