He is married with two daughters and has a Master's Degree in Theology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.

http://ten.com.au/meet-the-press-paul-bongiorno-paul-bongiorno.htm

I have no evidence but I am prepared to believe that many journalists would be very uncomfortable with the global warming "theory" when most of their own beliefs are anchored in religion, including the "carbon" burning religion...

I’ve previously highlighted Dennis Shanahan and Malcolm Colless as barometers of the new new political narrative

Michelle Grattan provided another twist on the mechanics of constructing such a story on the weekend. (‘Rudd in trouble! Gloss comes off! Action Man Tony Off To Vigorous Start!’).

Rudd’s political style, whether his prolixity or his obsession for control, was always destined to be viewed more harshly when the politics became tougher.

Eventually it might work, but it’s not so far, because Abbott, blemished as he might be, is seen as ”authentic”, just as people are starting to ask ”will the real Kevin stand up?”…

But the dynamics have changed, the government is worried and the public, for the moment, seem to be hoping the underdog makes it a contest.

There’s lots, lots, more, and in fact the whole piece is something of a mind dump rather than a considered analysis. But what’s worth highlighting is the elision between “the public” (referenced anecdotally), the polls (alluded to) and “people”. The story is largely written in the passive voice beloved of such authoritative pronouncements – stuff just happens, and it’s unclear who thinks that it has, and who has been doing the doing. Who is doing the viewing of Rudd in the para I’ve excerpted? What is this destiny?

What it really adds up to is a picture of the commentariat-bot at work.

http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/02/15/do-the-polls-support-the-political-narrative-or-how-to-build-a-commentariat-bot/

And the same crap continues on Fran Kelly's dog breakfast (ABC-Radio National) every week day morning... See toon and my comment at top...

from Ben Eltham, Unleashed, ABC

...

The main effect of a carbon price will be to change the make-up of our economy. Carbon intensive industries will grow more slowly than those that can learn to be more energy efficient and less carbon intensive. Big aluminium smelters and coal-fired power plants may indeed struggle. But the small local butchers or newsagents that Tony Abbott loves to stage his media appearances in will be fine.

Of course, this type of dispassionate analysis has long been available to those willing to look. But many Australians [including most journos — Gus Note] haven't bothered, as they have preferred to be convinced by the doomsayers of the dangerous effects of this new tax.

The other key argument against pricing carbon is that no-one else is doing it. At least, no-one except the European Union, California, parts of China, India and several smaller countries. But the argument itself is obviously flawed. If something poses a threat to our nation, the government should act to stop it. Not acting won't stop it. So any argument that Australia should wait is simply an excuse.

The idea that Australia's climate action won't have any impact on the rest of the world is amazingly immature. It reminds me of a teenager complaining that no-one else washes up the dishes. Part of growing up is realising that if we want to clean up the kitchen, someone is going to have to make a start. It might as well be us. Setting an example might even convince our flatmates to lend a hand.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3571416.html

Deputy Opposition leader Julie Bishop says that carbon tax credits purchased under the current government may not be refundable if the Coalition takes power and repeals the legislation.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-16/carbon-credits-may-not-be-refundable-bishop/3573540

Blody hell, what's wrong with you Australian polled people? By hell or by crook, Julia Gillard is getting the Australian policies right. Give her the nod! Why fiddle faddle and support a ningnongery of Liberals (conservatives) who, with the skirt of being rite (ritewingnuts if you really analyse properly), peddle the wrong and most dangerous stuff. They are nuts and focused at being stupid... The earth is warming at a rate of knots and they have pontificating sessions about it like the catholics used to have about the sex of angels... Idiots!...

This morning Glenn Dyer was right to tell Fran Kelly that the ABC should run the Australia Network (voice of Australia overseas) full stop... Ten years ago the ABC got the contract, now for its 10 year review... If my memory is correct Channel 7 ran the gig for a while before that, but it was a bit of a cat's furball. The tender process according to Kelly was "yet another fiasco by the government" etc etc, blah blah, at a thousand words — designed to embarrass the government — per minute...

