For most, Easter is a time for rest and renewal. For Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp it is a time to keep shaking the pom-poms for the Coalition and thrashing Labor.
At least Nine’s mastheads SMH and Age ran on the Coalition’s mega-pork this morning; some $55bn in public money being spayed about to buy votes. For their Murdoch peers in the media duopoly, there was no such attempt at balance; they were still pinning their ears back with inflated claims, “Labor’s jobs plan to cost billions”. Like their fallacious Darwin Port and Tasmanian loggers coverage this week, the fear-mongering over jobs was not based on any substance.
Substance is not their strongest suit. Going into week two of the campaign, Albo’s starts again with the large handicap of a Coalition-subservient media cheering on incumbent Scott Morrison.
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.