Damning the Greens

Rupert Murdoch's media empire is known to despise the Greens under Senator Bob Brown. For these establishment media-types, a two-party system is all a democracy needs, thanks very much, and if anybody dares steal the limelight from the corporate-driven Labor or Liberal parties, watch out. Such was Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper during last year's Federal Election campaign.

The Greens complained to the toothless Press Council and won. Murdoch's minions refuse to accept the decision and today publish a scathing "examination" of the Council's findings. Indignation runs high, as ever, and Greens are once again deemed dangerous to society. The party has responded though where is the Fairfax press? Neither The Sydney Morning Herald nor Age, the supposed quality broadsheets of Sydney and Melbourne respectively, have covered this story in depth. It's a common theme. The Murdoch press regularly attacks the Fairfax press, and nothing more than a whimper is ever heard in reply.

If the powers that be at Fairfax reckon they're above such petty squabbles, they should think again. The Australian media landscape is increasingly dominated by Murdoch and his agendas. Sometimes you've got to play dirty, especially when your already dwindling readership is diving even more. Issues of media accountability are important and people do care. Are the editors of Fairfax simply waiting for the cross-media laws to pass the Senate after July 1 and then calmly watch as any kind of investigatve journalism remaining is reduced to make way for more advertising dollars? It's happening already.