Pearls and Irritations editor-in-chief John Menadue talks to Pascal Lottez of Neutrality Studies about Western misconceptions of China and the narrative that has led to a very poor understanding of the biggest power in Asia. (more…)
Category: Media
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No such ceasefire
As the latest ceasefire has predictably ended, will the world start taking notice of the Palestinians again? There’s been a stark absence of coverage in mainstream media of the ongoing decimation of Gaza and the West Bank. I imagine the average citizen believes it’s all okay now, the onslaught has ended and there’s nothing more to worry about. Nothing to see here, folks. Phew, the Palestinians are safe. (more…)
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Voters starting to turn away from Dutton as the election nears
There are signs that voters are turning towards Albanese and Labor and away from Dutton and the Coalition. (more…)
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Message from the editor
A week into the job and I am deeply impressed by the strength and vigour of the community John has built around Pearls and Irritations. So many of you have sent very generous messages and I feel very welcome, and busy! (more…)
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Where are the honest and critical reports?
Can any self-respecting journalist or political commentator inform me and many Australians as to why they continue to bolster the Australia/United States togetherness as though it is the same relationship of years past? The United States is not a friend – it is increasingly becoming a pariah state, joining its very best friend, Israel. (more…)
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Kim Beazley bombs out
March hasn’t been one of the better months for Kim Beazley, the former Hawke and Keating Government minister, leader of the federal ALP and governor of Western Australia and now chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial. (more…)
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Beijing gambles on plan to boost people’s spending – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: AI, green appliances to lead shift to consumption economy. Plus: Myanmar resistance rewrites rules of insurgency; Trump closes agencies that cover China, Cambodia abuses; Widowo works on extending his influence; Japanese PM’s popularity plummets; New church for Phnom Penh 50 years after Pol Pot devastation (more…)
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Misinformation in politics: Anti-China Media Watch
The ABC reveals Chinese social media is again facilitating foreign interference in our elections, Dutton is the true champion of China relations, while Chinese hospitals are overcharging Aussies for lifesaving surgery. (more…)
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EU welcomes its first dictatorship
Democracy has just been overthrown in an EU nation for the first time ever – with the tacit backing of the European Union itself. Buckle up: if the pre-emptive coup in Romania is allowed to stand, this means that the EU has torn up its own rule book and welcomed a dictatorship into the community. (more…)
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Timor-Leste and its Australian critics: A credibility gap exposed
Damien Kingsbury’s recent piece, Timor-Leste appears to abandon sustainability, recycles tired tropes from Australian academics bent on safeguarding Canberra’s interests in the Timor Sea. (more…)
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A message from the new editor, Catriona Jackson
It is day one for me as editor and I want to express my thanks to editor-in-chief John Menadue and board members Michael Keating, Mike Gilligan, Joe Camilleri and Jocelyn Chey for placing their trust in me. (more…)
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A massacre in Sharifa
The residents of the Syrian village of Sharifa lay in puddles and rivulets of blood. Some died with arms outstretched; others seemed to clutch protectively at their chests. Most had been executed with shots to the head and two women had their faces blown apart. (more…)
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Slaughterhouse Syria
The terrorists set loose on Syria more than a decade ago were slaughtering Alawis, and now they are systematically slaughtering them again – in their thousands. (more…)
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China flotilla reporting misses the obvious
The failure of media to ask obvious questions was on full display as three ships from the Chinese People Liberation Army-Navy completed their circumnavigation of Australia. (more…)
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Any old Chinese port in a storm: Anti-China Media Watch
Reports on the financial distress of Landbridge, the Chinese-owned company with a 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin, lack perspective and analysis. Penny Wong goes soft on China and ASPI goes unchecked. (more…)
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Catriona Jackson appointed editor of Pearls and Irritations
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Catriona Jackson as the editor of Pearls and Irritations from 17 March. (more…)
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No apologies over fabricated terror plot from pollies or lobby groups
