Hartigan: PM Julia Gillard’s comments about News Limited “unjustified and regrettable”
News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan today described comments by the Prime Minister about News Limited as “unjustified and regrettable”.
The Prime Minister was reported earlier today to have said: “I do believe that Australians watching all of that happening overseas with News Corp are looking at News Ltd here and are wanting to see News Ltd answer some hard questions.”
Says Hartigan: “The Prime Minister’s comments seek to draw a link between News Corporation operations in the UK and those here in Australia. The comments were unjustified and regrettable.
“There is absolutely no connection between events in the UK and our business in Australia.
“There is no evidence that similar behaviour has occurred at News in Australia.
“We have answered every question put to us on this issue openly. If the Prime Minister has more questions we would be happy to respond.
“No one is more appalled or is more concerned about what has happened in the UK than we are. It is an affront to everyone at News in Australia and a slur on the professionalism of our people, especially our journalists,” says Hartigan.
17 Comments
Yeah – what he said.
Get off the band wagon lady.
No evidence of News Ltd involvement. Just pohms currently.
Bloody convicts.
John Hartigan of Melbourne Storm fame?
fuck Gillard is embarrassing!
Large media companies pursue profit with little regard to ethics – ethics come from the culture of a company and the leader drives the culture in every country in which they operate. Reason enough for some investigation.
cmon Micahel…..post my rant….
@9:51
One and the same, and he thinks we have no reason to investigate the possibility of problems with corporate governance, conflicts of interest and the like at News Ltd. here in Australia.
If the events unfolding in the hacking scandal and the dark corporate culture of News Intl. in the UK that we’re reading about daily aren’t enough for the PM to suggest that News Ltd. locally be put under increased scrutiny by the Australian people, then certainly the even greater media consolidation and dominance here in Australia by News than that which currently exists in the UK with magazines, newspapers, and television networks, cable and free-to-air, as well as sports franchises and entire codes, either controlled by the company directly or by relatives and board members with close personal and business relationships must surely be worth our government and all Australians having a closer look at the company’s practices, no?
With News having that kind of power over how we all receive information and entertainment in this country, and the Telegraph and Australian taking such strong ideological stands in favour of big mining, against pricing carbon, choosing which politicians to attack and which to promote at their whim, it sets the same conditions in which the relationships between the dominant media conglomerate, police, and the government in the UK were allowed to take place, and should be an issue of concern here as well, shouldn’t it?
Besides, one John to another, what’s wrong with the PM and the Australian people asking a few hard questions, especially if there is nothing to hide, right? All that power in the hands of one company can’t be all that good for democracy and free enterprise, can it?
@11:20
Spot on. I’d pat your back but i’m in London.
The fact that Murdoch has so much influence/control over Australian media is something worth keeping an eye on regardless.
When one organisation controls 70% or the capital cities newspapers, and the only national, it’s not hard to see how a biased agenda could affect public mindsets. Especially when that same agenda is responsible for such delights as Fox News.
Dear Julia
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…..
Dear 3:43
Cute reference, but perhaps you’d like to enlighten us as to which glass house you think the PM is living in?
The one that’s taking a courageous leadership role on climate change despite the distaste by those among us earning $100K plus a year for spending the $10 a week to begin the process of reducing carbon emissions?
Maybe the one that’s pushing for a national broadband network so that we can finally enter the 21st century of bandwidth and internet speed in this country, and at the same time keeping it out of the hands of the telecom entrepreneurs and maintaining the process as a public utility?
Could it be the forthcoming mining tax that will require the multinational billionaires who are taking Australian resources out of the earth here and lining their already platinum pockets to pay a reasonable sum to underwrite basic infrastructure projects in the country whose bounty their plundering?
Perhaps it’s the one that’s just suggested we all have a look at the near media monopoly in this country by News Ltd. and how Mr. Murdoch’s corporation uses its powers of persuasion to bend the will of the people, the politicians, etc. to their favour?
Give us all the benefit of your insight on this one, will you? We’re all dying to learn.
I’m with Zen. Good comments.
The way the Murdoch press relentlessly pursues Gilliard and espouses the rubbish Abott spews out is disgusting. They say they are’fair and accurate’ in their reporting. Ha. They are increasingly like Fox ‘News’ in the US…..biased lunatics peddling Murdochs own views and propaganda. The fact Murdoch controls 70 % of the press in Oz is scary. Not to mention all the shock jocks on the bandwagon. Good on Gilliard for having the balls to stand up to them.
