THESE EMAILS EXCHANGES BETWEEN GREG ROBERTS AND SCOTT BALSON
ARE TAKEN RAW FROM WEBMAIL RECORDS

They formed part of the complaint to the Australian Press Council and were not challenged by The Australian.

The content has not been touched but the format made simpler to follow the exchange as they happened:

First email received from Greg Roberts on Tuesday 2nd October at 2.57pm

Scott, What's the best number to reach you on?

Greg Roberts
The Australian
GPO Box 2145
Brisbane. 4001. Australia
Phone 61 07 3666 7461
Mobile 0423 768919
Fax 61 07 3666 7499

My response:

Might be easiest to first outline what you want to chat about because I am currently in a very noisy place....

Cheers

Second email received from Greg Roberts about an hour later in reply:

heiner.. tomorrow perhaps if i can grab you for a moment on the phone (flat out for the rest of the day)

My response:

Greg

I am currently in an international departure lounge heading for S Africa.

I will be in that country for a month launching my latest book "Children of the Mist".

Heiner will be the furthest thing from my mind - so fire away with your questions on here now and I will respond as best I can, but you will ave to be quick.

Please note my plane leaves soon.

Scott Balson

Third Email Exchange at about 4.30pm that afternoon (2nd October)

Scott

Funny that, I just finished reading Murders in the Mist (the story of who killed Dian Fossey).

I would rather have a quick yack with you but let's see how we go.

  1. Can you let me know why you have continued to campaign on the Heiner matter?
  2. Do you think you have been a key figure in keeping the matter alive?
  3. What organisations are backing the move to keep this in the public eye?

My responses by email to the questions:

Can you let me know why you have continued to campaign on the Heiner matter?

I became a political victim of the system in QLD in 1999 - as you would know if you read my book "Enemy of the State". I am not claiming to be a victim - I am not alone. My book has just been put into an hour long documentary through independent film producer Animus Industries. If you are interested in purchasing a copy and seeing the role The Courier-Mail played in pursuing a QLD citizen then you can order the film through this link: http://www.gwb.com.au/filmorder.htm

The double standards that are applied in the judicial system through an entrenched Labor Government in QLD sickens me. They epitomise all that is wrong with our "democracy".

I have kept the Lindeberg web page open since 1997 and will continue to support him because his fight is for justice in a corrupt system*. This is not old news this is a very topical subject as the mainstream (Murdoch) media have played a major role in keeping serious allegations of criminal peadophilia out of the news. In itself this is a story just waiting to be told - and I have a feeling a factual book on this subject will be coming out soon. In fact the story just gets bigger and bigger - a tragic case study of complicity between power brokers in the media and politics.

It is about time the media realised that they are playing with people's lives by not keeping to their journalistic code of ethics. I know that the Chiefs of Staff in News Ltd nobble stories that hurt their political mates - but doesn't that action reflect the true lack of quality reporting and demonstrate the ever-present voice of the Master?

I wouldn't be a Murdoch reporter if you paid me!

Do you think you have been a key figure in keeping the matter alive?

No.

What organisations are backing the move to keep this in the public eye?

I have no idea.

* This is the single sentence used out of context by Roberts in his article to wrongly suggest that Kevin Lindeberg and I have been maintaining the page in co-operation.

Final email received on 3rd October at 2.58pm

scott you're not still around by any chance?

My response:

Hi Greg

I am currently at Jan Smuts airport - JHBG.

you can contact me via this email.

Kind regards

Scott Balson

Comments:

That is the totality of our discussion via email before Roberts put his name to the article that I am complaining about. I never heard from Roberts again. It is somewhat sinister that this reporter tried to make light of his questioning by referring to a book similar in name to the one that I was launching in South Africa while planning such a damning article about my character.

You will note that no reference is made by Roberts about any allegations of me being racist or anti-Semitic in the exchange.

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