News Limited's reputation...or lack thereof?

[Guest]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-1...oks-pm/2793758

News Limited is seeking to distance itself from the phone hacking scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch's British media outlets by proving it has not been engaging in similar practices.
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Be funny if an alleged mastermind picked now to reveal the whose who of the Melbourne Storm cap rort. Would certainly dent News Limited's reputation a wee bit.

Chook.

[Guest]

I don't think, barring the brutalization that the red terror Julia is going through, that I've enjoyed watching a prominent person squirm.

I think this will be Murdoch's end.

[c_q]

Media Watch on Monday night and Foreign Correspondent on Tuesday night were gold. They should be compulsory viewing for all media consumers. News Ltd is a grubby outfit. There was a story in the Faifax press in the last few days how Rupert's daughter started a business and then the family exercised their 40% voting shares for the Company to buy it off her for over $600 mil. All of this stuff has got minimal or no coverage in the various News outlets around the country.

[Spanner in the works]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...rnational.html

Brooks might be coming here. This makes me very nervous. Murder victims and victims of the Bali Bombings will not be safe.

Quite frankly though, I don't think many Australian's give a shit about this scandal. They think it's a UK thing and has zero effect over here.

[c_q]

You are right there, most of us are just sheep when it comes to media consumption. Here is a link to the Fairfax story I mentioned above.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/family-t...712-1hcam.html

[Spanner in the works]

You are right there, most of us are just sheep when it comes to media consumption. Here is a link to the Fairfax story I mentioned above.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/family-t...712-1hcam.html

It's ridiculous. There's a thread over at LU, and it's pretty much just me posting. Maybe it will end up being a UK-centric thing. But even then it raises serious questions about the culture at News Limited.

[c_q]

Can you post a link, I wouldn't mind getting involved. It's a world wide News Ltd thing. Another Fairfax article and a Geoffrey Robertson opinion piece.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/murdoch-...709-1h7tl.html

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politi...713-1hdxn.html

[Spanner in the works]

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/sh...d.php?t=386720

Another good thing to watch is this:
http://search.twitter.com/search?had...lt_type=recent
That's the Twitter hashtag for the NOTW scandal, and most new articles and updates are posted there.
Also, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk/. There is a live update thing that is really good. And the Guardian has one, but the link changes each day. So you might have to search.

[stephenj]

this entire saga clearly demonstrates the corporaqte3 culture of 'whatever it takes'! consequently news aqctions before during and after the superleague wars swhould again be on show, those shrinking violets unable to believe thaqt news may have used their corporate muscle to influence thge results of games in the nrl, guess again! many of us branded as lunatics have believed this for years, the proven cheating in melbourne is one indicator, the consistant disfavour by the referees of a strong aNTI super league club the sydney roosters, is another more painful reminder! the sooner the cheats and swindlers are exposed to all the better!still hiding behind the telucrap and trhe australian! this same right wing axis have tried to hijack australian political and social agenda through the anti gillard anti govt push in their newspapers and by alan jones on 2gb! the same conservative side of politics that gave them all this power?

[Spanner in the works]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-1...review/2794992

Brown pushes for media inquiry
The World Today
Shane McLeod and Staff
Updated July 14, 2011 17:22:01

Momentum is growing for an inquiry into the Australian media industry in the wake of the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid was forced to close after it emerged staff had listened in to the phones of politicians, murder victims and their families, and the scandal has forced News International to abandon its bid for British broadcaster BSkyB.

Greens leader Bob Brown says an inquiry is needed to ensure the same thing is not happening in Australia.

"It is timely for us to review the media practices, media ownership and how well the media alliance's own code of ethics is working in Australia," he said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she is open to the idea of an inquiry.

"I'm not surprised to see that in Parliament or amongst parliamentarians a conversation is starting about the need for a review, and I will be happy to sit down with parliamentarians and discuss that review," she told the National Press Club.

"I anticipate that we'll have a discussion amongst parliamentarians about this, about the best review and way of dealing with all of this."

Ms Gillard also said she was disgusted by the actions of the Murdoch papers in the UK.

"I've truly been disgusted to see it [and] I'm not surprised that that's causing in our national conversation consideration about the role of the media in our democracy and the media's role generally," she said..

