There is a fine line between reporting the news and making the news. Michael Gillies Smith makes the argument that The Australian made the news, in particular that it brought down the Rudd government.
The Australian, led by Dennis Shanahan, was highly influential in Rudd’s demise. The message here for politicians and stakeholders in public policy is: Beware The Australian and Dennis Shanahan, especially if you’re going to pick a fight with big business, an economic powerhouse of the nation.
But before we all congratulate Dennis on a job well done, lets take a few deep breaths – maybe even a cup of tea.
To be sure the press often run campaigns and editors fantasise about being able to do so. To carry off a camapaign is hard work and to do so well is difficult. Most media campaigns, I suspect, must fail. From memory the Australian and most of the rest of the print media campaigned in favor of the Republic (the AFR being the only stand-out that I recall).
Looking at the specific case Gillies Smith compares front page stories at the Australian and other newspapers on the issue. But there are problems with this. As he acknowledges, the Australian is a national paper while the others are all local. So there are different constraints on the kind of story that must be covered. He also doesn’t report any comparison with the other national paper – the Australian Financial Review. They also had extensive coverage of the RSPT leading up into the Rudd demise, although (IMHO) they were more supportive of the tax than The Australian.
He makes this comment
You’d have to go back to Whitlam’s sacking or the Vietnam War to come close to such a run of Page 1 leads on one issue. Even then, it’s doubtful there was such a run. (I have looked as these papers but didn’t record the results.) Was Rudd’s tax on mining profits as big a story as the Vietnam War or Whitlam’s sacking? Of course it doesn’t come close.
Is the story as big as the Vietnam war? Probably not. Is it as big as the Whitlam sacking? Different, but bigger. ALP prime minister brought down by people he thought he could trust. Happens a lot in the ALP.
All up the Gillies Smith story makes for fine conspiracy, but I think that all it really shows that The Australian had a better news sense than did its competitors. Its journalists had better sources of information. I also think the AFR dropped the ball on this story – when the government decides to fleece your core readership you shouldn’t take the governments side, just saying.
So having said all that, The Australian and Dennis Shanahan should view the Gillies Smith story as a great compliment. I’m sure they wish they had that sort of power. Well done.
This is parody isn’t it.
Dennis with his catallaxian statisitcal skills alleged the polls were going against Rudd.
Except the only poll showing Rudd losing was the rogue Neilsen poll.
On the very week our Dennis pronounced the Newspoll would determine Rudd’s future it showed Rudd winning easily.
As Bob McMullan said no government would lose power on those figures.
It wasn’t Dennis that got rid of Rudd.
It was the machine men who put up a rogue internal poll to the statistical challenged caucus.
Butterfield, Bloomfeld % Bishop
27 Jul 10 at 12:57 pm
Mostly I’m just glad Rudd is gone. Once they figure out who we should thank please let us know.
TerjeP
27 Jul 10 at 1:15 pm
You are probably right on this one, Homer, but gee I wish you would learn to spell.
What is interesting is the viciousness of the attacks on The Oz. I can’t remember anything like it except perhaps when the SMH became a traitor to its class (in 1963?) by endorsing the ALP.
The Oz leans to the right about as much as The Age does to the left and next election The Oz could change but I’ll bet The Age won’t.
ken n
27 Jul 10 at 2:00 pm
it was 1961 and Max Newton was writing Arfur’s speeches
Butterfield, Bloomfeld % Bishop
27 Jul 10 at 2:01 pm
Thanks Homer, I am sure you are correct.
ken n
27 Jul 10 at 2:05 pm
I don’t think the Oz has quite that much of a tilt, but you are more likely to find a right of centre slant. Unlike the Fairfax press, the editorial pages are pretty balanced and plenty of the news reporting leans either way.
I believe that the numbers men were probably right that Rudd was dying before their eyes. Commentators with greater numeracy that Homer were pointing out that the preference distribution in the TPP numbers from Newspoll were unlikely to favour the ALP so well.
Still, I’m sure Cohen and Richardson are correct when they claim Rudd’s “mates” were waiting to catch him behind the dunnies for a hiding.
pedro
27 Jul 10 at 5:27 pm