Gosh… Zen and 5.45… you must be labour voters or green or on another planet or on something…
Perhaps you’ve forgotten that our dear Julia promised faithfully ‘no carbon tax’ which you seem to have conveniently forgotten.
Was that a lie, an election ‘promise’ or just ‘politics’ perhaps its one for the Fabianists to answer since you’ve brought Western Australia’s economy into it.
I’m not a part of the mining ‘boom’ but I certainly don’t begrudge the guys who had the brains to go out to the middle of nowhere to find the stuff earning their share of the profits. I assume you don’t mind your bonuses either?
As for the broadband network…. please, visit Sweden – now. As for the media monopoly… who allowed that to happen? And just a final thought, personally, phone hacking sucks.. so do facebook stalkers… and even more sucky…. all those people who have no sense of self control or responsibility to not buy the tripe peddled as ‘news’ in the first place. Or perhaps I’m stupidly responding to a couple of disciples of the Dalai Lama?!
P.S…. Zen and 5.45
I guess its perfectly ok for the supposedly UNBIASED ABC to relentlessly rant in looney labours camp at every opportunity then?
@3:37 & 3:44
What is it about Australia that makes the reactionaries just so much thicker?
“You muss be one of them treehuggers or sumpin, huh?”
For the record, the PM made an election promise as the leader for Labour, but Labour didn’t win, and as the leader for the Left Coalition of Labour, Greens, and Independents, who collectively chose to price carbon as representatives of a majority of Australians who also support taking a leadership role on climate change, she did what true leaders do, she led, and is doing the right thing for the future of Australia’s climate, as well as Australia’s economy, by taking it where China is taking theirs with all the capital gained off of our mineral resources, into Green technology.
Regarding your other incisive remarks, who can be bothered to refute that drivel, it’s like a stinking contest with a skunk at some point. Get a General Education and come back on the blog for more debate, mate.
As far at the ABC is concerned, it is unbiased, it just choses as a network to deliver and comment upon the news in the most intelligent fashion, which only appears biased by comparison to the lack of the same on the majority of free-to-air, radio, and the Murdoch press in this country.
I generally revile ad homonym remarks, but buffoon doesn’t begin to describe your comments, and truth be told, I’m being generous. Back to the RSL with you, where I’m sure you’re considered the articulate one.
@3:37 & 3:44 RE: 5:57
Quick! Somebody fetch the Savlon because that burn’s gonna hurt!
For a supposed advertising professionals it’s amazing to see how many are manipulated by advertising. The mining tax fell over because of the ads. Misleading, self-serving mining Gigantores fooled the weak minded into seeing it as somehow unAustralian to expect foreign owned firms to pay to rip the guts out of the landscape for immediate profit.
The mining industry used to generate massive tax income for the Govt. and we all benefited. Now they are thinking longer term and building giant infrastructure and writing it all off against non-taxable capital investment. Meanwhile our economy gets royally fucked and we all experience inflation without the actual spending part (for us).
$10 coffees in WA doesn’t mean anyone is getting rich in outback NSW.
Now the same dimwits are responding to the same emotion over fact approach the miners used. This time it’s by a one-track minded Abbot. All he wants, and I mean ALL he wants, is to force a double dissolution to get into office. He doesn’t give a crap about you or anything else besides.
..and while I’m shooting from the hip..
Gillard’s ‘hard questions’ reference wasn’t the UK shenanigans you wood-headed buffoons. She’s talking about the clear bias News limited has against Labour. Anyone dumb enough to deny that’s in place shouldn’t be reading in the first place. Too much of a challenge, clearly.
5.57 if I’m in the rsl at least I thought about “Australia “… sorry dear I’m not that old but thankfully do have a brain that clearly can recall “fact” from apparent fiction.
Suggest you learn what the word “truth” and “lie” mean… Just because you are (if you are?) in advertising doesnt mean you can disregard them 🙂
And if you have just a tiny bit of intelligence learn about dear julias favorite secret society, the Fabian, obviously YOU haven’t a clue….
Oh sorry does this also mean you voted for Julia because she’s a woman? Sad day for all if that was/is the case.