How long will Elon Musk last in the Trump orbit? Currently he seems to be ubiquitous but that presents a problem for Donald Trump and his massive ego. (more…)
Category: Media
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The Hannibal Directive and mainstream media’s organised forgetting
Aeschylus (525-456BC) was, as current circumstances in the Middle East and in Ukraine amply demonstrate, entirely accurate when he observed that “In war, truth is the first casualty.” At no time in history, including his own, is that observation more accurate than it is today in the digital age. Mark Twain famously noted that “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” Today the truth would not have even risen from its sleep before the lie had travelled around the world. (more…)
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Best of 2024: Australian Prime Minister referred to ICC for complicity in genocide
“The Australian government and its most senior officials have both failed to prevent or respond to the genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and been complicit in the carrying out of this genocide in a manner which falls squarely within Article 25 (3)(c) and/or (d) of the Rome Statute of the ICC,” state Birchgrove Legal in a communiqué to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
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A rogue reporter vs. the American Empire
The American material life is taken for granted. Things just appear. There is no consideration for what country the Empire destroyed to fuel their cars, which people are earning pennies inside sweatshops for their clothes or how many children’s hands touched the lithium in their phone batteries fresh out of the mine. The U.S. Empire makes sure these realities are out of the public consciousness and only the shiny, finished products end up in the public view, no questions asked. Matt Kennard, founder of the independent investigative outlet Declassified UK, joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to talk about his book, “The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire.” (more…)
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John Menadue on Rupert Murdoch, the Last Mogul
We have a major problem with the damage that Rupert Murdoch has done to newspapers in Australia, and any self-respecting government should take steps to correct that as soon as possible. (more…)
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No longer possible to defend the slaughter of over 40,000 civilians as ‘Israel’s right to self-defence’
I know what antisemitism looks like and it is to desecrate the memory of my parents and the victims of real antisemitism when it is weaponised to silence justified criticism of Israel’s crimes. (more…)
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Anti-Semitism, a pandemic of concocted claims
In response to arson on a Melbourne synagogue, ill informed politicians, ignorant media commentators and a bully Israeli Prime Minister have rushed to declare this crime is not only anti-Semitic but an act of terrorism. A year of pandemic like claims about a rise in anti-Semitism has reached a climax in interpretations of the meaning of this synagogue fire. (more…)
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Barack Obama wants us to care about the oceans
What are the five most precious things in my life? (more…)
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Western Media: an echo chamber for the US “Uighur Genocide” narrative
Let me directly address the narrative pushed by the United States and its allies regarding the alleged “genocide” of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province. This narrative is not only riddled with inconsistencies but reeks of the same imperialist strategies the U.S. has employed for decades to destabilise dozens of nations and advance its own geopolitical ambitions. (more…)
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Hugh Marks does not have a background in journalism, yet becomes ex officio editor-in-chief of the ABC. Is he the right person for the job?
Aspects of Hugh Marks’s record as chief executive of the Nine Entertainment Company raise questions about his suitability for the position of managing director of the ABC, to which he has just been appointed. (more…)
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Are we the terrorists?
It’s ten years since the Lindt Café siege by a member of Islamic State who, despite multiple warnings, was not of concern to ASIO or the police. Yet Man Haron Monis’ attack had all the commonly accepted characteristics of terrorism. (more…)
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To defeat Dutton, Labor needs inspiration and leadership from its ‘mortal enemy’ – the Greens
Dutton’s nuclear plans provide an opportunity for a campaign Labor could win. But it won’t be won without girding for war. The need for some political alliance is greater given that neither Albanese nor his senior ministers, and the party organisation, have shown themselves up to serious political struggle on climate change. (more…)
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The dismemberment of Syria is a crime
What we are witnessing is not just the end of a regime but quite possibly the destruction of the Syrian state. We are being told by the Western media that we should join Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden and the Europeans in celebrating what risks being the creation of yet another failed state in the Middle East/West Asia. (more…)
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The ABC in Hungary: why “Christianity” and “woke” are weapons of war
Some of the most dangerous people in the world right now are those normalising and sanitising fascistic politics. It was not just in the banal media discussion that preceded Donald Trump’s re-election; it can also be found at the ABC, including on Radio National lifestyle programming. One of the tropes to look for is the placing of the concept “woke” in counterpoint to “traditional” and “Christian” values. (more…)
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Netanyahu and Australia
Netanyahu has demonstrated that he has the complete measure of the Labor-Coalition political class, that he only has to snap his fingers and bark an order and they will all do his bidding and follow his instructions with alacrity. (more…)
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Why is youth radicalisation framed solely within an individualist lens?
