Manne overboard

My latest column for online magazine New Matilda is published today. I discuss the Australian media and the misguided attempts by so-called "liberals" to critique establishment failures:

"I am not suggesting that Australia's media isn't in dire straits. Australia is a small media pond with a handful of giant sharks and the possible changes to cross media laws will only worsen the equation. Editor and publisher Eric Beecher chronicles in Do Not Disturb the rise of tabloid journalism, the decline in newspaper readership and increasing public cynicism towards the media. He offers few solutions (few of the contributors do) but suggests publications like the New York Times and Washington Post are the benchmarks for trail-blazing writing and investigation. Manne does similarly in his chapter about Murdoch's enthusiasm for the Iraq war. It is a grossly naive assertion from both writers, however, and belies the major faults with the 'leading' American broadsheets."

My column will now appear every fortnight.