Senator Brown also questioned the quality of commentary from Australian media outlets.

"Maybe we do need to lift out of the gutter some of the stuff that's appearing as opinion or news commentary in Australia," he said.

"But that said I think there's quite a bit of concern I'm being fed from within the media.... about the narrow range of media opinion and the intrusion of opinion into news columns in sections of Australian media.

"And it's a good thing that we have a look at that."

Ms Gillard agreed, saying some of the media reporting in Australia is "complete crap".

During her address to the National Press Club, Ms Gillard said she wanted to see more balanced reporting of the carbon price debate.

"But if I can put it as clearly as I can, I'd say to you: 'Don't write crap'. It can't be that hard, and when you have written complete crap, I think you should, I think you should correct it," she said.

"I think what's changed is the volume of crap. But I think with the new media environment, with 24/7 media and the media cycle, with the news channels that we have now, people have to keep getting more content."

Race to the bottom
One of the proposed inquiry's draft terms of reference would look at whether the broadcasting regulator ACMA's powers should be expanded to include oversight of newspapers.

It is something the industry funded Australian Press Council does already, and chairman Julian Disney says the News of the World scandal highlights the need to address changes in the industry.

"The phone hacking thing is just something that's captured the front page and brought all this right up to the very top of the political agenda, but there are a number of really important issues about media standards, and particularly the danger of a race to the bottom now triggered by the internet," he said.

Professor Disney says Parliament is already looking at convergence in the media, and says scrutiny of newspapers and traditional media outlets could not be effective without looking at the expansion of news online.

"I think it's widely agreed that a major contributing factor to the problems in the UK was the cutthroat competition between the tabloids there but the cutthroat competition of the future is actually going to be between traditional print outlets and people who are throwing stuff out of blogs, etcetera," he said.

And he warned that a long-running inquiry may stagnate moves for reform.

"Well I think certainly the focus that's on these problems can be very positive. A long period of paralysis while we have a very extensive inquiry may not be the best way to go," he said.

The Greens also want the proposed inquiry to look at whether the code of ethics for journalists should be subject to oversight by an independent statutory body.

But Chris Warren, the federal secretary of the the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, says that would be a step too far.

"It's easy for people to look at what's happened in the United Kingdom and it's appropriate that people look at it and be appalled and to somehow think there's a magic regulatory wand that will solve it," he said.

"Well there is actually a regulatory wand that will solve the problem in the United Kingdom, it's called the criminal law. The criminal law in Australia would deal adequately with those issues if they were occurring in Australia.

"Now there's no evidence that they are occurring in Australia and despite all the debate over the past week about it, no examples have emerged.

"So I think we should be grateful for the integrity of the Australian media rather than rushing to try to find some new way of controlling it."
News Corporation's Australian arm, News Limited, has been taking steps to distance itself from the scandal at its parent company's UK newspapers.

Chief executive John Hartigan has written to staff, saying that while he is confident nothing untoward has been happening at the company's outlets here, the company will audit all editorial expenditure over the past three years to be certain.

I'm a journo and I am totally for this. Personally, I don't want to be associated on the same level as politicians. From a big picture view - well its all been written by countless authors before.

[Spanner in the works]

Does anyone remember the Gasnier Origin phone message thing? Does raise questions on how they got it. Not saying they did but you have to wonder.

[Guest]

Does anyone remember the Gasnier Origin phone message thing? Does raise questions on how they got it. Not saying they did but you have to wonder.

The chick they called reported it..

[Spanner in the works]

The chick they called reported it..

Oh really?

[Guest]

Oh really?

Yes..The paragraph in bold basically says that..

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/...028471659.html

Blues sent home as Gasnier is sacked
May 21, 2004

A drunken lewd message on a woman's phone has thrown NSW's Origin preparations into disarray and put rugby league's battered reputation back under the spotlight. Steve Mascord and Brad Walter report.

NSW last night broke camp 18 hours early after centre Mark Gasnier was sacked from the team for leaving a lewd message on a woman's phone.

