If there has been anything more lacklustre than this Government and its shallow election campaign, it has been the reporting of the travelling press pack.
Two days ago, the ABC’s Dan Conifer tweeted a picture of a red truck, with the following caption:
‘PM jumps in a truck and honks the horn.’
PM jumps in a truck and honks the horn. #auspol #ausvotes @politicsabc pic.twitter.com/DwxDlnUcGj
— Dan Conifer (@DanConifer) May 7, 2019
Important stuff. Just like their breathless reporting of beefy, ogreish Morrison kicking a football; or chopping wood; or digging a hole; or swinging a hammer; or just standing, leering, near people actually trying to get some work done.
On Tuesday, the one-eyed press vultures went into overdrive after Scott Morrison was attacked by a doped-up hippy carrying an egg. This assault was so frightening and brutal, the egg reportedly didn’t even break — or even crack. Many might think hitting someone with an egg is a relatively mild form of protest. According to IA’s cursory research, there have been relatively few egg fatalities recorded in Australia’s political history.
But, nevertheless, according to Bevan Shields from Nine (Fairfax) it was a “disgrace”. And in the sanctimonious tone adopted by mainstream media journalists ‒ even ones barely out of short pants, like Bevan ‒ when they are obliged to correct the errant behaviour of the lowly unwashed, he added:
‘I wonder if the same people who are suggesting this is no big deal would say the same had it happened to Julia Gillard…’
They say the past is a different country, but for Australia’s media, it may as well be a different universe. The fact is, lots of political leaders have had harmless things thrown at them and lived to tell the tale. John Howard had a pair of old boots thrown at him on ABC Q&A, but, sadly, he managed to dodge them. As for Julia Gillard, she was viciously struck by a vegemite sandwich on the campaign trail in 2013. And, when it comes to eggs, in 2010, in WA, Gillard was egged by a 55 year-old man — although the ova missed her and hit a female police officer in her security detail.
Gillard’s response:
"It's just egg, it washes off."
The Press Gallery had no problem with either incident. Indeed, Mark Riley's Channel Seven made several “egg-stremely” bad “yolks” about the incident in a cringeworthy report (you may watch HERE). So, according to Australia’s media, it is totally funny to egg a female Labor Prime Minister, but a total “disgrace” to roll an egg over a male Liberal Prime Minister’s head.
Here is Channel 7 making several jokes about Gillard's egging. It's 'hilarious' when a woman is egged, a 'disgrace' when a man is egged: https://t.co/f4bqv7k3cn
— Psyberus (@Psyberus) May 7, 2019
And that’s before we even come to the disgraceful News Corp attack on Bill Shorten’s recently deceased mother — something that had many comparing it to Alan Jones’ “he died of shame” attack on Julia Gillard’s father. Watch Bill Shorten’s dignified response to these tawdry attacks from that criminal “news” organisation HERE.
The one thing the mainstream media aren’t doing, as they talk up Newspoll and watch Morrison’s increasingly clownish antics, is report on matters of substance.
So, in the interest of edifying the public, Independent Australia has prepared the following list of things you should know before you vote, which does not include Scott Morrison acting like a drongo.
TEN REASONS WHY THE MORRISON GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE VOTED OUT
In no particular order, the following details why, in the opinion of this publication, the Coalition should be heaved onto the dungheap next week.
Read the rest of this article in the Independent Australia members only area HERE. (Subscribe to Independent Australia HERE.)
You can follow managing editor Dave Donovan on Twitter @davrosz. Follow Independent Australia on Twitter at @independentaus and on Facebook HERE.
VIDEO: Bloody Idiot of the Week — Episode 06: Spacing out https://t.co/3Udv7vYuj9 @IndependentAus
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) May 7, 2019

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