30th September 1998
I have contacted Channel Seven in relation to the matter. The entirety of Glen Milne's report on the Gatton launch was this: "Extraordinary scenes at the One Nation campaign launch today. Pauline Hanson refusing to hand out policy costings despite promising to do so. When the media protested, adviser David Oldfield tried to throw them out. When that failed, police were called."
I contacted the Channel Seven newsroom and suggested that this report was in breach of section 4.3.1 of the Commercial Television Industry's Code of Practice. (factually material must be presented accurately.) I pointed to them that withholding the relevant fact that One Nation acknowledged it had to give them the costings on the day and promised to fax them by 5pm, was a total distortion of the story. I was told that One Nation knew the launch was on and should have had costings ready. To which I replied that it is not the role of a broadcaster to punish a political party for being late by two or three hours. Their job is to report the news fairly and accurately. I suggested that the document could have been lost and that this would not represent foul play from One Nation. Especially not if they promised to deliver (and indeed, did deliver) the costings on time to feature on the 6pm News.
The conversation ended on some vintage Seven argument: "Glen Milne is our senior political journalist and I have faith in his reporting. "Unfortunately, journalism is about facts, not about faith. I also told the lady from the newsroom that Mr Milne also used the disruption caused by the journalist as a smokescreen and did not mention a single word about the launch itself. Why does Beazley kissing a fish make the news but the launch of Australia's third most influential political party does not?"
I am taking this matter to the Australian Broadcasting Authority which interestingly enough ruled today, on my request, that an e-mail complaint is considered to be "in writing" and that TV stations should reply to e-mail complaints as they would if it had arrived by postal mail. I intend to set up a CGI script that would allow thousands of people to send the same complaints as I do. I would type the text of the complaint and people would just add their name and address. To ensure that only legitimate complaints are sent, a serial number will be issued by mail to verify the integrity of the e-mail address provided.
I also contacted SBS today. I didn't get very far yesterday. Today, I went as far as Alan Sunderland answering machine. Along the way, I spoke to several people, including one from the publicity department who made some rather weak excuses as to why the Gatton launch was not covered. He told me that because they have low resources (which is true), they tend not to cover all the stories that other stations cover. Unfortunately for him, I happen to know SBS coverage patterns backwards and I reminded him that SBS always find resources to cover events where a large number of protesters are shouting insults at the people who attend ON meetings. When there are no protesters, the SBS resources go missing. I will be following that matter right up to the Pope if I have to.
I have also send an e-mail to the editor of the Ballot98 website. I think the poor Margo Kingston really needs a break. They should send her on a cruise somewhere. It's really getting to her.
As always, the media perform very poorly when challenged by people like myself who do not accept feeble excuses for an obvious bias against One Nation. On Saturday, their castle of cards will crumble. And if it does not, there will be another Saturday and another Saturday until some day people finally wake up.
Cheers,
JG Estiot
Editor
Media-Watch Interactive