INDONESIAN EMBASSY SECURITY ALERT THE ROCKS STREET CLOSURES
Schapelle Corby
FLASH BACK - June 7th 2005
Don't blame the Corby's
The MEDIA Could Accept Some Responsibility For The Climate Of Anti-Indonesian Feeling They Have Helped To Engender.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Dated: Tuesday 7 June 2005
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO [10.04 p.m.]: Last Wednesday, 1 June 2005, like so many other people I was surprised to hear the news that there had been some sort of attack on the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra.
As the afternoon progressed and more detailed news became available, it became apparent that the attack was most likely in some way linked to opposition to the sentence received by Schapelle Corby in her court case in Bali. I do no profess to know or really care if Schapelle Corby is innocent or guilty. I still feel compassion for her and defy anyone except the hardest hearted to not react when they see the anguish that she is suffering. But as so many commentators have said, the attack on the Embassy, which turned out to be a hoax, will not in any way help her cause.
What did concern me was the number of media commentators who came out with the usual statements that sending an envelope with "white powder" was unAustralian. Their continual comments that such actions were unreasonable sat uncomfortably with many of their earlier comments on the Corby case.
When major media outlets spend day after day and week after week demonising the Balinese and Indonesian justice system why should anyone be surprised when a racist attack is made upon the Indonesian Embassy. Perhaps by recognising the level of near hysteria they have helped to engender in large sections of the Australian community they would actually be performing a public service. They could actually accept some responsibility for the climate of anti-Indonesian feeling they have helped to engender.
Why just talk about boycotting holidays to Bali and Indonesian products? Why not take direct action?
It is little wonder that in the climate they whipped up, someone went over the top in their response. It was very naive and self-serving of these media organisations to turn around overnight and try to take the high moral ground by condemning this incident.
What was even more interesting for me was watching very late on Wednesday evening the rerun of ABC's Media Watch. Its critical but accurate analysis of the media coverage of the Corby case was, in hindsight, far more revealing than it would have been had I watched the program on Monday evening. For those of you who missed this show, I urge you to check it out on the ABC website.
In any case while so many of these media outlets were so busy drumming up anti-Indonesian sentiment, they forgot to mention the radical industrial relations changes announced by the Howard Federal Government. That is apart from running editorials in support of the changes.
That in itself is odd enough. Surely if a Federal Government announcement does not rate a news story, it is a bit rich that editorials are written in its favour—especially when the major offender is a tabloid newspaper that pretends to be targeted at the average worker. But that again is hypocrisy in action.
Refer Journoz for an independent review of the Media
www.journoz.com/schapellecorby/
REF:http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parlment/HansTrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20050607/$File/531lc138.pdf.http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20050607053
FLASH BACK - June 7th 2005
Don't blame the Corby's
The MEDIA Could Accept Some Responsibility For The Climate Of Anti-Indonesian Feeling They Have Helped To Engender.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Dated: Tuesday 7 June 2005
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO [10.04 p.m.]: Last Wednesday, 1 June 2005, like so many other people I was surprised to hear the news that there had been some sort of attack on the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra.
As the afternoon progressed and more detailed news became available, it became apparent that the attack was most likely in some way linked to opposition to the sentence received by Schapelle Corby in her court case in Bali. I do no profess to know or really care if Schapelle Corby is innocent or guilty. I still feel compassion for her and defy anyone except the hardest hearted to not react when they see the anguish that she is suffering. But as so many commentators have said, the attack on the Embassy, which turned out to be a hoax, will not in any way help her cause.
What did concern me was the number of media commentators who came out with the usual statements that sending an envelope with "white powder" was unAustralian. Their continual comments that such actions were unreasonable sat uncomfortably with many of their earlier comments on the Corby case.
When major media outlets spend day after day and week after week demonising the Balinese and Indonesian justice system why should anyone be surprised when a racist attack is made upon the Indonesian Embassy. Perhaps by recognising the level of near hysteria they have helped to engender in large sections of the Australian community they would actually be performing a public service. They could actually accept some responsibility for the climate of anti-Indonesian feeling they have helped to engender.
Why just talk about boycotting holidays to Bali and Indonesian products? Why not take direct action?
It is little wonder that in the climate they whipped up, someone went over the top in their response. It was very naive and self-serving of these media organisations to turn around overnight and try to take the high moral ground by condemning this incident.
What was even more interesting for me was watching very late on Wednesday evening the rerun of ABC's Media Watch. Its critical but accurate analysis of the media coverage of the Corby case was, in hindsight, far more revealing than it would have been had I watched the program on Monday evening. For those of you who missed this show, I urge you to check it out on the ABC website.
In any case while so many of these media outlets were so busy drumming up anti-Indonesian sentiment, they forgot to mention the radical industrial relations changes announced by the Howard Federal Government. That is apart from running editorials in support of the changes.
That in itself is odd enough. Surely if a Federal Government announcement does not rate a news story, it is a bit rich that editorials are written in its favour—especially when the major offender is a tabloid newspaper that pretends to be targeted at the average worker. But that again is hypocrisy in action.
Refer Journoz for an independent review of the Media
www.journoz.com/schapellecorby/
REF:http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parlment/HansTrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20050607/$File/531lc138.pdf.http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20050607053
