Australia is no longer a democracy and the reason for that is our media. Universally smug, incapable of discussing policies (apart from immigration- which they cheer on unquestioningly) and obsessed with woke, bullshit and trivia (anything to avoid discussing real issues) they are the direct cause of our hopeless, plutocratic, dysfunctional country.
A few years ago, the press gallery, with a straight face, decreed that the ‘story’ of the affair between mining industry glove-puppet Barnaby Joyce and a staffer was the ‘scoop of the year’. Yep, the press shut their eyes to taxation, the environment, the collapse of the economy etc etc and focused themselves on a bullshit Canberra bubble story, which, in their world, is the most critical issue in the world.
In 2021, the only issue, the only issue, discussed out of Canberra was the staffer assault case. That’s it, folks. You knew the minute this Canberra bubble story was reported it would be the only thing the press gallery would focus on. It happened in their little world, of the revolving door of staffers and media advisers and ‘journalists’. (We could perhaps question the cult of staffers generally being young attractive people of the opposite gender of the ministers, and the worth of their salaries to the taxpayers, but we’re not allowed to bring this up, so we wont).
At this point, our media are just clowns, idiots who trivialize everything and avoid talking about policies. The only ‘issues’ discussed are on woke topics- diversity, gender, aboriginal (sorry ‘first nations’ now), gay marriage, the republic etc etc etc. These topics, of course, have no bearing on the plutocratic Australian economy but provide the illusion of democracy and endless debate. And then you have journalists (on the public payroll) writing about themselves regarding woke topics. One woke topic- immigration – does have an effect on plutocracy, as high immigration crushes wages and living standards, so the journalists, unanimously, are in favor of it (which makes them feel all wise and progressive whilst serving the interests of the rich).
While demanding others’ wages should be lowered in Australia through immigration, journalists are curiously reticent to discuss how they obtained their jobs. A very revealing article was published in 2005, listing all the nepotism in journalism in Australia. It seems that more than half the journalists in Australia got their jobs from having family contacts. In particular there is a notable Fairfax columnist, who regularly witters on about equality and merit etc etc, who appears to have gotten her start from family connections on this list.
And that ultimately what the media and the press gallery are; an exclusive little club, sneering at the rest of us, preaching high immigration to keep wages down and telling us how wonderful plutocracy is. Good for their paymasters- bad for us.