Murdoch papers downplay wildfires in Australia. Stories moved off the front page.

[crazytown]

Rupert's flagship leads with calls for policing of indigenous alcoholism. Fires on page 4.

Murdoch-owned newspaper accused of downplaying bushfires in favour of picnic races

The Australian, Rupert Murdoch’s flagship newspaper, has defended itself against criticism it downplayed unprecedented bushfires by failing to put a picture of the disaster on the front page of an edition, even as newspapers across the world featured the harrowing scenes.

(snip) The national broadsheet’s lead story on Thursday was about a secret proposal by police to ban alcohol in Indigenous communities in Western Australia – a story deemed more important than the bushfire report, which said eight people were dead and mass evacuations were underway.

There wasn’t a single photo of the catastrophic bushfires until page 4.

Before readers got to that coverage, they were given an exclusive interview with “rebel marine scientist Peter Ridd” who has challenged reef scientists to test whether or not human actions have caused a collapse in the growth rate of corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/04/the-australian-murdoch-owned-newspaper-accused-of-downplaying-bushfires-in-favour-of-picnic-races?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Is he Nero?

[hatrack]

2. No, he's much worse

Nero presided over a burning city.

Murdoch presides over a burning planet.

And why? For money, more money, even more money, money that he couldn't even spend if he tried, money that will still not protect him from death -and may that death come soon.

[MFM008]

3. Another useless

Bastard whos time has expired.

[Hortensis]

4. Evil. But remember, much of his readership voted denial.

Just a short time ago too, after years of experience as canaries in the planet's coal mine!

Yes, they did that after after decades of soaking up Murdoch's lies. But he couldn't have sold them without a market. Demand comes before production and sales, and the millions of Aussies who refused to be fooled show the biggest problem by far lies with their fellow citizens who insisted on being lied to.

Reminds me of the term "the banality of evil." It's so everyday. Also, Lincoln's "you can fool some of the people all the time," which is true because some will only believe what pleases.

Notably, Australia's requirement that everyone vote didn't save their nation. More is obviously needed. Those who insist on being lied to aren't going to change. They will go wherever and flock to whomever gives them what they want.

But restraints on poisonously dishonest media might hopefully sufficiently reduce the confusion they deliberately sow to turn off large numbers of others, people who want to be good but are too uninterested to undo the confusion. Which of course brings us back to Murdoch.