When it comes to antisemitism, politicians in this country are often quick to jump on the claim without waiting for evidence. With notable and laudable exceptions like the Greens and independents such as Tasmanian federal MP Andrew Wilkie, it seems any allegation will do when it comes to the opportunity to imply Arab Australians, the Muslim community and Palestinian supporters are trying to destroy the lives of the Jewish community. (more…)
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How CIA propaganda infiltrated the pages of The Canberra Times in the Cold War
It was the mid-60s and The Canberra Times had a problem. (more…)
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Discombobulating the media election campaign coverage
The priestly pundit caste in the media is well into their election coverage rituals while the political parties are busy adjusting their strategies to tailor their offerings to these ritual needs. (more…)
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Challenging ‘antisemitism’
The definition of antisemitism has been hijacked and devalued, most recently in the craven acceptance by vice-chancellors that it should also cover some criticism of Israel. This article argues that the time has come to push back by actively resisting the misapplication of the term and restoring it to its proper meaning – hatred of Jewish people, not criticism of a state’s illegalities and excesses. (more…)
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Sorry, the full Gonski won’t be enough
The media chorus says it all: the school funding wars are over, public schools will finally get justice, all the major combatants are onside and there will be peace throughout the land. And when all schools implement a suite of mandatory reforms, our levels of student achievement will make us the envy of the world. (more…)
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Media paladins of Fortress Australia
You have to admire Australian media. While the rest of us are busy paying $8 for a flat white and wondering how to stretch a pack of IndoMie for a week, our intrepid journalists are fearlessly focused on the real threats – like Chinese naval ships operating in full compliance with international law. (more…)
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Fool or fabricator? ABC in the spotlight
I can’t stomach reading the ABC news any longer. Their journalists must be either the most ignorant people on the planet or the most deceitful. The choice is not flattering. (more…)
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China, US a world apart on shaping the future – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Speeches show Li is for continuity, Trump insists on change. Plus: Cambodia worse than Myanmar for online “scamdemic”; How agents exploit Indians trying for work in America; Brutal competition shapes Fantastic Four tech leaders; Prabowo sets up sovereign wealth fund; Thailand joins Beatles era. (more…)
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The Murdoch plague on world politics
Any company which had a history of illegality, incurred massive costs for those illegal actions, polluted public discourse and, made massive false claims about companies and institutions, the directors and managers would be facing summary sacking at an AGM. But in the case of News Limited all the evidence is that the company never learns from such lessons. (more…)
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The AUKUS chickens are coming home to roost, already
In its response to AUKUS with its objective of militarily confronting China in the South China Sea, we should not be surprised by Chinese naval vessels sailing around Australia to pick up some intelligence or at least showing us their growing naval power. (more…)
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The Australian jellyfish: Anti-China Media Watch
The Australian labels Albanese a “jellyfish” in the face of Chinese naval vessels, ironically the barbs came from a faceless columnist. Kudos to The Australian for keeping tabs on a US nuclear submarine in our waters, but the headline act for the Murdoch masthead was hosting its own event for weapons makers and China hawks. (more…)
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Rise of the bigot
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a bigot as “a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs, and who does not like other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life”. Bigotry is an individual attitude characterised by two distinct dimensions, baseless beliefs and an intolerance of others, and is exemplified by xenophobia, racism and misogyny. (more…)
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A five-minute scroll
Sarah Schwarz speaks to the silencing tactics against those speaking up for Palestine. Francesca Albanese outlines the many elements that make up genocide. Peter Cronau suggests Australia appears to have breached the International Court of Justice ruling by exporting coal from Newcastle to Israel, while Cameron Leckie suggests a peacekeeping force for Ukraine is disingenuous after Australia’s role in the proxy war. (more…)
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The good, the bad and the downright ugly: Our media is broken
We have become accustomed, not too happily, to a form of political journalism in which opinion and news have increasingly merged, blunting the essential distinction between political commentary and detached objectivity. With journalists now routinely writing both news and opinion, this distinction has become impossibly blurred, undermining the impartiality and accuracy on which political journalism depends. (more…)