The pack was led by Murdoch’s local lap dog and News Ltd boss Kim
Williams. He accused the
government of being “the first outside of wartime to attack freedom of speech”,
saying that it will lead to “government-sanctioned journalism”.
This was all rubbish of course, so much so that some members of
the pack broke loose, chased their own self-interest tails, and barked up
another tree.
Nine Entertainment Chief Executive David Gyngell and Ten Network
Chairman Lachlan Murdoch, for example, were pleased with those parts of the
reform package that would advantage their companies.
A 50% rebate on commercial networks’ licence fees would be made
permanent, saving them about $180m this year. Despite all the usual guff in
capitalist circles about the benefits of competition policy, there would be no
fourth commercial network. The
ceiling on audience reach, which prevents media takeovers that would take a
network’s audience beyond 75% of the target, was to be referred to a
parliamentary committee and was likely to be abolished.
The fly that crawled up Williams’ nose was a proposed new “Public
Interest Media Advocate” to regulate standards developed by the media industry
through bodies such as its Australian Press Council.
If this was a handcuff on the freedom of the press, then it was a
handcuff made of butterflies’ wings.
It would not have touched the essentials of the role undertaken by
the capitalist media which consists firstly, of delivering all of us as media
consumers to the monopolies through exposure to advertising; and secondly, to
ensure that the ruling ideas of society are the ideas of the ruling class.
In all the shambles of trying to get the media package passed by
parliament – and failing – the “debate” was never allowed to touch on the fundamental
issue that freedom of the press is a class question. The capitalist media monopolies deny freedom
to express opinions in their press to opponents of the capitalist domination of
Australia.
In complete opposition to all that the capitalist press stands for
is the Communist paper Vanguard which this year celebrates 50 years of
publication.
Where the capitalist media refuses to acknowledge the workers,
except in universally negative terms, Vanguard seeks to bring their immediate and
long-term interests and concerns to the fore.
Where the capitalist media refuses to report on this or that
struggle of the people, Vanguard seeks to highlight the activities
of the people for fundamental change.
Where the capitalist media refuses to permit discussion of certain
subjects, or discussion from certain viewpoints, Vanguard seeks to break through the
boundaries of bourgeois discourse and keep discussion alive with proletarian
content.
Vanguard seeks to maintain the
closest ties with the militant and advanced sections of the working class,
drawing its material from their contributions, rather than from a staff of paid
experts.
Vanguard seeks to deliver a
consistent Marxist-Leninist analysis of all questions of the theory and tactics
of class struggle, and to link the experiences of workers in Australia to those
of our comrades around the globe.
To seek to do these things is not necessarily to actually do
them. This paper has many
shortcomings.
Delivering the workers up to the big monopolies is not one of
them.
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