27 May 2013 Margo Kingston, one of Australia’s best-known political and investigative journalists, is partnering with Macquarie University to cover the upcoming Federal election using social media. Kingston was the first Australian journalist to use online media to bring the voice of citizen journalists into the mainstream media with her Sydney Morning Herald- based website Webdiary. […]
Macquarie University funds the first twitter–based election coverage by a professional journalist
The liberties of George Brandis by @awelder
By Andrew Elder May 22, 2013 Margo: After the recent George ‘free speech’ Brandis speech I asked (begged) @awelder to write me a piece on the civil liberties credentials of the man who would be Attorney General under an Abbott Government. This is Andrew’s first piece for @NoFibs. Thank you. There is a story of […]
The art of journalism: satisfying beginners and expert readers
By Sally Baxter May 19, 2013 What makes a journalist? A lot of people – inside and outside the profession – are asking that question. If you think it takes a genius, think again. Good journalists have a representative of their audience in mind who informs every step of their work. My background’s print, so it’s natural […]
Ethics overboard: How to promote integrity in the moment of choice
By Margo Kingston January 14, 2003 MARGO: With all the talk about stronger shield laws for journos, I think we are edging ever closer to needing an answer to the question: What is a journalist? We cannot argue for special protections and exemptions from privacy laws unless we can distinguish ourselves from non-journalists. To me the […]
Bolt no free speech champion, just another rhetor*
By Thomas Connelly May 11, 2013 Margo: I read with incredulity Andrew Bolt’s begging letter to citizens to donate to the IPA’s fund to defend free speech http://support.ipa.org.au/. IPA donors Murdoch and Gina could finance a free speech fund with their spare change. This appeal is about something else, changing the very meaning of free […]
Brandis free speech fudge: @MediaActive reviews the @albericie interview
ABC Lateline Interview May 7, 2013 Media regulation reform was never going to be easy in Australia. As it turned out, the legislation proposed by the Labor government foundered midst roiling misinformation and hyperbolic claims of draconian state intrusion into media freedoms. It was also not helped by the ham-fisted presentation, timing and advocacy by […]
The Liberal Party’s war on freedoms: My reply to Brandis
By Margo Kingston May 10, 2013 ‘But at least the debates about freedom of speech and freedom of the press, which we have seen in the past couple of years, have been a sharp reminder to the Liberal Party of its historic mission. For in the freedom wars, there has been only one party which has […]
Freedom Wars: The George Brandis speech
ABC Lateline Interview May 7, 2013 Margo: Well here it is, the Brandis speech on free speech he calls the Freedom Wars. It is not online, so Barry Tucker rang the Brandis office and obtained a copy. Thank you @btckr. I have a feeling I’ll want to write a response soon – my boiling anger at his @Lateline […]
The Forgotten People
By Margo Kingston May 9, 2013 The day after Howard, Abbott and Brandis, among other Liberals, pulverised our freedoms for George Bush, they did it again for Chinese President Hu. This chapter of my book is Part 5 in our series of memory joggers for shadow Attorney General George Brandis, in the hope that he revises his recent […]
MSM outrage-shaming: What’s it all about?
By Alison Parkes May 8, 2013 This piece is written in response to these three articles which have appeared within the past couple of weeks 1) Hooked on outrage in the Twitter wars by Jacqueline Maley, 20 April Fairfax 2) The left takes a turn for the ugly as power slips through Labor’s grasp by Chris Johnson, […]