Yesh Gvul
Courage To Refuse
Shministim
Pilots
Free The Five
New Profile
Refuser Solidarity Network


Name: Antony Loewenstein
Home: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Comment Rules
About Me:
See my complete profile



Google
Web antonyloewenstein.blogspot.com
Sweat-Shop Productions
Sweat-Shop Productions
Sweat-Shop Productions



Blogs

Sites




Previous Posts



Powered by Blogger

 


Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Important, but...

The Monthly is the new magazine on the block. Modelling itself on the New Yorker, the Melbourne-based publication is a noble attempt at producing high-quality, essay style articles on issues of the day. Its success rate is decidedly mixed, not least due to its insistence on commissioning the "old guard" of Australian publishing, from Robert Manne to Helen Garner, Kerryn Goldsworthy to Linda Jaivin. Thus far, the choice of writers has been fairly conventional.

Perhaps I'm being unfair. It's a new magazine, the editors want to establish a name for the publication and they simply need to do this by hiring big names. Maybe. The quality of the writing is not in question - generally speaking - and neither is the attractive layout. I want to see a brave new magazine that is unafraid to challenge Australia's underlying assumptions and those of our media elite. I'm not giving up yet. To do this, editors need to commission articles that are unpredictable, controversial, edgy and young. The signs are not wholly convincing. Where, for example, is the inclusion of online writers and bloggers, voices of today rather than yesterday?

This month features a cover article by Robert Manne on the Iraq war. Titled "Murdoch's War", it tells the compelling story of the media owner, the Australian's Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan, and Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt. Manne systematically dissects the Australian's support for the war, its ability to bypass facts on WMD, Iraq nationalism and US foreign policy and constantly move the goalposts when previously claimed justifications no longer exist.

Manne says reading Bolt's columns is akin to "being trapped in a small room with an angry, indignant, simple-minded man who believes the best way of convincing you that he is right, yet again, is to ridicule and shout." Sheridan's "journalism" is dismissed as the "kind of uncritical enthusiasm one might expect from a teenager in love." The Melbourne academic convincingly argues his case, dismissing the numerous factual errors, assumptions, articles of faith and outright lies told by the Murdoch press to convince a wary public that the Iraq war was essential to democracy and freedom. The Murdoch press is shameless, deceitful, devious and unethical, but then, what's new?

Manne dismisses the Fairfax press as "no longer playing the kind of balancing role they once did. Now run by a board of corporation investors, they have almost altogether forgotten the tradition of fierce independence that still produces the best family-owned quality newspapers in the US: the New York Times and The Washington Post."

Come again? Let me get this straight. Manne slams the Murdoch press and praises two American papers that, without a doubt, contributed a barrage of mis-information and propaganda before the Iraq war. Is Manne unaware of this? It's hardly possible. Does Manne think that the actions of Times journalist Judith Miller - perhaps the person most responsible for channelling false WMD claims through Ahmed Chalabi - are less responsible than the Murdoch press? If so, he's delusional.

Manne's censure of the Fairfax press is warranted. They have indeed become a shadow of their former self, preferring to follow rather than lead and positioning themselves as the media company best suited to pursue the new lifestyle agenda of the 21st century. Brave stuff, indeed. But by simply highlighting the Murdoch press - easy targets and thoroughly predictable - Manne has missed a golden opportunity. His slavish praise of the American media shows a disturbing sign of cultural cringe. Of course, certain American outlets have behaved admirably over the last years, but the Post and Times are not two of these publications.

Black Inc Books is soon releasing a book on the media, edited by Manne, called "Do Not Disturb". Let's hope his power of analysis improves.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Manne is obviously relying on received wisdom; he can't have been reading them these last few years. Really, they've been part of the VRWC since the Clintonhunt at least.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:26:00 pm  
Blogger Antony Loewenstein said...

I wonder. Manne is clever and well-read. What's the real reason? Cultural cringe? Ignorance? Not really sure. His work on Iraq, however predictable it us to those of who 'live' on the web, is essential because he can connect with the mainstream It's vital.
I'm tempted to write a letter to the magazine...

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:39:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't bother, they don't print letters unless they're over 750 words!

CHeck out Investigate -- it's another new fresh monthly that looks a damn sight better and also has some bloggers working for it.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 1:02:00 pm  
Blogger Antony Loewenstein said...

I could write a long letter!
I've seen Investigate. Sorry, pretty uninspiring. A neo-con wet dream with predictable writers and Ann Coulter columns. I won't be gaining any insights from that source...

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 1:17:00 pm  
Blogger lukery said...

i loved this from Sheridan's rebuttle: "We now know Saddam did have links with al-Qa'ida but at the time of the column, 2003, this was less clear."

Sunday, July 17, 2005 5:17:00 pm  

Post a Comment

<< Home