Truth, Lies and Media

Why don’t the media hound Hanson about her racist policies? Four Corners did a great expose on One Nation - but no mention in interviews with her supporters about why they are attracted by promises to persecute migrants, Muslims, foreign students and Indigenous Australians. [from 7:00]Plus we look at the chilling irony of Donald Trump entertaining President Xi and his entourage of compliant state-controlled Chinese reporters at a lavish White House dinner while simultaneously banning the free press - multiple American media outlets were denied entry. [from 17:50]And guess who’s coming to our Deep Dive Saturday Special? Denis Muller previews his chat with the legendary journalist and former Media Watch host Paul Barry. [from 39:25]

The ABC is strangled by floods of complaints from hard right attack dogs - so we look at new reports that most of those whinges are really mass generated AI bots - you know - ACTUAL FAKE NEWS.So Denis asked one of the faker complainers if their behaviour was ethical. Still waiting ..[from 3:25]Plus Donald Trump is chucking more journalists out of the White House because he doesn’t like their reporting - so they’re suing him.[from 10:20]And what does the racist Murdoch press have in common with the trusted news providers at Aunty?We unpack the dangers of “bothsidesism.”[from 18:00]

Gina Rinehart dealt herself into the One Nation “traitor” attack on Liberal Andrew Hastie.But why would The Age having published such a revealing expose on their suspect behaviours then run a headline suggesting the spiteful racists at One Nation are “good for democracy?”Also today .. Denis steps us through what it will take before the media report the Ai threats to human survival at Alert Level 1 - think no Internet, no access to your money, no way of buying food, crippled water and energy infrastructure. https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/internet/anthropic-ceo-warns-rogue-ai-swarm-could-take-over-the-entire-internet-within-12-months/news-story/589fd549fe92ee441c179b5823d22674And we look at the rules around reporting the private lives of politicians as we farewell acclaimed writer and the beloved second wife of Bob Hawke, Blanche D’Alpuget, whose affair with the four time PM was an open secret among journalists.

We look at the brutal fall from grace of one of Donald Trumps most toxic propagandists.Milo Yiannopoulos, who promoted hate against women and migrants, has been swiftly deported from the United States after the British national failed to renew his visa and was picked up by ICE. He has tearfully slammed the gratuitous violence meted out by his ICE captors in an interview with podcaster Piers Morgan - describing an ecosystem of dehumanising and menacing illegals that he helped create. But is anyone buying his road to Damascus moment - he now says he’s ashamed of his support for America’s fascist sex predator-in-chief. Have you noticed vicious Andrew Tate style misogyny on the rise? We look at alarming new research into the manosphere that has revealed increasing numbers of boys now believe violence is the appropriate response to feminism. What’s behind it? We check out the Sydney Morning Herald reporter who posed as a 17 year old boy online and revealed how quickly she was deluged with dangerous messaging encouraging hostility to women and aggressive sexist behaviour.Plus why is the world media silent after Israel’s far right minister Ben-Gvir posted fake video of Palestinian men on a conveyer belt being fed into a torture factory .. shockingly evoking concentration camp imagery. The White House has said nothing - it’s comms team instead preoccupied with posting shrill condemnation of the satirists at South Park who have won an Emmy for an episode depicting Trump and a tiny talking penis. Seeing is believing.

If splashy headlines tell you what’s important then this week they’re telling you damage to a footy team is more important than damage to the alleged sex assault victims. We take a look at the way the media has downplayed the alleged sexual assault of exotic dancers by Swans football players while saturating us with coverage about the “tragedy” of a premiership club now being distracted from the finals. Plus .. the White House is enraged at the sudden media interest in Natalie Harp, a young personal assistant who follows Donald Trump everywhere printing out positive news stories for him to see on a portable printer (he can’t use his smartphone?) but also leaving what author Michael Wolff describes as “love letters” in his papers. And only journo-haters need apply - Pauline Hanson is advertising for a press secretary promising you’ll “have fun and make history” while one assumes you terrorise the ABC, demonise migrants and fly around in Gina’s $2m plane while screeching loudly that you are the voice of the battler.

Political Reporting As Benny Hill SkitIn a world of genocide and white supremacists and climate emergency we ask why the Canberra Press Gallery thinks confecting a snickering moral outrage over Anthony Albanese saying “melons” is the story of the week.Plus we look at the folly of the ABC decision to axe its Indigenous TV Department while moving heaven and earth to placate Gina Rinehart and the Murdoch bullies. And don’t let the door hit you on the way out .. departing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will have to find some other room full of captives to abuse after venting on journalists at press conferences for 18 months.

Does the ABC really promote concepts of murder? Is it really a hotbed of bloodthirsty revolutionaries - because of ONE distasteful comedy skit?We take look at the Murdoch media frothing at the mouth to defend Gina Rinehart who featured in a tasteless ABC comedy skit … the same Murdoch empire that doesn’t give a toss about AJP MP Georgie Purcell who The Age reports is the target of death threats and sexualised abuse EVERY DAY. Should we be taking moral advice from a propaganda machine that incites hatred against minorities and sexualises women as part of its core business model?Plus how the world’s powerful media tech owners operate - the ABC has discovered Meta the parent company of Facebook is paying rage bait creators with links to neo Nazis. And Denis demolishes an Age headline “Uni Academics Say No to $35m Gift” as the hard right “Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation” tries to chequebook its way into the prestigious University of Melbourne.

Pauline Hanson is at it again, banning media she doesn’t like.This time it’s The Age, banned, along with Guardian Australia and the ABC, from One Nation’s press conference called to announce its candidates for November’s Victorian state election.But the shocking thing is the spineless way the media are taking this.Also, News Corporation is in full campaigning mode on behalf of the anti-Labor forces in Victoria’s forthcoming state election.Its Melbourne tabloid, the Herald Sun, has spent the week excoriating the new Labor premier Ben Carroll, with headlines like “Ben’s shirk from home” and “Stop this trainwreck.And Zoe Daniel, former ABC journalist turned politician, turns her gaze on the performance of the Canberra press gallery.