At the same time as the finding of Amnesty International – over twelve months into the ongoing destruction of Gaza – that the state of Israel is indeed committing genocide, the Five-Eyes security and law enforcement agencies released a jointly authored report sounding the alarm on youth radicalisation. (more…)
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Why Australian politicians are flocking to ‘Little Red Book’ to engage with Chinese voters
Wen Li, a graduate student living in Brisbane, ran for the seat of Mansfield as a Greens candidate in the recent Queensland election. Li promoted his policies on Xiaohongshu, one of the most popular Chinese social media platforms. When he lost, he posted a message on the platform announcing his desire to run in the next federal election. (more…)
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The carving up of Syria
My heart is breaking over Syria, and it was already broken over Gaza. I watch the television reports of the ‘joy’ in Damascus and wonder what alternative planet the mainstream media inhabits. (more…)
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Addressing misdiagnoses and gaps in Australia’s COVID-19 inquiry
The national report on Australia’s COVID response is long, at 877 pages (depending upon the format), with 4,647 footnotes. But long is not synonymous with comprehensive, and there are significant gaps in the report’s analysis and conclusions. (more…)
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Pearls and Irritations – Editor Position
Our current editor Dr. Aran Martin is leaving us at the end of January. He has given excellent service to Pearls and Irritations. We are seeking a new editor and share the role description below. (more…)
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Adass Israel synagogue is not your political football
The Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne was firebombed this week in a horrific attack. (more…)
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Dutton scrambling on immigration levels
Having made bold promises to reduce immigration in his 2024-25 Budget reply speech and in a radio interview with 2GB’s Ben Fordham the next day, Peter Dutton is now scrambling to explain his position on immigration levels. (more…)
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Endless onslaught: Would Israel’s Mordechai be attacked as ‘antisemitic’ in Australia?
Haaretz, Israel’s oldest and most widely known newspaper, has just published a long, roughly 8,000 word feature article, about the work of Lee Mordechai, the Associate Professor of History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has compiled on line a massive report entitled “Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War.” (more…)
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Synagogue attack: The unashamed trashing of the rule of law by news outlets
The attack last week on a Melbourne synagogue is undoubtedly a criminal offence. But according to the News Limited media outlets, many in the Jewish community and the broader pro Israel movement, and now the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, it was an act of terrorism. (more…)
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‘A future of dust’ – Jeff Sparrow on Gaza and why, in evil times, writers have a responsibility to take sides
“We must ask for no references to Gaza/Palestine/Israel as it’s a very sensitive topic in our area. If these topics are included it drastically changes our risk management plans for events. Thus for safety and harmony we kindly ask the guest speakers avoid these topics and any questions about it that come up.” – Sam Wallman and I received this message from our publicist, one day before an event at a suburban library about our coauthored book.
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Forty years on, no justice for Bhopal victims – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Disaster survivor says she wishes she had died. Plus: Macabre dispute over Pakistan protest deaths; Trump’s new term, crisis time for AUKUS: Martial law becomes South Korea’s democratic moment; Fentanyl America’s problem, says Beijing; Women’s freedom means no going back on population decline (more…)
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Decency and dignity generate and earn respect
While Bob Menzies pumped the political scare campaign to the max, to help ensure his newly formed Liberal Party’s ongoing popularity between 1949-66, locals were often more relaxed about sharing community life with those they battled on election day. (more…)
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Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s Isi Leibler was a ‘covert agent of Israeli intelligence’
When I began editing Quadrant with Peter Coleman in 1989, my co-editorship was soon overwhelmed by the most unpleasant controversy of my life, at least thus far. (more…)
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When media and the state collude
It was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day meant to mark the start of a 16-day global campaign to end the scourge of gender-based violence against women. Yet, on this day of reflection and action, The Australian chose to publish a follow-up story to its sensationalised splash just two days earlier about criminalised woman, Jody Thomson. (more…)
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A five-minute scroll
Trump seeks a currency commitment from BRICS or 100 percent tariffs will apply. The man feeding up to 3,000 Gazans daily has been targeted and killed, while Al Jazeera investigates IDF use of quadcopters with sounds of babies crying luring Gazans from their homes. A soldier tells Hareetz that what he has seen in Gaza will define our future. Gabriel Shipton speaks to the optimism that Biden might parden Julian Assange. The Australian Institute decried interest rates as the only way to fix inflation while ABC News still reports on Gaza with ambiguity. (more…)