Category Archives: Australia

Call for inquiry into death & treatment of Kasem Bundit University English teacher Gareth Davies by British Embassy Bangkok & employer

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A nurse attends to Gareth Davies at Rajavithi Hospital on Sunday, March 25

The brother of a Leicestershire English teacher who died in Bangkok yesterday is calling for an inquiry into the British Embassy Bangkok’s handling of the matter, in addition to an inquiry by the Thailand Government into his employment by Kasem Bundit University. Speaking from his home in Devon, Mr Michael Davies said the manner in which the British Embassy Bangkok handled his brother Gareth’s basic human rights was “absolute crap”, at the same time lambasting his brothers employer, Kasem Bundit University, for ignoring his brother and failing to correct a wrong for almost a month. “The foreign service costs the taxpayer a lot of money, but when people are most vulnerable and in need of assistance the average citizen abroad … Continue reading →

Government porn filter poses greater risks

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The Federal Governments plan to force all internet service providers (ISPs) to filter online pornography and violent content will see Australian’s access to the internet controlled in the same manner as users in China, Burma, Vietnam, North Korea and Saudi Arabia experience. Under the plan the Australian Communications and Media Authority will prepare a blacklist of unsuitable sites and all ISPs will be required to block access to these sites by internet services provided to households and schools.

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Telstra Australia…redefining the journalist/pr relationship

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The relationship between public relations representatives and journalists has always been a tenuous one at the best of times, but one can only wonder at the level of total incompetence and bizarre actions of Telstra in its dealings with the media. As a result of the story he was deluged by vitriolic emails from Rod Bruem, Telstra’s then editor-in-chief for blogging, that accused him of having manipulated the poll results, being a liar (because he hadn’t warned Bruem he was writing the story), and of not being a journalist.

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AFL slays Australian media

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When Melbourne’s Channel Seven network broke the news last week that players at a Melbourne based AFL club were receiving therapy for illegal drug use and that a leading player from the same club had been investigated for drug trafficking they rapidly became the pariah of the Australian news media. Rival media organisations and commentators looking to gain favour with the AFL quickly whipped themselves into a frenzy in their attempts to use the most condemning superlatives they could think of to criticise the actions of Dylan Howard who broke the story, as well as the network.

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Australians want fewer Muslims

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Eleven years after being elected to the Australian parliament on an anti-Asian migration platform, Australian politician and former take away food shop operator Pauline Hanson is making a fresh bid for parliament on a platform based on banning Muslim migration. according to a poll conducted online by the Channel 9 television networks ninemsn.com on August 12, the majority of Australian’s agree with her. Of 80,149 respondents, 71 per cent indicated that they agreed with Pauline Hanson on (banning) Muslim immigration.

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Australian journalism’s day of shame

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The revelation of comments allegedly made by Federal Treasurer Peter Costello to three Canberra press gallery journalists over a presumably boozy dinner more than two and a half years will forever damage the relationship Australian journalists have with their sources. Australian journalists have in the past had an admirable reputation for protecting their sources and respecting the confidences of those who provide them with background information. Indeed, Australian journalists, like their counterparts in other countries, have been prepared on numerous occasions in the past to go to jail rather than reveal their sources of information. The decision by the trio, Tony Wright of Melbourne’s The Age, Paul Daley of The Bulletin, and  ABCTV journalist Michael Brissenden, to suddenly all decide … Continue reading →