En Passant

Australia’s mainstream media is a bit like Australia’s politics. It gives the impression of difference but in reality the two major newspaper outlets – News and Fairfax – disagree only on the detail. They agree on the overriding message and practice of neoliberalism and austerity. They agree too on creating a distraction from austerity. For Fairfax disguised and now not so disguised Islamophobia and liberal racism are good ways to do that.

The bigger picture is that The Canberra Times is part of the machinery that manufactures consent for capitalism. The far right, the right, the centre and the left that wants only to reform capitalism don’t challenge capitalism so are much much more likely to be published in the mainstream media, irrespective of the often misleading description given to these mouthpieces of capitalism as being either left wing or right wing.

A variety of opinions? A contest of ideas? Only those writers imbued with the capitalist ethos are published in the mainstream media.

If you know someone in the left-wing media who has made an outstanding contribution to journalism or to leadership, including campaigning journalism and journalism that looks outside the square – and it shouldn’t be that hard given much of the MSM produces ruling class sycophantic drivel – then nominate them. All you have to do is send 300 words explaining why to Barbara Blackman (barbara.blackman@walkleys.com).

John Passant offers a way forward for a once mighty newspaper empire in steady decline.

You are never going to see me offered a regular spot in any mainstream media. Of course, once the lion rises from its slumbers the bosses’ media aren’t going to give any space to the enemy. So to understand what is going on you’ll just have to keep reading my blog and other sites like Red Flag and Green Left Weekly.

Under the present mainstream media duopoly the views of a large number of Australians are silenced.

Free speech is free speech for the billionaires. It is they who control the means of communication. That free speech for them is built on the denial of free speech for the rest of us.

Media diversity now involves picking over the carcasses of the two parties to debate differences in their rotting entrails in detail. The best way to retain independence and some form of capitalist (ie narrow) media diversity, would be to strengthen unions.