Quarterly Essay № 43: Bad News
Robert ManneThis year has seen unprecedented scrutiny of Rupert Murdoch’s empire in Britain. But what about in Australia, where he owns 70 per cent of the press? In Bad News, Robert Manne investigates Murdoch’s lead political voice here, the Australian newspaper, and how it shapes debate.
"The are many things to admire about Professor Robert Manne. He’s a prolific writer. He’s incredibly intelligent. And he’s brave." - Josh Rosner, The Canberra Times
Since 2002, under the editorship of Chris Mitchell, The Australian has come to see itself as judge, jury and would-be executioner of leaders and policies. Is this a dangerous case of power without responsibility? In a series of devastating case studies, Manne examines the paper’s campaigns against the Rudd government and more recently the Greens, its climate change coverage and its ruthless pursuit of its enemies and critics. Manne also considers the standards of the paper and its influence more generally. This brilliant essay is part deep analysis and part vivid portrait of what happens when a newspaper goes rogue.
"In our shrinking broadsheet market, it would be good if the healthiest specimen, and the only national one, recognised that we need more mutual respect in public debate if we are ever going to sort through the complex problems and opportunities that confront us." - Robert Phiddian, Australian Book Review
Erratum notes
Forty-eight nations in one way or another supported the invasion of Iraq. The edited text inadvertently made it appear that they all offered military support. Of course, this is not the case.
Robert Manne is emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University. His recent books include On Borrowed Time, Making Trouble: Essays Against the New Complacency, and The Words that Made Australia (as co-editor). He has written three Quarterly Essays and is a regular contributor to the Monthly and the Guardian.