By Jack Sumner
29 August 2013
In the Sydney Morning Herald today Paul Sheehan wrote “Labor pulls out race card in bid to win over Chinese“.
His flimsy justification for this serious allegation is:
“During the 2007 campaign, Labor shamelessly played the race card in Bennelong against Howard, emphasising Rudd’s fluency in Mandarin, his links to China and his Chinese son-in-law.” He goes on to allege, “Six years later, Rudd is playing the race card in Bennelong with bare-knuckled determination.”
Sheehan’s sources for this shameless piece appear to be Chinese members of the Liberal Party and his very own right wing prejudice best illustrated by this translation of sections of Labor’s candidate Jason Yat-‐sen Li’s campaign material:
‘I am a Sydney boy who was born and grew up in the suburbs.”
Translation: I’ve been parachuted into this seat by Labor.
”We will buy a home in the electorate and we care about the cost of living.”
Translation: I have never lived in the electorate.
”I am an entrepreneur running three companies that I founded.”
Translation: I am not running any company right now because I am running for
Parliament.
Shouldn’t an experienced journalist with any sense of ethics, fairness and decency have sought to speak to the person he seeks to disparage in this way? I can confirm that Sheehan made no such approach to Li or his office.
This week’s local newspaper The Weekly Times looks to influence readers’ votes too. Its front page has a photograph titled ‘JA celebrates Australian women’. The women honoured were Margie Abbott, Melissa Babbage, Bronwyn Bishop, Christine Forster, Janette Howard, Heather Ruddock, Deborah Thomas and Lucy Turnbull – how’s that for a cross section of the community?
Below the picture the TWT owner John Booth comments:
“Our beloved former PM Juliar Gillard could hardly ever call Bennelong MP John Alexander a misogynist so-and-so if last Friday is anything to go on. JA lined up a veritable galaxy of women-ladies-females-(girls?) –call them what you will, enough to fill any chauvinist males wish list.
Mr Booth also hints at his preferred candidate with pictures of Alexander on pages three, six and nine. A reference to Labor candidate Jason Li with picture appears on page eight.
Ironically, in contrast to the above examples of blatant bias our other local newspaper Northern Times covered the Bennelong election without any whiff of favoritism. News Ltd owns the Northern Times.
More Bennelong reports here
Two points:
Sheehan is best ignored – I don’t think anyone takes him seriously, and I feel ill everytime I accidentally click on a link to one of his articels
TWT is also best ignored – The owner uses this paper as his own personal propagada vehicle. It is a rubbish paper and exists only to carry Booths editorial rants and advertisements for the Liberal party and a local RSL (and it’s wonderful poker machines)
Even before the involvement of TWT in very recent corruption investigations, and Booths continued use of name calling and blatant abuse of Julia Gillard and anything Labor, it is a paper that never even makes it into our household. Whatever the snails don’t eat goes straight into the recycle bin.
Has Sheehan noticed that the Liberals are running Asians, in particular one Vietnamese refugee who wants to lock out refugees?
So what, exactly, is the requirement for a paper like TWT to provide unbiased news ?
It is privately owned and run – don’t like it, don’t read it!
Unlike this exercise, it is not funded by the taxpayer.
No time to waste reading it – I prefer to let my puppy crap on it…the paper is already full of $hit
You are right about the government funding – According to Booths statement to ICAC his paper has financially helped along by the respected (yeah right) Clr Ivan Petch..What does John Booth say on the witness stand, you ask? ….he said he was having some cash flow problems so Ivan Petch lent him $250k – but hey don’t take my word for it read the ICAC operation Cavill transcripts from yourself http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/investigations/current-investigations/investigationdetail/195
John booth’s rancid local rag is always full of shit including a racist front page headline a couple of weeks ago referring to a Labor politician, I think it was Kevin Rudd who ‘Woos Eastwood’ – disgusting!
Given the level of excrement that this local rag contains the best this to do with his paper is to fill it with more excrement by using it to line the kitty litter tray!
He uses his paper to promote his or his cronies financial and political ends – such as they are.
TWT is currently part of an ICAC investigation – Check out Booth, his newspaper & his equally disgusting cohorts at Ryde council – read through the ICAC transcripts but make sure you have a sick bucket ready because these guys want to make you spew – at ICAC http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/investigations/current-investigations/investigationdetail/195
Worth reading – Jason’s response to the Sheehan article
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/jason-yatsen-li-being-australian-is-not-about-the-colour-of-your-skin-20130830-2sv06.html