In fact the only fiasco — if there is one, only a delay — is that the tender process was evaluated by some public service personel who have no idea about the media's cunning operation and advised the government to give the gig to SkyNews... to which the government baulked a bit... Buried in the cheaper offer "or the better option" (I guess) from SkyNews was a "contradeal" with CCCTV, the Chinese propaganda media arm...

Of course the government saw a bit of red there (anyone in their right mind would), not so much that the channel-9-channel-7-and-Rupert-BSkyB consortium owner of SkyNews were turning communist but that the content of the Australia Network might be "compromised" by the contradeal with a fiercefully censoring network.

Glenn Dyer is right. Give the dosh to the ABC and let it do it right for you... Buzz off Fran.

BEIJING — Political censorship in this authoritarian state remains heavy-handed. But for years, the Communist Party has tolerated a creeping liberalization in popular culture, tacitly allowing everything from popular knockoffs of “American Idol”-style talent shows to freewheeling microblogs that let media groups prosper and let people blow off steam.

Now, the party appears to be saying “enough.”

Whether spooked by popular uprisings worldwide, a coming leadership transition at home or their own citizens’ increasingly provocative tastes, Communist leaders are proposing new limits on media and Internet freedoms that include some of the most restrictive measures in years.

The most striking instance occurred Tuesday, when the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television ordered 34 major regional television stations to limit themselves to no more than two 90-minute entertainment shows each per week, and collectively 10 nationwide. They are also being ordered to broadcast two hours of state-approved news every evening and to disregard audience ratings in their programming decisions. The ministry said the measures, to go into effect on Jan. 1, were aimed at rooting out “excessive entertainment and vulgar tendencies.”

The restrictions arrived as party leaders signaled new curbs on China’s short-message, Twitter-like microblogs, an Internet sensation that has mushroomed in less than two years into a major — and difficult to control — source of whistle-blowing. Microbloggers, some of whom have attracted millions of followers, have been exposing scandals and official malfeasance, including an attempted cover-up of a recent high-speed rail accident, with astonishing speed and popularity.

On Wednesday, the Communist Party’s Central Committee called in a report on its annual meeting for an “Internet management system” that would strictly regulate social network and instant-message systems, and punish those who spread “harmful information.” The focus of the meeting, held this month, was on culture and ideology.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/world/asia/china-imposes-new-limits-on-entertainment-and-bloggers.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

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See story above about the Australia Network and toon at top...

A damning Office of Police Integrity (OPI) report has triggered the resignations of Victoria's parliamentary secretary for police and a government adviser.

The OPI found Police Minister Peter Ryan's adviser, Tristan Weston, was "heavily involved" in a campaign against the former Chief Commissioner Simon Overland.

The report says he was leaking information to the media while working for the Government and that his conduct "almost certainly contributed to the course of events that led to the Chief Commissioner's resignation."

The OPI has made six misconduct findings against Mr Weston and is considering whether there is sufficient evidence to support criminal charges.

Using phone taps, the OPI determined that Mr Weston had an inappropriate relationship with the former Deputy Commissioner Sir Ken Jones.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-27/pair-resign-over-damning-opi-report/3603996

Though it is not mentioned in this ABC report, the government of Victoria is presently Liberal (conservative)... from which Pete Costello comes from...

Apparently Fran Kelly was interviewing a Canadian representative — John Kirton, Co-director of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto — at the Rio+20 summit on environment and economy...

Apparently Fran Kelly asked a question on how Australia was viewed overthere...

Apparently, when the fellow started to praise Australia but specifically praise Julia Gillard, apparently Fran Kelly cut him short... 

No transcript available so far...

And I have noticed Fran Kelly is also liberally using the untenable shock jock "in my view" syndrome, in order to absolve herself from the rigours of journalism... Who knows... 