In the latest chapter in league's sorry off-field record this year, Gasnier, who was subsequently fined and suspended by his club, identified his own voice in an expletive-strewn voicemail entry left with a 27-year-old Sydney woman shortly before 4am on Wednesday morning. Due to the effects of alcohol from a team-bonding session, he had no recollection of leaving the message, sources told the Herald last night.

The nephew of league Immortal Reg Gasnier, he was immediately dismissed from camp for next Wednesday's opening State of Origin game against Queensland.

When he returned to his club, St George Illawarra, Gasnier was suspended and fined "heavily" - about $10,000. NRL chief executive David Gallop strongly suggested a further fine or suspension from the league.

"I acknowledge I left a voice message on an unknown person's voicemail," Gasnier said in a statement last night. "I acknowledge that person has been offended.

"I certainly apologise for this. I will make contact with the person to personally apologise. I was under the influence of alcohol but I understand I have to be responsible for my actions.

"I have paid a huge price for my actions in the circumstances. It has been my life ambition to play State of Origin. I apologise to my partner, my family, my club, my teammates and to the game for the public drama that has been created."

Brisbane's Michael De Vere has been flown in as a replacement for Gasnier, who earlier this year quit the game citing disillusionment. It is understood Gasnier called a woman in the internal directory of teammate Anthony Minichiello's phone and said: "[Woman's name], where the ---- are you? There's four toey humans in the cab.

"It's 20 to four, our ----- are --- and ------- ready to ----- ----- and you're in bed. ---- me, fire up you sad ----."

ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said there had been no other voices on the message, although others suggested otherwise.

Carr defended his statements earlier yesterday regarding Minichiello's phone being stolen.

"Anthony is still saying his phone is stolen," he said. "It appears this message was left before that happened. I can only go on what the players and team management tell me."

News that police had decided not to lay any charges against two Melbourne players accused of rape in February was overshadowed by the fresh controversy.

Gallop was furious at the latest scandal, which emerged as a two-day conference on the sport's attitudes to women concluded. He said the NRL would examine what action to take against Gasnier in addition to the Dragons' sanctions.

"It's infuriating when we've put so much time into this issue of late," Gallop said. "Respect for women can't be any higher on the agenda. We'll obviously look at the full facts and what action the player's club takes but penalties for this sort of behaviour must be a strong possibility."

Carr said the decision to break camp was taken by coaching staff and he was unsure if it was a response to the threat of this morning's 10am training session at Coogee becoming a media circus.

He said the second half of the pre-Origin camp, which now begins at 1pm on Sunday, was always alcohol free and he could not say what changes would be made for the second and third matches of the series.

Gallop said: "If commonsense is observed, there shouldn't be drama. Commonsense on that night was to have a few beers, enjoy your selection in the first game of our showcase event and go to bed."

St George Illawarra CEO Peter Doust would not reveal the exact size of Gasnier's fine but said: "The club recognises how Mark's action has offended and we, too, apologise to the woman involved.

"The club's expectation in relation to the behaviour of its players has been well chronicled in the past. We expect and demand high-quality behaviour and certainly this falls short of our expectations."

Minichiello, who was initially implicated in the incident, is also understood to have told team management he did not remember the incident. The offending call was made after the team had been drinking together at the Coogee Bay Hotel but before they arrived at Star City Casino.

"I have contacted the girl personally and apologised on behalf of the team," said Carr, who is also the NSW Rugby League general manager.

"She was really nice. She's not vindictive. She is like anyone who was offended by what was said and called the [Sydney Roosters] club. She's really sorry for the fallout. We fronted the player and played the message and he agreed . . . all he agreed was that that was his voice."

Roosters CEO Brian Canavan said no action would be taken against Minichiello.

"We wanted to gather the facts, that was the purpose of our investigation, but we are not involved any more," Canavan said. "We are now satisfied that Anthony did not make the call, it's not his voice, so that's the end of the matter as far as we're concerned."

Meanwhile, Victoria Police

said there was insufficient evidence to gain a successful prosecution against two Storm players accused of sexual assault.

"Unless there is further evidence forthcoming, the matter has been closed," Victoria Police assistant media director Kevin Loomes said.

[Spanner in the works]

Point taken. Anyway, back on topic, it is a disgusting practice no matter which way you look at it.