The difference a word makes

Activists descended on Canberra to protest the ongoing Northern Territory intervention. The Sydney Morning Herald via AAP writes:

The protest was over the federal government intervention into Northern Territory Aboriginal communities in response to harrowing claims of widespread child sex abuse.

My issue here is the encroachment of editorial comment into news reporting. It may just be me, but I feel the use of ‘harrowing’ betrays the authors own views – something journalists are supposed to steer clear of when presenting news. Read more…

Is Eddie Still Everywhere?

A Current Affair’s ratings soared on Monday night as millions of Australian’s tuned in to see what was bound to be car crash television: Eddie McGuire as host.

The Who Wants to be a Millionaire host is on a $5m a year contract with the Nine Network but with Millionaire not on TV at the moment, Eddie’s had really not much to do. Since stepping down as CEO when the shit hit the fan at Channel Nine, he’s popped up every now. But now he’s the replacement host for the show that covers the big issues like dodgy builders, petrol prices and how to win prizes from magazines.

Read more…