See toon at top...

read more: http://victoriarollison.com/category/general-musings/

Look at this photo of Julia Gillard. Does this look like an innocent person – someone who has just been vindicated by a Judge as having played no part in any criminality in relation to a union slush fund 20 years ago? Or does it look like someone guilty, with questions to answer, being rushed away from cameras, refusing to make eye contact with her accusers? This is the image that the Sydney Morning Herald used to accompany a headline which you would think would be good news for Julia Gillard, and bad news for the media who relentlessly pursed this story to no end:

Royal commission on union corruption told Julia Gillard should be cleared of any crime

The article moved quickly from reporting that The Royal Commission into Union Governance and Corruption found Gillard innocent, to report that her ex-boyfriend, Bruce Wilson, and his colleague Ralph Blewitt should face criminal charges. Kathy Jackson is also recommended for criminal charges. Remember Blewitt and Jackson and their work to bring down the previous Labor government? No? Don’t remember these links? Why am I not surprised?

To the average media consumer, who doesn’t follow independent journalism, who relies on their news from mainstream journalists such as those at Fairfax, you would never know that Ralph Blewitt’s accusations towards Julia Gillard were used relentlessly by right-wing-nut-job-chief Larry Pickering (you know the guy – he likes to draw politicians with huge penises) to push the media to keep saying that Gillard had ‘questions to answer’. You might wonder why the media would follow the lead of the un-hinged Pickering and the word of Blewitt, who was blaming Gillard for something he himself was being accused of doing in a bid for immunity. You might also not realise that Kathy Jackson was the very same Kathy Jackson who ‘blew the whistle’ on Craig Thomson’s misuse of union funds, who is also partner of Tony Abbott’s good friend Michael Lawler and a favourite guest of the right wing extremist HR Nicholls Society, and was misusing union funds herself at many tens of times worse than Craig Thomson. This article quotes the misuse for personal expenses at $660,000. But this link between right wingers and criminality in unions is never mentioned is it? This link to a 2012 article where Tony Abbott is praising Kathy Jackson as heroic is never mentioned. These people with vested interest in bringing down Labor politicians, who are accused of doing the exact same things as they are accusing Labor politicians of doing, who have links to right wing politicians and media identities are never properly investigated because no journalist wants to make the link between stories they’ve been writing, and the obvious campaign by Abbott to not just destabilise Gillard’s minority government, but to smash unions and workers’ rights with them. Remember Ashby versus Slipper, another campaign orchestrated by Abbott’s Opposition to try to bring down the Gillard government? Remember how Michelle Grattan used Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper as reasoning as to why Julia Gillard should resign?

You’ll notice that most of the stories that I’ve linked to in the above paragraph were written by journalists at Fairfax. I use Fairfax in this case purposely. I could have used News Ltd, but no one takes News Ltd seriously as they don’t actually employ journalists and prefer to work at being grubby partisan hacks so there’s no point reminding everyone why we don’t read News Ltd. I could have used the ABC, who went with this very ABC-like headline to report the news of Gillard’s vindication in the slush fund affair:

-----------------------------------

Now, when will Tony Turdy be prosecuted over his role in the Honest Politicians slush fund that was designed to kill off Hanson? See toon at top...

And when will Turdy Tony be thrown out of parliament for holding two citizenships? see phony tony .....

Fran Kelly’s recent interview with Josh Frydenberg completely failed to challenge the Treasurer on critical issues. Alan Austin has simmered down just enough to file this report.

WHEN JOSH met Fran on Sunday’s Insiders on ABC TV, viewers were entitled to answers about Australia’s failing economy. While every other well-managed economy is advancing, Australia is lagging further and further behind. On top of this, Westpac Bank has just been accused by Australia’s financial intelligence agency of horrific crimes on a massive scale.

...

Frydenberg: “We are growing faster, according to the OECD, in 2020 than the United States, than Canada, than Japan, than European countries.”

This is a blatant, bare-faced, black-hearted lie straight to the camera. Annual growth figures are updated quarterly at tradingeconomics.com and elsewhere and readily available to all.

Australia’s latest annual growth number is a puny 1.4%, a fact which Kelly actually read from one of her prepared questions. The United States is now at 2.0% and Canada at 1.6%, both higher than Australia. Japan is 1.3%, marginally lower.

More than 30 European countries have higher growth than Australia’s. Cyprus, Macedonia, Latvia, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro are more than double at 2.8% or better. Ireland, Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are more than triple.

....

Read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/kelly-frydenb...

Read from top...