Where I live, the only print media is "The Morning Bulletin"(TM who dominate the coverage of news within the federal seat of Capricornia unless you buy The Land, etc.

This newspaper has an extreme slant towards the ALP where they refuse to print one bad against them, not even a simple criticism. The federal and state seats are Labor held, the local council Labor controlled. No surprises there.

Before the editor of this paper was changed, you could read views from all sides of the fence. I had quite a fair bit printed myself. Since the change over, this paper has turned into such a sensationalist and deceitful newspaper that I refuse to buy unless I have to.

How can the voters get to see what alternatives there are out there when they won't even report non-Labor candidates professionally, let alone honestly?

The point that rears its head here, is where are your other candidits?There are major papers that only print Liberal good deeds and Labor in the negative.Council is elected by rate payers.The web also can be used to get information on all parties.Its up to the people to apply pressure stating you want information from all representives.

I absolutely agree. The role of the media is to present un-biased information and opinions ONLY where it is clearly stated that is what they are.

That said I think you'll be very hard pressed to find any publication that does that. People are naturally biased due to their value system, background, education and own opinions.

I'd suggest that problem here is a symptom of greater issues: focus on opinions rather than the facts. It is fair to say that in any given situation there is a set of facts, ie. reality. Naturally, in attempting to understand this reality we interpret it through our own values or perspectives and thus any one take on the issue is unreliable. By considering other viewpoints we are better able to discern fact from fiction and form an opinion _base_d on facts rather than mere opinion.

This is the basis of democracy - by exposing an issue to the widest debate possible, we can get as close to the facts as humanly possible and thus make the best possible decision.

Does this format resemble our current political system and subsequent media arrangement?

This site is wonderful.
Thank you whoever is responsible.


At last a central point where people can hear/read/see all views (and the views of the people).

Recycle your newspapers, turn off mainstream news.
Turn to your ABC, Online Opinion, SBS and now Hats Off to "You Decide!"
Great stuff.

More important than media bias, is the issue of populism. All we hear is who is ahead in the POLLS ... measuring populism ... rather than analysis of the ISSUES.

Even the ABC and Herald have fallen for the trap of populism ... if we keep going we'll end up electing our politicians in the same way the Americans do ... and we all know the results of that !

Please ... media .. do your job .. professionally - submit an issue each day and ask for considered response from each party .. including the smaller parties !

kevarms wrote:
More important than media bias, is the issue of populism. All we hear is who is ahead in the POLLS ... measuring populism ... rather than analysis of the ISSUES.



How so?

Journalist writing up their own opinion as news fact is much more important than polling. Polling is necessary yet not always correct.

The journalism I have seen here in Rockhampton if very low. So low, I would love to buy it out and sack the whole lot.