A couple of years back—more than I care to count, to be honest—I did a six-week stint filling in on air for the afternoon session on ABC Radio in Brisbane.
Hard to imagine a world dealing with another Trump presidency, the prospect frightens the shit out of me and I suspect all those clamouring to vote for the Dems. Unfortunately the good guys don't always win.
I remember that ABC stint JB, I have a feeling Nick Earls may have done one around the same time, and perhaps your former BT colleague Kat Feeney, and look where she is now.
On the main topic, I 100% agree - 50/50 balance when the sides are unbalanced (in all senses of the word) is absolute distortion. It gives a sense of legitimacy to whack jobs, crazy arguments, lies and tiny minority groups, and discounts expertise and common sense. Climate change deniers, Trump's lies,
I feel like it's underpinned by the social media phenomenon that makes us all think that our opinion should be heard and broadcast.
I tell high school kids English is about looking at how meaning is made, and they will never be free thinkers if they can't determine how people's agendas shape the way they compose texts (or how the way a text is composed reveals the composer's agenda or purpose).
But it's driving me nuts watching the ABC News because I can see that the balance required isn't really being adhered to. I mean, Dutton et al get far more exposure than the government representatives within a "news" item. Often the Opposition leader or ally gets the first and most impression-making bite.
So, what is that now telling us about the agenda or purpose of the ABC News?
I'm desperately hoping the new man at the wheel rectifies that (as well as doing something about the endless repeats).
Yep....there's billionaire fossil fuel barons ( most) pushing their barrow E.g. Trevor St Baker who funded "No" voice vote (lives in Toowong Bris) Was head of Shell Australia ... is backing Dutton's radioactive push. & Australia favoured as world's nuclear waste tip ...very lucrative for Morrison and future Dutton revolving doors. Will be looking for him ...as we roast
Go JB! JB for Australian communication director please.
I’m not surprised that you’ve written a great note again, to the point, on point and fucking funny. If only the US shit show that is the corporate media and the fucking atrocious election nightmare that is the GroomerOperativeParty was actually funny, it’d be funny.
I spent a lot of my life arguing against the climate denial machine so beautifully exposed by Naomi Oreskes in Merchants of Doubt. Some of the denial cultists would actually debate the facts, although few of those would ever concede that peer-reviewed science is a billion times more reliable source than the WattsUpWithThat blog. However, many more knew nothing about the science, their denial was based only in identity and "common sense", as if you could understand a planetary climate system using that and not deep, broad scientific inquiry!
In the end, they all simply didn't want to believe, some for finanical reasons, but most because it threatened their sense of themselves. That's what some people do when threatened with change - create an entirely seperate mental world to protect themselves.
For decades I have considered the end of this global civilisation in terms of a cascading collapse of environmental support systems leading to a similar cascading collapse of social systems. Who could have seen that societies would lead the charge by dismantling the fundamenta idea of a shared reality?
PS Re balance in the journalistic coverage of climate science for decades - so many media outlets made the ridiculous mistake of having one scientist and one denier on a panel of talking heads, as if the scientific community was split 50-50 on the matter. They should have had 99 scientists for every denier, most of whom are not climate scientists to begin with anyway. IIRC Q&A or some similar show actually did this once to point out what scientists really thought.
My socials this morning are abuzz with this apparently real quote from the NYT:
“Harris and Trump both have plans to address America's affordable housing shortage: Hers include tax cuts and a benefit for first-time buyers, and his include deportations and lower interest rates.”
Re Dutts and the nuclear. What most people don't know is that AI, apart from being shit and unethical on many levels, is power hungry. By 2030 experts believe AI will require the same amount of electricity as global consumption now (or a bit ago before AI started eating our electricity). Meaning total global electricity consumption will double by 2030, just to run AI.
AI is SO GREEDY that companies like Microsoft et al want to build small modular nuclear reactors next to every AI centre.
So Dutton, who used to be against nuclear and is the current leader of the party that said "Hell no" to nuclear for Australia, has flipped and suddenly wants nuclear power. Specifically, he wants small modular nuclear reactors built in electorates he's trying to win (?!?).
Add to AI's gluttonous consumption of electricity is its ravenous demand for drinking water to cool server farms. If you thought mining companies (coal and water bottling mining) were devastating Australia by guzzling our artesian water, just you wait until AI starts taking all our drinking water. Because companies need to make money and people don't need drinking water, amiright?!
Dutton is, as ever, the Voldemort of the political world. Which is why I think he knows exactly what he's doing and the end results, he's just not declaring what he's getting for pushing this agenda.
WOW JB! I Thought it was just me! I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one who sees this problem for what it is. Thank you!
Hard to imagine a world dealing with another Trump presidency, the prospect frightens the shit out of me and I suspect all those clamouring to vote for the Dems. Unfortunately the good guys don't always win.
I remember that ABC stint JB, I have a feeling Nick Earls may have done one around the same time, and perhaps your former BT colleague Kat Feeney, and look where she is now.
On the main topic, I 100% agree - 50/50 balance when the sides are unbalanced (in all senses of the word) is absolute distortion. It gives a sense of legitimacy to whack jobs, crazy arguments, lies and tiny minority groups, and discounts expertise and common sense. Climate change deniers, Trump's lies,
I feel like it's underpinned by the social media phenomenon that makes us all think that our opinion should be heard and broadcast.
Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes. This.
Nailed it.
I tell high school kids English is about looking at how meaning is made, and they will never be free thinkers if they can't determine how people's agendas shape the way they compose texts (or how the way a text is composed reveals the composer's agenda or purpose).
But it's driving me nuts watching the ABC News because I can see that the balance required isn't really being adhered to. I mean, Dutton et al get far more exposure than the government representatives within a "news" item. Often the Opposition leader or ally gets the first and most impression-making bite.
So, what is that now telling us about the agenda or purpose of the ABC News?
I'm desperately hoping the new man at the wheel rectifies that (as well as doing something about the endless repeats).
pain drops keep falling on my head ...
and just like the journalist I used to be .. I forget ??
Too true. The only consequence corporate media fears is dwindling profits.
Thanks again for putting so eloquently thoughts that only come out of my mouth as “bloody stupid media!”
Yep....there's billionaire fossil fuel barons ( most) pushing their barrow E.g. Trevor St Baker who funded "No" voice vote (lives in Toowong Bris) Was head of Shell Australia ... is backing Dutton's radioactive push. & Australia favoured as world's nuclear waste tip ...very lucrative for Morrison and future Dutton revolving doors. Will be looking for him ...as we roast
amen!
And Dutton is taking lessons from all of this... while Albanese is still playing nice.
Go JB! JB for Australian communication director please.
I’m not surprised that you’ve written a great note again, to the point, on point and fucking funny. If only the US shit show that is the corporate media and the fucking atrocious election nightmare that is the GroomerOperativeParty was actually funny, it’d be funny.
Late to the party on this one, but a-fucking-men!
I spent a lot of my life arguing against the climate denial machine so beautifully exposed by Naomi Oreskes in Merchants of Doubt. Some of the denial cultists would actually debate the facts, although few of those would ever concede that peer-reviewed science is a billion times more reliable source than the WattsUpWithThat blog. However, many more knew nothing about the science, their denial was based only in identity and "common sense", as if you could understand a planetary climate system using that and not deep, broad scientific inquiry!
In the end, they all simply didn't want to believe, some for finanical reasons, but most because it threatened their sense of themselves. That's what some people do when threatened with change - create an entirely seperate mental world to protect themselves.
For decades I have considered the end of this global civilisation in terms of a cascading collapse of environmental support systems leading to a similar cascading collapse of social systems. Who could have seen that societies would lead the charge by dismantling the fundamenta idea of a shared reality?
PS Re balance in the journalistic coverage of climate science for decades - so many media outlets made the ridiculous mistake of having one scientist and one denier on a panel of talking heads, as if the scientific community was split 50-50 on the matter. They should have had 99 scientists for every denier, most of whom are not climate scientists to begin with anyway. IIRC Q&A or some similar show actually did this once to point out what scientists really thought.
Spot on.
My socials this morning are abuzz with this apparently real quote from the NYT:
“Harris and Trump both have plans to address America's affordable housing shortage: Hers include tax cuts and a benefit for first-time buyers, and his include deportations and lower interest rates.”
🫠
Scathing.
Re Dutts and the nuclear. What most people don't know is that AI, apart from being shit and unethical on many levels, is power hungry. By 2030 experts believe AI will require the same amount of electricity as global consumption now (or a bit ago before AI started eating our electricity). Meaning total global electricity consumption will double by 2030, just to run AI.
AI is SO GREEDY that companies like Microsoft et al want to build small modular nuclear reactors next to every AI centre.
So Dutton, who used to be against nuclear and is the current leader of the party that said "Hell no" to nuclear for Australia, has flipped and suddenly wants nuclear power. Specifically, he wants small modular nuclear reactors built in electorates he's trying to win (?!?).
Add to AI's gluttonous consumption of electricity is its ravenous demand for drinking water to cool server farms. If you thought mining companies (coal and water bottling mining) were devastating Australia by guzzling our artesian water, just you wait until AI starts taking all our drinking water. Because companies need to make money and people don't need drinking water, amiright?!
Dutton is, as ever, the Voldemort of the political world. Which is why I think he knows exactly what he's doing and the end results, he's just not declaring what he's getting for pushing this agenda.